AI Music Scams Hijack Spotify Artist Pages

A new report reveals that malicious actors are uploading AI-generated music onto the Spotify pages of legitimate artists. This scheme capitalizes on a distribution loophole, enabling scammers to insert their AI-created songs directly into an artist's existing catalog. The proceeds generated from these fake tracks are then diverted to the scammers rather than the original artist, often resulting in higher payouts due to the co-opted profile's established reach.

The process is described as surprisingly simple, requiring little more than generating a song with AI tools, creating a basic album cover, and using a digital music distribution service while falsely claiming to represent the artist. Neither the distribution service nor the streaming platform typically catches these fraudulent submissions, leading to the songs appearing on major platforms like Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music.

Smaller artists, who may not have dedicated teams to monitor their profiles, are especially susceptible to this scam. The issue also extends to the unauthorized use of deceased artists' identities, a particularly troubling aspect of the abuse. Spotify has acknowledged that unmanaged profiles are particularly vulnerable and is reportedly developing tools for artists to review releases before they are associated with their accounts.

While platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music state they are investing in detection and prevention technologies and working with distributors to stop fraudulent submissions, artists like Odette Child are calling for more robust infrastructure to protect them. They note that an estimated 50,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded to Spotify daily, underscoring the massive scale of the problem and the urgent need for effective solutions.