Tech
The Rise of AI-Generated Music: The Curious Case of The Velvet Sundown

A new “band” called The Velvet Sundown has appeared on Spotify, amassing over 500,000 monthly listeners in just weeks—except there’s no band at all. Every aspect, from the music to the band members, appears to be AI-generated, sparking debates over authenticity, creativity, and transparency in streaming.
Who (or What) Is The Velvet Sundown?
- Two albums released (“Floating On Echoes” and “Dust and Silence”) with a third coming soon.
- Classic rock/AI hybrid sound: Echoey instrumentals, autotuned vocals—passable in a playlist but repetitive on closer listen.
- Fake band members: None have any digital footprint outside their Spotify/Instagram presence.
- Suspicious playlist placements: Tracks added to numerous user-generated playlists, boosting streams unnaturally.
The AI Giveaways
- Instagram posts (created June 27) feature glitchy AI art:
- Oddly placed burgers/drinks in a “celebration” photo.
- Band members with unnaturally smooth, symmetrical faces.
- Lyrical patterns: Heavy use of words like “dust” and “wind” (also seen in other AI bands like The Devil Inside).
Why Does This Matter?
1. Spotify’s Lack of AI Disclosure
Unlike Deezer (which labels AI-generated tracks), Spotify has no policy requiring disclosure. The Velvet Sundown’s bio originally cited a fake Billboard quote—now removed.
2. The Broader Trend of AI Music Flooding Platforms
- The Devil Inside: Another AI “band” with 10 albums in two years.
- YouTube’s AI music farms: Channels generating endless, algorithmically produced tracks.
- Ethical concerns: Should AI music compete with human artists for streams and royalties?
3. The Philosophical Debate: What Is Art?
- Human art reflects lived experience, emotion, and cultural context.
- AI art remixes existing works without intent—a “randomized algorithm,” not creativity.
What’s Next? Calls for Transparency
- Watermarking AI: Google and others are developing audio watermarks to identify machine-generated content.
- Streaming platform policies: Should Spotify, Apple Music, etc., label AI music?
- Listener awareness: As AI improves, distinguishing artificial from authentic will get harder.
Final Thought
The Velvet Sundown isn’t “harmless”—it’s a test case for how platforms handle AI’s encroachment into creative spaces. Without transparency, we risk devaluing human artistry in favor of algorithmic content mills.