Spotify is reportedly publishing AI tracks from dead musicians

by

It’s been criticized that Spotify has released tunes created by artificial intelligence, putting them up on the official artist pages of musicians who have passed away for some time now – all without the approval from their estates or record companies.

An instance revolves around Blaze Foley, a renowned Texas country musician and lyricist who tragically passed away in 1989. On July 14, a fresh track titled ‘Together’ mysteriously surfaced on Foley’s official Spotify account. Accompanying the song were AI-generated cover art and a contemporary-style country ballad that deviated from Foley’s distinctive musical style.

As a dedicated fan, I’d put it this way: I, being Craig McDonald, owner of Lost Art Records, recently chatted with 404Media. Regarding the track we released under Foley’s name, I shared that it wasn’t typical Blaze-like and even went as far as calling it an “AI schlock bot.” I wanted to stress that its authenticity was more akin to an algorithm, not something crafted by human hands. To set the record straight, our label had no part in its release.

Over the weekend, McDonald reported that the song was flagged, and he immediately notified his distributor, Secretly Distribution, but they haven’t responded yet. Additionally, he urged Spotify to implement protective measures to prevent unauthorized content from appearing on artists’ official pages without prior approval.

McDonald stated, “This incident negatively impacts Blaze’s reputation. It’s quite unexpected that Spotify hasn’t addressed such security issues, and I believe it’s Spotify’s duty to rectify this problem.

AI tracks linked to TikTok’s SoundOn and mystery distributor

Later on, Spotify acknowledged that the song was found to be against their Policy on Deceptive Content and was subsequently removed after being flagged. This track was disseminated via SoundOn, a platform owned by TikTok, which enables direct uploads to TikTok and other music services. A representative from TikTok stated that both the song and the user’s account have been deactivated.

The AI-generated Blaze Foley song wasn’t an isolated case. Another track, “Happened To You,” was uploaded last week to the Spotify page of Guy Clark, a Grammy-winning country artist who died in 2016. A third, “with you” by Dan Berk, also featured the same copyright tag: “Syntax Error.” Reality Defender, a deepfake detection company, said all three tracks showed signs of AI generation.

As of now, no verified company named Syntax Error appears to be behind the uploads, and Dan Berk has not commented.

As a gaming enthusiast diving into the vast ocean of music streaming, I’ve noticed that AI-generated tracks aren’t novel discoveries anymore; acts like Velvet Sundown have already welcomed this technology with open arms. What sets this recent surge apart is the controversial link between unauthorized AI creations and the rich legacies of actual, departed musicians. This development has stirred up a storm in the music industry, leaving many of us wondering about the ethical implications and the future of music creation.

Read More

2025-07-23 18:49