Posted:
By JAMIE TUCKER Consumer Technology Reporter
A mysterious band called “The Velvet Sundown” has exploded onto streaming platforms like Spotify, racking up nearly a million streams in just a few weeks with a 60s rock-inspired sound.
But the burning question on everyone’s mind isn’t about their catchy tunes, it’s whether this group is even real.
The skepticism surrounding Velvet Sundown is rampant. Their album artwork has a distinctly computer-generated look, and they have no discernible online presence.
There’s no official website, no tour dates, no live performance history, and not a single genuine photograph of the band members. The songs themselves might sound okay to most people, but none of the songs give any credit to the songwriter.
It’s almost unanimously believed that this isn’t a flesh-and-blood band, but rather a creation of artificial intelligence, designed to generate money and attention.
In response to the growing speculation, an X account claiming to be “The Velvet Sundown Official” emerged, defending themselves and accusing journalists of calling them fake without reaching out.
So, I did. I emailed them a list of questions, asking about their backstory and previous performances.
Their response was evasive: “We’re shy about who we used to play with because of the harassment directed at us on social media.” When I pressed for photos, they replied, “We’re not sure why we have to prove anything to anybody.”
They also declined the opportunity for an interview over a video call, promising they will prove they are real very soon.
These responses only fuel the suspicion. Why would a legitimate band shy away from proving their existence to their fans, especially when their authenticity is being questioned? It sounds remarkably like something an AI program might be programmed to say.
While The Velvet Sundown may not be fooling many, their presence and sudden rise to the top of Spotify’s streaming chart highlights a much larger, and problematic, trend in the music industry: the influx of AI-generated music.
Money and attention is a motive. Based on current royalty estimates, Velvet Sundown has likely earned between $1,000 and $3,000 so far. While this might not seem like a fortune, AI music creators can churn out new albums every few days, replicating this revenue stream. Their second album is even set to drop on July 14th.
This isn’t an isolated incident. An estimated 10,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded to Spotify every single day.
The critical issue here is that streaming platforms like Spotify don’t require artists to disclose whether their work is AI-generated. This leaves listeners to play detective, which is a disservice not only to fans but also to the industry as a whole and, most importantly, to real artists who play real instruments and write authentic songs.
