AI Band ‘The Velvet Sundown’ Hits 1.3M Spotify Listeners, Sparks Transparency Debate
Image Source: The Velvet Sundown
The Velvet Sundown, a project presenting itself as a psychedelic rock band, has attracted more than 1.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify since releasing music in June. The group's rapid rise has prompted discussions in the music industry about the integration of artificial intelligence in content creation, with calls for greater transparency on streaming platforms.
Emergence and Releases
The Velvet Sundown uploaded two albums, "Floating on Echoes" and "Dust and Silence", to Spotify and other platforms in early June 2025, followed by a third album, "Paper Sun Rebellion", later that month. The music features 1970s-inspired psychedelic rock and folk elements, with tracks appearing in algorithmic playlists such as Discover Weekly.
The song "Dust on the Wind" reached the top of Spotify's Viral 50 charts in Sweden, Britain and Norway between June 29 and July 1, accumulating over 2.1 million streams by late July. Other popular tracks include "Drift Beyond the Flame" with 833,298 streams and "The Wind Still Knows Our Name" with 527,804 streams.
Confirmation of AI Involvement
On July 5, The Velvet Sundown updated its Spotify biography to state it is "a synthetic music project guided by human creative direction, and composed, voiced, and visualized with the support of artificial intelligence". The bio describes the project as an "ongoing artistic provocation designed to challenge the boundaries of authorship, identity, and the future of music itself in the age of AI". It specifies that all characters, stories, music, voices and lyrics are original creations generated with AI tools.
The project utilized the AI platform Suno for song generation. The fictional band members are listed as vocalist Gabe Farrow, guitarist Lennie West, bassist-synth player Milo Rains and percussionist Orion "Rio" Del Mar, with accompanying AI-generated images.
Initial Speculation and Hoax Element
Speculation about the band's authenticity began on Reddit in late June, where users noted the lack of prior online presence, live performances or individual social media accounts for the members. The streaming service Deezer flagged the albums as "100% AI-generated" using its detection tools.
A Canadian individual using the pseudonym Andrew Frelon briefly posed as the band's spokesperson, telling media outlets including Rolling Stone that the music involved Suno before admitting on July 3 that he had no affiliation and was hoaxing journalists to expose verification gaps. The Velvet Sundown's official channels denied any connection to Frelon.
Public and Industry Responses
Listeners have expressed mixed views, with some appreciating the music's retro vibe and others feeling misled upon learning of its AI origins, advocating for labeling to support human artists.
Industry figures raised concerns. Roberto Neri, chief executive of the Ivors Academy, said AI-generated projects like The Velvet Sundown "raise serious concerns around transparency, authorship and consent". Sophie Jones, chief strategy officer at the British Phonographic Industry, called for government action on copyright and mandatory labelling of AI content.
Ed Newton-Rex, founder of Fairly Trained, described the situation as "theft dressed up as competition", where AI firms use artists' work to create knock-offs, reducing income for humans. Deezer reported that nearly 18% of uploaded music is AI-generated, a figure that has risen in recent months, with up to 70% of AI streams on the platform being fraudulent.
Spotify stated it does not prioritize AI music and that all content is uploaded by licensed third parties. The company has not implemented mandatory AI labelling.
Legal and Ethical Context
Major labels Sony Music and Universal Music Group filed lawsuits against Suno in June 2024, alleging copyright infringement in training AI models on protected music without permission. Outcomes could influence whether such uses require licensing.
Artists including Elton John and Paul McCartney have pushed for updated UK copyright laws to address AI, though recent legislative efforts excluded these provisions. The UK government is conducting a separate consultation on AI and copyright.
Potential Impacts and Trends
Former Spotify data analyst Glenn McDonald attributed the project's visibility to algorithmic shifts favouring audio characteristics and paid playlist placements. This could amplify AI content, potentially diverting royalties from human creators.
Experts predict increasing difficulty in distinguishing AI from human music as tools advance, possibly leading to virtual performances. However, risks include market saturation with low-effort content and displacement of artists.
Music education institutions are incorporating AI as a collaborative tool in curricula to adapt to these changes.
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