The Infamists, a Denton-based blues rock band, faced a shocking surprise when an AI-generated album appeared on their Spotify page without their knowledge. The bizarre album, titled “Death Note,” consisted of 45-second songs that left both fans and band members puzzled.
Everything you need to know:
✓ The Infamists found an AI-generated album on their Spotify page, hijacking streaming royalties
✓ The growing presence of AI in music raises legal and ethical concerns for artists
✓ The band successfully removed the fake album by threatening legal action against the distributor
Infamists’ Riley Rogers finds AI ‘Death Note’ album on Spotify
Riley Rogers, the vocalist and guitarist of The Infamists, discovered the unexpected release during his morning routine of checking the band’s email, social media, and Spotify. Initially assuming it was a mistake by another band with the same name, Rogers soon realized the music sounded overproduced and fake, with lyrics reminiscent of ChatGPT-generated content.
The abruptly ending songs, barely lasting 45 seconds each, were just long enough to earn royalties. Rogers quickly deduced that the entire album was AI-generated. The Infamists, who exclusively use CD Baby as their distributor, would not have seen any revenue from the fake album, which essentially hijacked their streaming royalties and confused their incoming audience.
As a midsize band without a record label, The Infamists found themselves in a vulnerable position. With 7,818 monthly listeners on Spotify and their most popular track, “Death by Misadventure,” having over 189,000 streams, they were a prime target for this AI impostor.
The growing presence of AI in the music industry raises numerous legal and ethical questions. Even major artists like Rihanna and Johnny Cash have had their voices used in various scenarios, from parodies to disinformation. Drake recently faced backlash for using AI-generated voices of Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur in a diss track against Kendrick Lamar, prompting a cease and desist letter from Shakur’s estate.
Sister Deborah’s twitter post inspired Rogers to take action
The Infamists sought guidance from Ghanaian pop artist Sister Deborah, who faced a similar situation with an unauthorized release on her YouTube page. Both artists discovered that their fake releases were uploaded through the same distributor, SonoSuite, based in Barcelona.
He threatened to wage a social media war against SonoSuite and take legal action if the fake album wasn’t removed. Fortunately, the album disappeared the next day, highlighting the power of threatening legal action.
SonoSuite claims to be dedicated to upholding music industry standards and ensuring fairness and safety for all. Spotify maintains that content providers are responsible for verifying copyrights, and rights-holders can report infringements through their Spotify for Artists accounts. While Spotify removed thousands of AI-generated songs flagged by Universal Music Group last year, they have not banned AI content outright.
As for the creator of the fake album, Rogers acknowledges that they likely didn’t make any money from the two-week stint, given the low payouts from streaming services. The incident ultimately caused a giant headache for the band, highlighting the need for stronger regulations and protections in the face of rapidly advancing AI technology in the music industry.
