At first, every thing seems to be so as. Nevertheless it’s not.
I’ve uncovered a number of examples of how AI-generated music launched by – oh sure – faux artists is quickly rising in recognition on music streaming providers.
I’ll give attention to Spotify – primarily due to the transparency it gives in the case of listening information.
But music from all the artists named under is offered on a variety of streaming providers, together with Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and extra.
Aven-this… can’t be actual
Outlaw nation artist Aventhis is verified on Spotify – the place simply over one million (1.072M) listeners take up his work every month.
He’s even well-liked sufficient to have a type of official Spotify-generated ‘THIS IS… Aventhis’ playlists below his identify.
And his music? It’s gaining traction, with the blues-soaked, 2025-released Mercy On My Grave racking up greater than 2 million performs.
You already know what comes subsequent, however that doesn’t make writing it really feel any much less miserable.
Aventhis isn’t actual. Neither is his voice. He, and it, are each AI-generated.
Aventhis shouldn’t be an outlaw of any form. He’s a bot.
I do know this for positive as a result of, to confirm it, I deployed some refined decoding applied sciences. Specifically: a human being’s eyes, mind, and fingers. Plus the web.
Three months in the past, over on YouTube, below considered one of Aventhis’ movies, a commentator outright requested what position AI has performed within the artist’s music.
The nameless proprietor of Aventhis’ channel replied: “[The] voice and picture is created with the assistance of AI. The lyrics are written by me.”
I’d wager that, on this case, ‘me’ is de facto David Vieira – the person credited because the songwriter and producer behind Aventhis’ songs on Spotify (see under).
I’d additionally wager that, to create Aventhis’ music, Vieira in all probability used considered one of Udio and Suno – the 2 best-known generative AI music platforms, which each allow customers to enter their very own lyrics for created songs.
Aventhis was lately really helpful to me by Spotify through an algorithmic playlist.
To date, ‘he’ has launched three albums of songs on Spotify and different streaming providers: Darkish Nation Vol.1, Darkish Nation Vol.2, and Darkish Nation Vol.3.
All three have arrived prior to now 4 months – 57 tracks in complete.
The Satan’s within the element
As soon as I began listening to Aventhis, Spotify quickly really helpful one other AI artist, additionally within the ‘outlaw nation’ area, and sure created with Suno or Udio.
The Satan Inside is a ‘band’ with roughly 700,000 Spotify month-to-month listeners.
Like Aventhis, they’re Spotify ‘verified’ and their largest monitor – Bones In The River – has 1.6 million streams thus far.
The Satan Inside takes the ‘AI-as-f**okay’ trophy right here, as a result of the group has a wholly faux persona… and faux faces.
In line with their streaming platform biography, the band hails “from the rugged landscapes of the American South”.
Then the insidious bit: “The songs are based mostly on actual artistic inspiration, however the characters are illustrative. The photographs are a part of a rigorously crafted visible world that enhances the music’s darkish, cinematic ambiance, very like a graphic novel or a fictional movie universe.”
In different phrases, the blokes you see under – who’ve their very own Instagram web page and a vary of merch out there on-line – have by no means really been born.
Within the human sense, anyway.
Sunset, you higher beware vs. Hustles Tradition
Some hulabaloo has been triggered prior to now few days by a special, seemingly AI-generated band – The Velvet Sunset – gaining traction on streaming platforms.
Following some media pickup, The Velvet Sunset now has simply over 550,000 Spotify month-to-month listeners.
They, too, have an AI-generated band ‘photograph’ (see under).
And identical to Aventhis and The Satan Inside, they’re ‘verified’ on Spotify, with an official ‘THIS IS…’ playlist on the service.
No less than a few of the on-line outrage brought on by The Velvet Sunset in latest days has been pushed by their music being really helpful in subscribers’ algorithmic playlists, like Uncover Weekly.
In fact, that is nothing new.
Round six months earlier than Spotify really helpful me Aventhis’ music, I used to be instantly pitched a suspiciously AI-looking artist by the platform for the primary time.
Nick Hustles’ oeuvre combines traditional soul sounds of the ’70s with (usually fairly offensive) lyrical pastiches of contemporary avenue slang.
As we headed into the 2024 festive break, my algo-Spotify playlist added Hustles’ Christmas-themed I Caught Santa Clause [sic] Sniffing Cocaine.
Puerile lyrics and slight AI wobble within the vocals apart, the monitor was – ahem – closely influenced by the lazy bass runs and falsetto vocals of Marvin Gaye’s I Need You-era output.
Right now, Nick Hustles’ hottest tracks embrace ‘I Really feel Like Slapping A N**** Right now’, ‘I LOST MY FUCKING VAPE AGAIN’, and ‘Be Your self’.
One other Hustles monitor, ‘Why U N****s Gotta Hate,’ will get a particular point out right here as a result of 50 Cent lately filmed himself singing alongside to it – and affectionately chuckling at its lyrics – earlier than broadcasting it to his 35 million Instagram followers.
Nick Hustles presently has over 200,000 month-to-month listeners on Spotify.
Not like the opposite AI artists talked about right here, with Hustles, there’s a first rate on-line footprint of who really created him.
In line with social profiles, Nick Hustles was unleashed into the world by Nick Arter, who describes himself as a “Songwriter | Lyricist | AI Storyteller | Music Futurist”.
Apparently based mostly in Pennsylvania, Arter is the founding father of social channel AI For The Tradition, which has over 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Stated Instagram web page options an array of fictional AI artists of Arter’s creation, often offered as having recorded ‘deep cuts’ from long-lost 60s/70s/80s soul and funk information.
This text has but to debate how the recognition of AI artists on streaming providers – and the rapidity with which ‘they’ can launch new tunes – might probably divert royalties away from actual human performers.
“Songwriter | Lyricist | AI Storyteller | Music Futurist.”
Nick Arter’s biog on Instagram
Suffice to say that, since Nick Hustles’ music began showing on Spotify final 12 months, he (aka: Nick Arter) has launched over 50 ‘singles’ on the platform.
Tellingly, considered one of Arter’s Instagram tracks, attributed to the fully made-up artist Terry “Goldmind” Watkins, known as I Make Extra Cash Than My Academics.
The larger image
Now that we’ve began exploring this rabbit gap, it’s not very laborious to seek out many extra AI-generated artists showing on Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.
For instance, judging by the telltale components (algorithmic relation to different AI acts, suspicious paintings, the AI vocal ‘wobble’, and so on.), I think the next artists have all been created with Suno/Udio/alternate options.
I found a lot of them once they had been linked to different AI artists in Spotify’s ‘Followers Additionally Like…’ part.
As you’ll be able to see, they’re all doing properly.
So.
On this article alone, based mostly on just a few days of rudimentary analysis, I’ve named 13 totally different AI-made ‘artists’ presently lively on Spotify, with roughly 4.1 million cumulative month-to-month listeners between them.
- Apparent query 1: Is that this scratching the floor? How a lot ‘AI slop’ is now operating free on music streaming platforms like Spotify – and the way a lot ‘stream-share’ when it comes to royalties are being absorbed by the creators of those faux acts?
- Apparent query 2: Is there any hope that music streaming providers and DIY distributors will/can clear up this music? Would doing so, behind closed doorways on the DSPs, really conflict with a tech utopian ideology?
- Apparent query 3: The place is all this going?
I can take a crack at answering Q3, there. It’s not a cheerful place.
Underneath Aventhis’ ‘Followers Additionally Like…’ part on Spotify (see under), you’ll discover the equally AI-born Satan Inside, Aven, and AV8.
You’ll additionally discover very non-AI artists, together with Bryan Elijah Smith, whose The Line is considered one of my favorite songs from the previous 12 months (by an precise homo-sapian).
And right here’s the factor. You see Sons Of Legion, above?
They’re an actual and well-liked human duo based mostly in Nashville – who’ve signed to Harmony.
However earlier, particularly contemplating the Spotify-recommending-AI state of affairs, I couldn’t be certain.
To examine, I deployed music’s acid take a look at for humanness: I looked for any upcoming tour dates – to no avail.
Then I scanned their socials, and located, only a few days in the past, they each spoke to digicam – explaining that though they may do “pop up” exhibits in 2025, they gained’t look to do a correct tour till 2026.
‘How handy,’ I discovered myself considering. ‘So that you don’t have to show to anybody you’re precise human beings. Am I taking a look at a few AI-generated deepfakes right here?’
I wasn’t. I want Sons Of Legion a protracted and profitable profession forward.
But this expertise reminds us how skeptical music followers would possibly grow to be over authenticity, ought to fictional AI slop proceed to be splattered all through their streaming providers.
Naturally, the final word take a look at of whether or not followers like – or belief – an artist necessitates really seeing them carry out… up shut, and away from a display.
When you concentrate on it, maybe it was ever thus.Music Enterprise Worldwide
