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Photo Credit: Arts ATL
A recent investigation by 404 Media has revealed that Spotify is publishing AI-generated songs on official Artist Pages of lesser known and deceased musicians.
The songs are published without consent from the musicians’ estates or rights holders, revealing yet another impact AI music can have. The report’s most striking example involves Texas singer-songwriter Blaze Foley, who died in 1989. Foley’s musical legacy is stewarded by the indie label, Lost Arts Records.
Over the weekend, a track called “Together” appeared on Foley’s verified official Artist Page on Spotify. The track appeared under the banner of an artist named Syntax Error. The track features AI-generated vocals and an AI-created cover image—trying to capitalize on Blaze Foley’s likeness. His catalog manager, Craig McDonald, told 404 Media that the AI track is no where near what fans of Foley would expect.
“I can clearly tell you that this song is not Blaze, not anywhere near Blaze’s style, at all. It’s kind of an AI schlock bot, if you will. It has nothing to do with the Blaze you know, the whole posting has the authenticity of an algorithm,” McDonald states.
When asked, McDonald confirmed that no one at Lost Art Records had been contacted by Spotify or the track’s distributor prior to the AI song appearing. Guy Clark, a songwriter who died in 2016, also had a song from the group Syntax Error appear on his official Artist Page. The track “Happened To You” appears to be AI-generated just like the track that appears on Blaze Foley’s page. Neither his estate nor his label representative were contacted before the content was featured.
Spotify removed the songs from these pages after they were contacted, but it’s unclear if Spotify will rectify the issue behind the scenes. Rights holders like McDonald have expressed concern about the lack of outreach to those impacted. He told 404 Media he believes the burden of preventing unauthorized content should lie with Spotify, not indie labels or estate managers who may not actively monitor DSPs.
This episode with Spotify and the success of the AI band ‘The Velvet Sundown’ raises broader questions about how AI-generated music is being surfaced and labeled on digital services. Without improved content verification and artist-page protections, independent and legacy artists risk having their catalogs distorted by unauthorized uploads. Meanwhile, entirely fictitious AI bands now have more than a million monthly listeners—and growing as media attention around the AI band reaches a fever pitch.
