Velvet Sundown, the viral Spotify band, just admitted they’re AI-generated — music, images, backstory and all. The project racked up over 1 million streams fast, but fans later found out the band doesn’t actually exist.
The “synthetic music project” denied AI use at first. They dropped two albums, Floating On Echoes and Dust And Silence, with a sound like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Then an “adjunct” member leaked they used generative AI platform Suno, calling it an “art hoax.”
The band’s social channels pushed back, saying they were “hijacked.” Soon after, they confirmed the truth: 
“Not quite human. Not quite machine” but living “somewhere in between.”
This revelation sparked calls from the music industry for clearer AI transparency on streaming sites. Experts say listeners have no way to know if AI made the tracks they stream.
Roberto Neri, CEO of the Ivors Academy, told The Guardian:
“AI-generated bands like Velvet Sundown that are reaching big audiences without involving human creators raise serious concerns around transparency, authorship and consent.”
He added that while AI can boost songwriting when used ethically, current use raises “deeply troubling issues.”
Sophie Jones, British Phonographic Industry’s chief strategy officer, demands clearer labels:
“We believe that AI should be used to serve human creativity, not supplant it. That’s why we’re calling on the UK government to protect copyright and introduce new transparency obligations for AI companies so that music rights can be licensed and enforced, as well as calling for the clear labelling of content solely generated by AI.”
Liz Pelly, author of Mood Machine, warns independent artists risk exploitation. She cited a 2023 AI-generated fake song of The Weeknd and Drake that spread on TikTok and Spotify before Universal Music removed it for rights infringement.
Deezer’s chief innovation officer, Aurélien Hérault, says Deezer tags AI tracks and uses detection software. Still, they flagged up to 70% of AI music streams on their platform as fraudulent.
Spotify, meanwhile, does not label AI music and has been criticized for “ghost artists” pushing fake stock tracks in playlists. A Spotify rep said:
“All music on Spotify, including AI-generated music, is created, owned and uploaded by licensed third parties.”
Neri says the UK could lead in ethical AI music but only with legal rules for consent, fair pay, and clear labels:
“Without such safeguards, AI risks repeating the same mistakes seen in streaming, where big tech profits while music creators are left behind.”
The Velvet Sundown case points to a fast-changing music scene where law struggles to keep pace as AI and streaming collide.
