In the space of a single month, AI-generated band Velvet Sundown topped the Spotify charts, but it also sparked such a fire of disgust in listeners and critics that the world’s most famous streaming platform was forced to pull some Velvet Sundown content and revise its rules related to AI music.
In June, Velvet Sundown appeared on Spotify out of nowhere, dropped two full albums of “original” songs that, despite the bad algorithmic odds associated with first-timers on the platform, racked up more than a million streams. A curious, almost singular feat.
Nick Cave crushed the idea of AI music, calling it a ‘grotesque mockery.’
Rumors swirled that the music was AI-generated or at least assisted. Pressure on Spotify ratcheted up until, in early July, unidentified representatives for Velvet Sundown admitted on X.com that the band is “a synthetic music project guided by human creative direction, composed, voiced, and visualized with the support of artificial intelligence.”
No rave from Cave
The response was swift and harsh. Nick Cave crushed the idea of AI music, calling it a “grotesque mockery.” Elton John pointed to yet further dilution of the already flagging artist royalties inevitable in a world where AI music dominates playlists and algorithmic “recommendations.”
Two of the internet’s most beloved and capable music commentators, Rick Beato and Ted Gioia, who’ve both long criticized Spotify and the anti-artist and exploitative predilections of the music industry at large, immediately dropped videos and articles excoriating the platform.
Beato, an accomplished producer, guitarist, and leading YouTuber, using his own studio production and analysis tools all but proved Velvet Sundown was AI-generated well before the “band” copped to the allegation. Beato’s takedown video went viral with more than two million views.
Spot a fake?
Ted Gioia called Velvet Sundown “a fraud or hoax” at the outset. Writing at his Substack, The Honest Broker, Gioia had already established himself as perhaps the prime Spotify critic, attacking in particular the company’s weak royalty payout practices. Those one million streams Velvet Sundown gathered over a month? The payday was $3,000-$5,000. Not exactly Led Zeppelin money.
Gioia also brought to the attention of American readers an earlier near-catastrophic scandal that Spotify managed to downplay, wherein circa 2022, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter submitted an investigation that accused Spotify of something very near to outright fraud.
An investigation by the paper suggested that Spotify contracted with music production company Firefly Entertainment to produce “fake artists” and fake songs in a systematic effort to populate playlists with low-cost music. In this way, effectively packing the lists with fluff, Spotify didn’t need to pay out royalties because they already owned the music.
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Oddly enough, before the dust had even settled in the Velvet Sundown squabble, Gioia seems to have caught Spotify in yet another instance of shady AI-music-related behavior, which he likewise attacked. Last week, just as the Velvet Sundown content was being removed, Gioia suggested Spotify was allowing onto the platform and promoting AI-generated material attributed to very famous, and in some cases long-dead, artists such as Blaze Foley.
Reflective of Gioia’s generalship in the fight against AI slop and fraud music, Spotify bypassed mainstream outlets, reaching out directly to the critic instead with a statement describing its updated policies.
Who’ll stop the slop?
With ever more generative AI tools and the correlative tools to evade detection from other AI tools emerging daily, it’s unclear what the future holds for Spotify with respect to AI and slop. The track record leaves a lot to be desired. Music lovers can’t depend on Gioia and Beato forever. At the time of this writing, most of Velvet Sundown’s material is still streaming on Spotify and other platforms. From the distributor point of view, the price/payout numbers are tough to beat.
Return, Spotify, Ai, Velvet sundown, Nick cave, Ai music, Beato, Ted gioia, Fakin’ the funk