A petition started by Hiatus Kaiyote member Paul Bender is calling for digital streaming platforms to introduce a reliable authentication system to stop fraudulent AI-generated music uploads.
As Bender, who also performs in The Sweet Enoughs, explained in the Change.org petition‘s description, “x 4 songs that were not created by me, had nothing to do with me, and sounded like AI slop, were uploaded to my artist profile ‘The Sweet Enoughs’ on digital streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Youtube Music etc)” earlier this year.
“I went through a agonising process of having them removed from my artist profile. The process took over 8 weeks to get any action from streaming platforms – helped along presumably by publicly shaming and media coverage,” he continued.
The problem, according to Bender, is that absolutely anyone can upload music to existing artist profiles without proper verification, which can lead to AI-generated tracks being falsely attributed to legitimate artists.
“We are calling on the music industry, politicians and law makers around the world to take measures to protect our creators in these most uncertain times,” Bender’s petition concluded.
The list of signatories features some of big names in Australian and global music, including Genesis Owusu, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (who have already taken on Spotify this year), Chaka Khan, Jacob Collier, Surprise Chef, Jordan Rakei, Willow Smith, Alice Ivy, Kimbra, The Teskey Brothers, Danny Brown, and many more.
In an open letter to music streaming platforms and digital music distributors shared at the bottom of the petition, Bender went into more detail about the issue at hand.
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“The abundance of AI tools only makes the scam infinitely easier. The only current recourse is for artists, managers and record labels to deal with each of these fraudulent cases directly with DSP’s, which is time consuming and laborious for all parties involved,” he wrote.
“The effectiveness and expedience of this solution is also highly dependent on the standing of the artist, leaving mane smaller independent artists hopelessly disempowered to resolve their issues effectively.
“This ever-growing wave of illegal uploading is compromising both the reputations of artists, and of the streaming platforms, by creating a degraded user experience for listeners.
“Unaddressed, the situation will only become exponentially worse.”
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The open letter continued: “We are demanding that digital distributors and streaming platforms institute a functional authentication system to prevent this.
“Without one, the future of the streaming landscape is one populated with an endless sea of AI impersonations that impacts artists and cheapens the experience and usefulness of the streaming platforms themselves.
“Authentication systems have been implemented in the majority of important online activities it should be the bare minimum for streaming platforms and distributors to implement when uploading to artist profiles.
“Without these measures, streaming platforms are leaving the door wide open for a non-stop barrage of fraudulent activity to occur. Without an authentication process in place, these platforms should face legal penalties for failing to prevent fraud.”
