AI Creates Fake Band With Real Spotify Listeners
Meet The Velvet Sundown A Band That Isnt Real
If you wanted to get a press photo of the latest psych-rock sensation, The Velvet Sundown, you'd be out of luck. The reason isnt that theyre reclusive artists; its because they dont exist. Despite having a detailed backstory, a collection of promotional images, and nearly half a million monthly listeners on Spotify, The Velvet Sundown is a complete fabrication, generated from top to bottom by artificial intelligence.
According to a report highlighted by Musically, the band emerged on Spotify, where its unique blend of "1970s psychedelic textures with cinematic alt-pop and dreamy analog soul" started finding an audience. The creators even gave the AI members names: Gabe Farrow (vocals), Lennie West (guitar), Milo Rains (bass), and Orion ‘Rio’ Del Mar (percussion). In a fittingly ironic description, the band's bio says they feel "like a hallucination you want to stay lost in."
The Uncanny Valley The AI Telltale Signs
It didnt take long for internet sleuths on Reddit and TikTok to sense that something was off. The primary giveaway was the collection of AI-generated group photos, which all carry a subtle yet distinct uncanny feeling.
The band's Instagram page makes the AI origins even more obvious. One post, captioned "In the studio working on our new album," was quickly met with mockery. Other images, like a tribute to The Beatles' Abbey Road cover, feature bizarre inconsistencies, such as every band member being the exact same height.
The visual oddities werent the only clue. As music author Chris Dalla Riva pointed out on TikTok, the vocals have a "metallic-y sheen" that is a common artifact in AI-generated audio. Add in generic song titles and fake quotes attributed to major publications like Billboard, and the illusion quickly falls apart.
A Glimpse into an AI Driven Future for Music
The story of The Velvet Sundown is more than just a novelty; it's a "concerning" case study for the future of music. Riva and others have raised alarms that as platforms like Spotify promote AI-generated music, it could come at the expense of real, human artists who are already struggling to get noticed.
This situation mirrors the ongoing debate in the world of visual arts, where stock photographers are increasingly worried about being replaced by AI. The ability of AI to create a convincing, marketable product—from the music to the band's entire visual identity—has been proven. The question now is how the creative industries, and the fans themselves, will adapt to a world where the line between real and artificial artistry is becoming increasingly blurred.
