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

Spotify is facing mounting criticism after a report by 404 Media revealed that AI-generated songs attributed to long-deceased musicians were uploaded to the streaming platform without the knowledge or approval of their estates, record labels, or publishers.

The most notable example was a song titled Together, which appeared on the official Spotify profile of Blaze Foley, an American country-folk artist who was killed in 1989. Despite Foley’s death more than three decades ago, the track, produced using artificial intelligence, was uploaded with an album cover showing a young man unconnected to the artist. The song’s metadata listed “Syntax Error” as the copyright holder.

Another track attributed to country artist Guy Clark, who died in 2016, was also discovered. Both songs were removed shortly after being flagged by 404 Media.

Spotify confirmed the removal of the tracks and stated they violated its platform rules. In a statement, the company said, “The content in question violates our policies on impersonation intended to mislead listeners. We take action against distributors who fail to prevent this kind of content, and repeated violations can result in permanent removal.”

The songs were reportedly distributed via SoundOn, TikTok’s music distribution service. The ease with which they were uploaded and listed on official artist pages has raised concerns about how effectively Spotify verifies content before publication.

"I can clearly tell you that this song is not Blaze, not anywhere near Blaze’s style, at all," Craig McDonald, the owner of Lost Art Records, Foley's music label, told 404 Media.

This incident follows a broader trend of AI-generated music being misrepresented on streaming platforms. Velvet Sundown, a fake AI-generated rock band, was recently revealed to have amassed over a million monthly Spotify listeners before the truth came to light. While Spotify removed that content too, critics argue that the platform’s current measures are insufficient.

Music rights groups and industry analysts are now calling for stronger safeguards. These include requiring estate or label verification for any uploads to official artist profiles and introducing clearer AI-content labelling to prevent deception.

Competitor platforms like Deezer have already begun experimenting with AI detection tools, while industry bodies such as the British Phonographic Industry are lobbying for tighter regulation to protect artist legacies in the age of artificial intelligence.

The controversy also draws renewed attention to comments made by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who previously described artificial intelligence as both “really cool and scary”. Speaking during a 2023 earnings call, Ek said AI had the potential to transform content creation but also posed risks to the wider creative ecosystem. “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,” he said at the time.

Spotify has yet to outline any long-term measures following the backlash. However, the swift removal of the tracks suggests the company is aware of the reputational and legal risks if such incidents persist.