Artificial music compositions by deceased artists on Spotify generate renewed controversy over exploitation concerns
In the rapidly evolving world of music streaming, Deezer is making waves by actively identifying and labelling AI-generated songs. This move, pioneered by the platform, aims to combat fraudulent uploads, ensure responsible use of AI-generated music, and maximise artist remuneration.
Deezer's advanced AI detection software can recognise fully AI-generated tracks, those created without any human involvement. When detected, these tracks are transparently tagged with a label to inform users. About 18% of daily uploads on Deezer, approximately 20,000 songs, are flagged as fully AI-generated.
On the other hand, Spotify has not adopted a similar public AI detection and labelling system. Although there have been reports of Spotify promoting AI-generated music on popular playlists to reduce royalty payouts, the platform lacks a transparent or verifiable mechanism to identify or label AI-generated songs for users.
Key differences between the two platforms are evident. Deezer actively filters AI-generated tracks from algorithmic recommendations, whereas Spotify has no public evidence of doing so. Deezer's transparency on AI content is high, including user-visible AI tags, while Spotify's is low, with no public transparency.
Recent incidents, such as the appearance of an AI-generated band called Velvet Sundown on Spotify, have raised concerns. "Together," an AI-generated song, was attributed to Blake Foley, a country singer who was murdered in 1989. The company responsible for these tracks, Syntax Error, was also linked to several other seemingly fabricated songs.
Spotify removed the unauthorised AI-generated tracks after an investigation by 404 Media. However, the use of AI-generated content without approval from estates or labels taints the reputation of human artists and is a form of misinformation.
Deezer's CEO, Alexis Lanternier, believes in a responsible and transparent approach to AI, stating that it is not inherently good or bad. Deezer's approach aims to build trust with users and the music industry. Velvet Sundown's Spotify bio now describes the band as a "synthetic music project."
Streaming platforms should start by clearly labelling AI-generated content to give creators a fair shot. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) calls for new protections for creators in an interview with The Guardian. As AI-generated bands and music enter the market, it is essential to address the issue of tech companies using creative works without authorisation or payment to creators and rights-holders.
Daniel Ek, Spotify's CEO, previously stated that AI-generated tracks were fair game on the platform unless they mimicked real artists. However, Spotify seems to be doing a poor job of identifying and removing AI imitations. Deezer, on the other hand, has developed an algorithm that can identify artificially created songs made using several popular generative AI models.
In conclusion, Deezer leads among major streaming platforms in actively identifying and labelling AI-generated songs, while Spotify has yet to implement similar public measures. Transparency and fairness towards creators are crucial in the digital age, and Deezer is setting a commendable example in this regard.
- Although Spotify has not implemented a public AI detection and labeling system like Deezer, the absence of such transparency can lead to concerns, such as the case of the AI-generated band Velvet Sundown and the AI-generated song "Together" being attributed to Blake Foley.
- In response to the increasing use of AI-generated music, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) calls for new protective measures, emphasizing the importance of clearly labeling AI-generated content to ensure fairness towards creators in the digital age.
