Spotify is under fresh scrutiny after reports revealed it hosted seemingly AI-generated songs under the names of deceased artists, without permission from estates or rights holders. Among the cases was the track “Together,” uploaded to country singer Blaze Foley’s verified Spotify page, despite him having passed away in 1989. The cover art depicts a young man bearing no resemblance to the real Blaze Foley.
Craig McDonald, who manages Foley’s digital catalog for Lost Art Records, was blunt in his assessment. He described “Together” as “not Blaze Foley” and went further to call it “AI schmaltz,” saying that it’s misleading to listeners unfamiliar with Foley’s legacy. This track also shared a copyright claim from a company named Syntax Error. Spotify has since removed the fraudulent tracks, citing violations of its Deceptive Content Policy. However, the removal seems to be a reactive move rather than preventative. They suggest stronger internal controls are needed to stop this impersonation before it even appears on the platform.
The incident raises larger concerns around AI-generated content in music. When fake songs appear under recognized artist profiles, they threaten to mislead listeners and break trust. Many argue platforms must step up not just to respond to issues, but to prevent them through verification and clearer guidelines.
Spotify has not yet outlined a plan to address these gaps. Until then, the case highlights the growing risks of AI in streaming. Inexperience or malicious intent aside, allowing AI generated music to slip into official artist pages poses a serious threat to artists’ legacy, authenticity, and ethics in the digital music space.
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