A popular band on Spotify is likely to be AI-generated — but there’s no record label to inform you.

      AI-generated songs are saturating Spotify, with the latest sensation being an indie rock band called The Velvet Sundown. The success of this track has fueled the ongoing discussion about whether music streaming platforms should label songs created by AI.

      The band has garnered 474,341 monthly listeners on Spotify in less than a month. Their lead song, “Dust on the Wind,” reminiscent of the 1977 Kansas classic “Dust in the Wind,” has been streamed over 380,000 times since its release on June 20.

      The Velvet Sundown was initially suspected of being AI-generated by Reddit users, who noted some troubling indicators. These included a profile picture that appears to be AI-generated, an Instagram account full of images of the band members that look odd, and a bio featuring a supposed quote from Billboard magazine claiming their music resonates like “the memory of something you never lived, and somehow makes it feel real”—a quote that seems never to have been published.

      Additionally, there is no online presence for the band members named in its Spotify bio: “vocalist and mellotron sorcerer Gabe Farrow, guitarist Lennie West, bassist-synth alchemist Milo Rains, and free-spirited percussionist Orion ‘Rio’ Del Mar.”

      However, there’s no confirmation on The Velvet Sundown’s Spotify page that the band is AI-generated. Their tracks have even appeared on the “Discover Weekly” playlists of some Reddit users, which suggests new songs to listeners.

      The Velvet Sundown is also accessible on Apple Music and Amazon Music, while Deezer is the only major streaming platform that designates the band as potentially AI-generated.

      Earlier this month, Deezer became the first music streaming service to begin labeling AI-generated content. Its algorithm can identify songs created using various popular generative AI models, including Suno and Udio, which convert basic text prompts into music.

      Over 20,000 fully AI-generated tracks are added to Deezer’s platform daily. In April, bot-produced audio accounted for 18% of “total uploaded content,” nearly doubling from the 10% noted by the company in January.

      Another notable AI-generated group is The Devil Inside, which was featured in a recent episode of John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, titled “AI Slop.”

      The Devil Inside’s leading track, “Bones in the River,” has amassed 1.6 million streams on Spotify since its release on May 16. Interestingly, this track has no credited creator listed under the platform’s “View credits” section.

      However, on Deezer, the same song is labeled as AI-generated and credited to László Tamási, a Hungarian musician recognized as the drummer of Honky Crew, an electro-swing band. This represents one of the rare instances of a named credit for an AI-generated artist, who usually remain anonymous. We have reached out to Tamási for a statement and will update the piece upon receiving a response.

      Deezer stands out in its initiative against AI-generated music. Spotify has not yet introduced any similar detection tool nor has it publicly attempted to label such content. Other streaming platforms, like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal, have largely remained silent on the issue.

      It is perhaps not surprising that major music streaming services are taking a wait-and-see approach. Currently, there are no regulations governing the influx of AI-generated songs, nor is there a consensus on what makes them acceptable. Even Deezer has its internal divisions on the matter.

      “AI is not inherently good or bad, but we believe a responsible and transparent approach is key to building trust with our users and the music industry,” stated Alexis Lanternier, Deezer’s CEO, last week. “We are also committed to protecting the rights of artists and songwriters at a time when copyright law is under scrutiny in favor of training AI models.”

      Last year, a collection of US record labels sued Suno and Udio, claiming copyright infringement on a “massive scale.” However, both companies assert that training their models on copyrighted music falls under “fair use,” a common defense used by AI firms.