AI-Generated Band “The Velvet Sundown” Exposes Streaming Revenue Concerns, Deception in Music Industry
A musical act amassing over one million monthly listeners on streaming platforms has revealed a troubling undercurrent in the rapidly evolving music industry: the potential for exploitation through AI-generated content. “The Velvet Sundown,” whose track ”Dust on the Wind” charted in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Norway, was entirely created by artificial intelligence, raising questions about royalty distribution and openness within streaming services.
The revelation exposes a potential loophole where platforms could profit fully from AI-created music,bypassing payments traditionally allocated to artists and rights holders. This situation impacts not only human musicians but also the established system designed to compensate them,perhaps devaluing creative work and incentivizing deceptive practices. As AI music generation becomes more refined and accessible, the need for clear regulations and ethical guidelines is becoming increasingly urgent.
The core of the issue lies in the standard streaming revenue model. A portion of subscription fees is typically distributed to artists and their representatives based on listenership. Though, with no human artists involved in “The Velvet Sundown,” there are no rights holders to compensate. The platform hosting the music retains the entirety of the revenue generated, effectively charging listeners full price for content produced without the usual associated costs. This constitutes a ”discreet scam,” as described by those investigating the phenomenon.
Further complicating the situation, the origins of “The Velvet sundown” were shrouded in deliberate misinformation. When media outlets sought to uncover the group’s identity, cybersecurity expert Andrew Frelon successfully impersonated the band’s creator. He fabricated a backstory and motivations, disseminating false information through a newly created Twitter account. This deception led to widespread publication of inaccurate reports, and to date, the true creators of “The Velvet Sundown” remain unknown.
Speculation has centered on Spotify as a potential originator of the project, though no concrete evidence has emerged. The incident underscores the complexities and potential pitfalls of AI-generated music,highlighting the vulnerability of the media landscape to manipulation and the urgent need for greater scrutiny within the streaming industry. The case of “The Velvet Sundown” serves as a cautionary tale, demonstrating how easily deception can thrive in the age of artificial intelligence and raising critical questions about the future of music creation and consumption.
