AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A band that sounds like it came straight out of a 60s rock scene.
They are called Velvet Sunset and almost overnight became a sensation on spotify, and they dropped a full album a few weeks ago.
Many people believe it’s all AI.
The album artwork looks computer-generated.
The Band has no tour dates, no live performances and no history, not even one genuine photo.
Whoever is behind Velvet Sundown launched an X account defending itself and accusing journalists of calling the band fake without reaching out first.
So I did, emailing them a list of questions, asking for the band’s back story and who they’ve played with before.
The Response?
“We’re shy about who we used to play with because of the harassment directed at us on social media.”
When I asked for photos for the band, they replied, “We’re not sure why we have to prove anything to anybody.”
Sounds like something AI would say.
To be fair, the creators haven’t fooled many people, but the mystery points to a bigger problem in the music industry.
AI is flooding the platforms like Spotify, and it’s making real money.
Based on current royalty estimates, Velvet Sundown has likely earned between $1,000-3,000 so far, which may not seem like a lot, but AI music creators can do this over and over, uploading new albums every few days.
Their second album is set to drop July 14.
But here’s the catch: Spotify, Apple, and Amazon don’t require artists to disclose whether they’re AI-generated, and that’s something the music industry wants to change.
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