In a serious ethical and legal violation, AI-generated songs have appeared on the official pages of deceased artists on Spotify, sparking outrage among heirs and opening a debate about platform responsibility.
Article contents:
- Introduction: A flagrant violation of artists’ legacy
- The Blaze Foley case: “Machine-made nonsense” with no connection to him
- Record label’s response: “The responsibility lies with Spotify”
- Spotify’s response: Blaming TikTok’s distributor
- “Syntax Error”: A web of fake songs
- Worse than just “slop”: Impersonating the dead
- Conclusion: A wake-up call for the music industry
Introduction: A flagrant violation of artists’ legacy
Spotify has been publishing new AI-generated songs on the official pages of artists who died years ago, without permission from their heirs or record labels. This is not just a theoretical debate about the future of music; it is an alarming reality happening right now on the world’s largest music streaming platform.
The Blaze Foley case: “Machine-made nonsense” with no connection to him
According to his official Spotify page, Blaze Foley, a country singer-songwriter who was killed in 1989, released a new song titled “Together” last week. The track, featuring a vocalist, piano, and electric guitar, sounds vaguely like a slow new country song. But the problem is that it was neither written nor sung by Blaze Foley.
Craig McDonald, owner of Lost Art Records, the company that distributes all of Foley’s music and manages his Spotify page, said any Foley fan would immediately realize that “Together” is not one of his songs. He said in a call: “I can tell you unequivocally that this song is not Blaze, nor does it approach Blaze’s style at all. It’s sort of some crappy AI robots working… It has nothing to do with the Blaze you know, and this whole post carries algorithmic credibility.”
Record label’s response: “The responsibility lies with Spotify”
McDonald expressed shock that an AI-generated track could appear on Foley’s page without his permission. He said: “It is damaging to Blaze’s standing for this to happen. It’s kind of surprising that Spotify doesn’t have a security fix for this kind of procedure, and I think the responsibility rests entirely with Spotify. They can fix this… if they have the will to do it.”
McDonald suggested a simple solution: not allowing any track to appear on an official Spotify artist page without letting the page owner approve it first.
Spotify’s response: Blaming TikTok’s distributor
After the original article was published, a Spotify spokesperson stated: “We notified SoundOn, the content distributor in question, and the track was removed for violating our deceptive content policy.” SoundOn is a music distributor owned by TikTok that allows artists to distribute their music to other platforms.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a response from Spotify.
“Syntax Error”: A web of fake songs
There is a copyright notice at the bottom of the Spotify page for the AI-generated track “Together” from a company called “Syntax Error.” Upon searching Spotify, the exact same copyright notice was found on a page for another AI-generated song by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Guy Clark, who died in 2016. That track was also uploaded last week and features an AI-generated image of a singer who looks nothing like Clark.
Worse than just “slop”: Impersonating the dead
AI-generated music on Spotify is no secret at this point. But what is happening with Clark and Foley is much worse. This is not someone trying to monetize “AI slop” under a new name, but rather attributing that slop to the names of deceased artists without asking permission. It is a violation of their legacy, a deception to fans, and an exploitation of their names.
Conclusion: A wake-up call for the music industry
This scandal highlights the urgent need for streaming platforms to put stronger safeguards against deceptive and AI-generated content. While technology opens up new possibilities, it also opens the door to new types of fraud and exploitation. If this problem is not taken seriously, it may become difficult for listeners to distinguish between real art and algorithmic imitation, threatening the integrity of the entire music industry.
Frequently asked questions
How can fake songs appear on official artist pages?
Distributors like SoundOn appear to allow music to be uploaded and linked to existing artist profiles on Spotify. If there is no robust verification process by Spotify or the page owner, unauthorized content can be published.
Is this legal?
It falls into a complex legal gray area. It may violate the right of publicity of the deceased artist, trademark rights, and could be considered forgery or consumer deception. We are likely to see more lawsuits regarding these issues in the future.
What can I do as a listener?
If you come across a song that sounds fake on an artist’s page, you can report it to Spotify. Supporting real artists by purchasing their music or merchandise also helps preserve their ability to create.
