AI bands and fooled audiences – A look into the case of The Velvet Sundown

The Velvet Sundown were a hot name in the music industry a few months ago, and right now, they’re even hotter – only for slightly different reasons. When they went viral – amassing more than 1 million streams on Spotify in a matter of weeks – listeners were loving their unique blend of soulful melodies and retro-inspired grooves.

Their hooks and lyrics quickly captured the attention of music lovers around the world, catapulting them into the spotlight almost overnight, but then a little bit of information came out that put a bit of a dampener on things: The Velvet Sundown weren’t real. That is to say, it emerged that this hot new band was, in fact, AI-generated – right down to their music, images, and backstory.

Since then, there has been uproar. Initially described as a ‘synthetic music project guided by human creative direction’, The Velvet Sundown had sworn they were genuine, releasing two albums in June which managed to blur the lines between AI and human artistry.

Fans felt betrayed, questioning the authenticity of the music they had fallen in love with – and beyond that, industry experts have even started debating whether something like this should even be legal.

The Case of The Velvet Sundown
Anxiety surrounding AI in the creative industry has been around for a while now. In gaming, for instance, the concept of AI-generated characters and storylines has been raising concerns about originalist and artistic integrity – especially when the jobs of voice actors are being called into question.

Using artificial intelligence to personalise games or enhance player experiences is one thing, but threatening the livelihood of thousands of people is certainly another. The same is true for the film and television industry, with AI potentially being used to replace the jobs of screenwriters, and in the music industry, the artistic integrity of every band or solo artist is starting to be blurred.

What The Velvet Sundown has done is demonstrate how people can hide behind AI-generated music and get away with it. Just two years ago, many were questioning whether AI would ever be good enough to replicate human work, but now here we are, faced with an AI-generated band that has fooled millions of listeners and even industry insiders worldwide. And it’s a clear call that artists and fans need to wake up to the AI threat sooner rather than later.

The Velvet Sundown’s rise has spotlighted the ease with which AI can create convincing music, complete with believable backstories and visuals, challenging the very notion of authenticity in the creative arts. And so the debate is well-founded.
As of right now, streaming sites, including Spotify, are under no legal obligation to identify AI-generated music, leaving consumers unaware of the origins of the songs they’re listening to, and industry experts are calling for a change.

The Way Forward for Music
According to Roberto Neri, the chief executive of the Ivors Academy, AI-generated bands raise ‘serious concerns around transparency, authorship, and consent,’ and as a result, something needs to be done.

In Thom Yorke’s words, AI does nothing more than steal from musicians, and so governments around the world need to be protecting copyright and introducing new transparency obligations for AI companies so that music rights can be licensed and enforced – as well as clear labelling so that users know what they’re listening to.

While both steps are crucial, the latter is perhaps the most important when considering the trust between artists and their audiences. Listeners have a right to know what they’re engaging with.

It’s undeniable that AI will continue to reshape the creative landscape, but if we want that reshaping to be healthy, respectful, and lead to a vibrant music ecosystem for both creatives and fans, transparency is going to needed so that people know when to keep listening or – as is the case with The Velvet Sundown – when to switch off.