Spotify's AI music problem: AI generated songs attributed to deceased artists

Spotify is under fire following a report from 404 Media highlighting that AI-generated tracks attributed to late musicians were uploaded to its platform without authorization from their estates, record labels, or publishers. A prominent example is a song titled "Together," which was mistakenly linked to Blaze Foley, an American country-folk artist who passed away in 1989. Despite Foley having been gone for over three decades, this AI-produced track surfaced on his official Spotify profile, accompanied by an album cover featuring an unrelated young man. The copyright for the song was attributed to "Syntax Error." Another song linked to Guy Clark, a country artist who died in 2016, was also found on the platform. Both tracks were quickly removed after 404 Media raised the alarm. Spotify acknowledged the deletion, stating that the songs breached its policies against impersonation aimed at misleading listeners. The company emphasized its commitment to taking action against distributors who do not prevent such content, with repeated violations potentially leading to permanent bans. The tracks were reportedly distributed through SoundOn, TikTok's music distribution service, raising questions about Spotify’s content verification processes. Craig McDonald, owner of Lost Art Records, Foley's label, expressed his dismay, stating, "I can clearly tell you that this song is not Blaze, not anywhere near Blaze’s style, at all." This incident is part of a larger trend of misrepresented AI-generated music on streaming platforms. Recently, a fictitious AI rock band called Velvet Sundown was discovered to have gained over a million monthly listeners before the truth was revealed. Although Spotify removed this content as well, critics are demanding more robust safeguards. Music rights organizations and industry experts are urging for enhanced protective measures, such as requiring verification from estates or labels for uploads to official artist profiles and clearer labeling of AI-generated content to prevent deception. Competitors like Deezer have begun exploring AI detection tools, while organizations like the British Phonographic Industry are advocating for stricter regulations to protect artist legacies in the era of AI. This controversy has also reignited discussions around comments made by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who previously described AI as both "really cool and scary." During a 2023 earnings call, Ek acknowledged AI’s transformative potential in content creation while also recognizing the risks it poses to the creative landscape. He noted, "We’re in the early days of seeing how powerful this technology can be, but it’s moving incredibly fast. That’s both exciting and a little bit scary." As of now, Spotify has not detailed any long-term strategies in response to this backlash. However, the rapid removal of the tracks indicates the company is cognizant of the reputational and legal consequences of similar occurrences in the future.