AI Impersonation Targets Musicians on Streaming Platforms, Sparking Industry Fraud Concerns

Jazz composer Jason Moran discovered an AI-generated EP falsely attributed to him on Spotify last month, prompting his removal request. The fraudulent album 'For You' featured indie pop music unrelated to his work, with anime-style artwork. Spotify acknowledged removing over 75 million spammy tracks in a year and introduced a tool for artist approval before releases. Moran expressed concern for deceased artists like John Coltrane and Billie Holiday who cannot verify authenticity. Other affected musicians include Benny Green, Antonio Hart, Nate Smith, Hiatus Kaiyote, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jazzmeia Horn, Freddy Cole, Luke Temple, Uncle Tupelo, Sophie, Blaze Foley, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Beatdapp estimates fraudulent streams cost the industry $1-2 billion annually. Michael Smith pleaded guilty to defrauding platforms with AI-generated songs, earning over $10 million. Moran found the removal process relatively painless but time-consuming, noting another unauthorized album by Schntzl appeared later. The fake EP resurfaced on YouTube with minimal plays. Adam Berkowitz highlighted legal complexities in platform enforcement, placing burden on artists. Moran prefers Bandcamp for control over his profile and pricing.