You Might Be Listening to AI Music Without Realizing It: Here's How to Find Out!

AI-generated art is becoming more and more common on streaming services, to the point where you might be listening to AI music without even realizing it. Luckily, though, there are ways to tell.

 

AI bands like The Velvet Sundown are growing in popularity

In case you haven't heard, a band called The Velvet Sundown has been in the news lately. It's not because they have big upcoming shows, or because one of their members has left the band under mysterious circumstances. Instead, it's all because people have realized that The Velvet Sundown is an AI band. Whether it's fully or partially, we know that The Velvet Sundown uses artificial intelligence to produce their music.

 

Is this necessarily a problem? It depends entirely on your perspective. Human musicians might hate that AI music is now competing with them. And people who listened to the band without knowing that AI was involved might feel cheated. Others might not care, as long as they actually get to hear good music.

 

Either way, we all need to start paying attention to the signs of AI-generated music discovery on streaming services.

How to spot AI-generated music on Spotify and other streaming services

There are a variety of ways to spot AI artists on streaming services, so here are the things to look out for (and listen for).

1. Generic/bland sound

 

Perhaps the most obvious sign to look out for is the poor quality of the artist's music. Due to the nature of how AI works, everything it creates is, by its very nature, derivative. This is because it can only create music based on what it has previously learned. As a result, AI-generated music won't sound very good . Instead, it will sound generic/bland.

2. Multiple albums released close together

Serious artists who write and produce their own music can go years between album releases. Pop artists, who often outsource their music, can release albums more frequently, but it's usually years, not months, between releases.

This is not the case with AI artists, as the people behind them can release a new album in a matter of days, or even hours. This is exactly how The Velvet Sundown wrote, produced, and released three albums by 2025. Such a release schedule is unheard of for a real artist, and so this is another clear sign to look out for.

 

3. The artist did not perform any concerts.

As mentioned, real musicians often tour between albums. Touring not only allows fans to see artists perform live, but it is also a good source of income in the streaming era. AI artists simply cannot tour, because there is no real person to take the stage.

4. No social media presence

Similar to the lack of live performances, it is very unlikely that an AI artist will have a large social media presence . It should be noted that some real artists also do not bother with social media for various reasons, so this is a clear sign when compared to other artists on the list. However, it was the attempt to engage with social media that ultimately led to The Velvet Sundown's downfall.

5. Be careful with 'AI labels'

 

Some streaming services, such as Deezer, have begun applying AI-generated labels to artists. The artists themselves can apply the labels, or the streaming service can do so. Either way, the goal is to make it clear to listeners (and potential fans) that artificial intelligence was used in the writing, recording, and production of an artist's music.

6. An artist is using AI elsewhere

While it may be difficult to spot AI-generated music, the individuals behind the project are likely to use AI in other areas. And this may be easier to spot. That was certainly the case with The Velvet Sundown, a band that used AI (though it was suspected) but didn't gain widespread recognition until they started making waves on social media. As mentioned earlier, the band's photos are clearly AI-generated, suggesting that their music may also be AI-generated.

Detecting all forms of AI content is getting harder

Music isn't the only form of content that's now being regularly produced by (or at least with the help of) artificial intelligence. As generative AI improves, its ability to detect it will decrease, which is why it's important to focus on and understand what to look for when identifying content that's been generated entirely or in part by AI.

Start by looking for the signs listed above, as any one (or more) could be an AI artist. Also, trust your instincts and be wary of anything that seems out of the ordinary. By combining common sense and clues, along with spending time actively listening to AI music, you should be able to spot AI-generated content. Then, you can decide whether or not to listen to it.