AI-generated music has been published on artists’ pages without their knowledge, exposing a long-standing loophole in streaming services.
The flaw has seen artists such as Emily Portman and Josh Kaufman have AI-generated albums uploaded under their names, raising concerns about the security of streaming platforms.
Local musician and Yours & Owls booking agent, Oliver Williams, said the loophole between uploading music to a distributor and it appearing on streaming platforms has always existed, but is now being exploited.
“You’re at the mercy of these distributors, which is helpful because it means you don’t have to go to each individual platform to upload your music. It’s the only way to do it,” he said.
“You’re meant to link your profile and tell them which one it is, but obviously, between human error and lack of care, things go in the wrong place. And that’s also the loophole that people can begin to use maliciously.
“There’s no two-factor authentication or any kind of screening.”
Melbourne band Gush recently had all their music removed from streaming services and their earnings paused after AI-generated uploads were flagged under their name.
Oliver said the consequences can be devastating for artists.
“You feel betrayed… It’s your music, your art, your life, it’s everything,” he said.
Fake uploads are only part of the problem; AI is also being integrated into recommendation systems and playlists, changing how listeners discover music.
Host of local radio show Round the Ground, Marcus Stevanoski, said playlists curated by AI are platforming AI tracks.
“AI songs are being put on major playlists, which is a problem because artists, actual artists, are being de-emphasised,” he said.
“Instead of saying by Spotify, it says made for you. It’s no longer curated. It’s by an algorithm.”
Oliver said streaming platforms need to act urgently, both by labelling AI-generated content, similar to how Instagram labels AI-generated images and by strengthening security for artists.
“I’d say the number one thing that has to happen is two-factor authentication.”
“I don’t know we’re going to get rid of AI, and we shouldn’t get rid of AI. We have to coexist with it. If you label what it is, then people can make up their minds,” he said.
