AI Slop Is Overflowing Streaming Platforms—and Musicians Are Fighting Back

(SeaPRwire) –   Toward the end of February, British artist Benedict Cork shared a preview of a soulful new track titled “Something Kinda Strange.” The video rapidly accumulated over 100,000 views on TikTok, as fans eagerly demanded the full release.

Several days later, Cork began getting inquiries regarding the track’s release—a surprise, considering he hadn’t completed it. Eventually, a listener sent him the “song,” which was available on streaming services under the moniker Eduardo Arguelles. This version featured complete instrumentation and background vocals, along with a new second verse and bridge. It even included lyrics Cork reluctantly admitted he wished he’d penned, such as “Something kinda dangerous in the way you say my name.”

This iteration of his composition was generated using artificial intelligence. An individual had spotted Cork’s clip and, aiming to exploit its viral nature, processed it through an AI music generator and uploaded the output to accrue streams. “Initially, I thought it was hilarious. Then I was struck by how impressive the technology is,” Cork remarks. “But then I started getting a bit angry.”

Cork is among an expanding group of artists encountering heightened competition or direct theft from AI music tools. In November, streaming platform Deezer reported that 50,000 AI-created tracks are uploaded daily, representing 34% of all new music. Sony Music revealed in March that it had sought the removal of over 135,000 AI tracks mimicking its artists.

Certain artists argue that AI is aiding in the democratization of music creation. Meanwhile, streaming services claim they are reducing AI’s negative effects by deploying tools to combat impersonators. However, numerous musicians worry that the industry is shifting toward favoring machine-generated content, thereby making it progressively difficult for emerging or independent artists to earn a livelihood.

“The tech is incredible, and I utilize it daily,” Cork states. “But we must ensure we preserve artistry and creativity as something sacred—otherwise, we’re all in trouble.”

Mass-Produced Slop

Over the last few years, AI has infiltrated the music sector in various overlapping yet distinct manners. Some artists, like Timbaland, employ AI as a collaborative instrument. Others, such as aspiring songwriter Telisha Jones with her AI project Xania Monet, use it to craft musical avatars.

Then there is the lowest tier of content: scammers utilizing AI not for artistic purposes, but to mislead fans into clicking on new tracks. Spotify announced in September that it had deleted over 75 million “spammy tracks” from its service in the preceding year and intensified its efforts against AI imposters.

Specifically, fraudsters have focused on low- or mid-tier artists with dedicated fanbases, or inactive artists whose potential comeback might generate buzz. For example, AI-generated tracks have been uploaded to profiles belonging to SOPHIE, the electronic producer who passed away in 2021, and Uncle Tupelo, the disbanded 90s group featuring Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

A similar incident occurred for British indie folk artist Ormella, who boasts 83,000 monthly Spotify listeners. In January, she dropped a live EP recorded from her home—a project born from her wish to “do something ungenerated, since I never use AI in my music,” she explains.

Ironically, that release was eclipsed days later when an AI track surfaced on her Spotify profile. “I received many messages from fans asking, ‘Is this you? It doesn’t sound like you,’” she notes.

Numerous third-party distributors responsible for uploading music to streaming platforms, such as DistroKid and TuneCore, do not have strong verification measures to stop the impersonation of current artists. This loophole allowed an individual to upload a track directly to Ormella’s account and alert her superfans, who then played it.

“I feel like I have a sufficient audience to listen, but not a high enough profile for my accounts to be truly secure,” she comments.

Ormella notes that the AI track garnered a thousand plays on its first day, yielding only a few dollars for the fraudster. However, the identical AI song showed up on another singer-songwriter’s page, though with different titles and cover art. It seems these scammers are posting the same AI tracks across multiple artists’ profiles, attempting to scrape together small profits.

Fighting Back Against AI

Following months of complaints from artists regarding this issue, Spotify acted on Tuesday by launching an optional feature named Artist Profile Protection. This tool permits artists to audit releases before they are published. “Music has been appearing on incorrect artist pages across streaming services, and the surge of easily produced AI tracks has exacerbated the issue,” Spotify stated. “This is not the experience we want for artists on Spotify, which is why safeguarding artist identity is a top priority for 2026.”

Ormella expresses approval of Spotify’s move. However, the issue persists on other streaming services. Furthermore, Ormella argues that AI’s intrusion into music presents numerous additional challenges, such as AI tracks displacing human artists on popular playlists and a lack of clarity regarding what is or isn’t AI-generated. “I hope it shifts to a mindset of: ‘We recognize this song is AI, and there are real humans with genuine experiences that AI is exploiting,’” she says. “I would rather see it penalized than promoted.”

Authorities and lawmakers are starting to pay attention. In March, a man from North Carolina admitted to fraud after producing hundreds of thousands of AI songs and employing bots to stream them billions of times, securing over $8 million in royalties. Legislators in both the U.S. and the U.K. are also aiming to enact new laws to shield artists from “synthetic forgeries.”

Benedict Cork managed to have the counterfeit song taken down after a few days. Yet, the event unsettled him and prompted him to consider larger existential issues. “The fact that it’s producing these things now, when we’re only a few years into the AI revolution: what will it be like in a decade?” he wonders. “Will any of us still be writing songs, or will we just leave it to the robots?”