Spotify responds after AI-generated song appears on late country singer’s profile
Blaze Foley’s label manager spoke out after new music was uploaded to Foley’s page, despite him being dead since 1989.
Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images
Spotify has issued an statement after allowing an AI-generated song to be uploaded to Blaze Foley's profile, 404 Media reports. Foley, a country singer, died in 1989.
Last week a new song called "Together" appeared on Foley's Spotify profile alongside seemingly AI-created artwork of a man holding a microphone.
Craig McDonald, who is in charge of distribution at Foley’s label Lost Art Records, said the song was uploaded without his or the label's permission. “I can clearly tell you that this song is not Blaze, not anywhere near Blaze’s style, at all,” he told 404. “It’s kind of an AI schlock bot, if you will.”
“It’s harmful to Blaze’s standing that this happened,” he added “It’s kind of surprising that Spotify doesn’t have a security fix for this type of action, and I think the responsibility is all on Spotify. They could fix this problem. One of their talented software engineers could stop this fraudulent practice in its tracks, if they had the will to do so. And I think they should take that responsibility and do something quickly.”
A spokesperson for the streaming platform told 404 Media that the song had been “removed for violating our Deceptive Content policy”. They also states that SoundOn, a company owned by TikTok, distributed the song.
A copyright mark from a company called Syntax Error was also spotted on "Together" before its removal. That same company name can be seen on another AI-generated song that recently appeared on the profile of country singer Guy Clark, who won the 2014 Grammy for Best Folk Album and died two years later.
Discussion around the volume and transparency of AI music on Spotify increased earlier this month when Velvet Sundown, a band whose music was made with the assistance of AI, gained over a million monthly listeners.