AI has overtaken the music industry, with streaming services now receiving more songs created by artificial intelligence than real tunes. Deezer reports it is now receiving 90,000 AI tracks a month, outpacing songs produced by human artists like Taylor Swift and Madonna.
Fraudulent Streams and AI Music
Bosses are increasingly stepping in to remove robot tunes used for rip-off streaming fraud. Individuals are using AI to generate realistic songs in the style of popular artists to earn money off their success. Deezer's CEO Alexis Lanternier said the firm has “been at the frontline of fighting fraud and reducing payment dilution related to AI music for almost two years.”
He added: “Now that half of all daily uploads are AI-generated tracks, we are taking additional steps to safeguard the rights of artists and songwriters, while maintaining focus on music that fans actually love. We have reached a pivotal moment, but we have the technology to keep track of the development, and an ambition to do what’s right. If the industry can align and come together to create shared standards, we can build a healthy and sustainable music ecosystem, where great music wins.”
Peak AI Uploads and Industry Response
Tracks detected as AI-generated reached their peak last month, accounting for more than 50% of new music uploads for the first time. Deezer became the first streaming platform to weed out AI-generated music from its algorithms and has vowed to remove robot rhythms that haven’t been streamed for at least six months. Streaming chiefs found that up to 85% of streams generated by AI-generated tracks were fraudulent.
Madonna, 67, who performed at last weekend’s World Cup final, criticized AI's role in music. She told Vogue Italia magazine last month: “That’s why in [song] Bring Your Love I say, ‘Don’t try to distract me with numbers.’ For me it started not thinking about the charts, the streaming numbers. Algorithms and artificial intelligence are the opposite of taking risks and to me that is the opposite of making art.”
