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Rock Band With More Than 1 Million Streams Reveals That It’s Actually AI Created

By Leo Gillick
July 11, 2025
Rock Band With More Than 1 Million Streams Reveals That It's Actually AI Created

When I see that Taylor Swift gets over 100 million monthly listeners, I can hardly be surprised that nobody realized a successful Spotify rock band was entirely AI. It doesn't bode well for us as a race, though, does it?

As someone whose job as a creative is constantly threatened by the never-ending march of AI progress, seeing things like this gives me the chills. When AI was taking menial jobs, it was unsettling, but when they are imitating the very thing that makes us human, it's disturbing.

The AI rock band, known as The Velvet Sundown, really isn't indistinguishable from a lot of very generic rock. But, after listening for some time or delving into the band at all, it becomes obvious that they're AI. However, that didn't stop them from racking up over a million monthly listeners on Spotify.

For a while, the AI Spotify rock band was featured on a number of playlists, boosting their popularity. This was, according to Glenn McDonald, a former algorithmic expert on the streaming service, because bands can often pay to promote their work. This will have pushed them into people's ears.

It's Just A Prank Bro

This movement of music into AI generation was only ever going to be a matter of time. It's everywhere around us at this point, whether you love it or hate it. Companies, looking to shave some more profits, are using AI slop for advertisements. Writers are filling 'novels' and articles with AI-produced trash. And now, inevitably, someone has built an algorithm to monetise the type of mindless background music vast swathes of people love to listen to.

Since the discovery, the Spotify bio for the AI rock band has been changed. Now, the creator is claiming that the group is intended to be a think piece. "This isn’t a trick — it’s a mirror. An ongoing artistic provocation designed to challenge the boundaries of authorship, identity, and the future of music itself in the age of AI," they state.

However, what it is is just the beginning of thousands more like it. At present, it's unclear what stance Spotify will take on AI-produced music. There is a kickback forming on some outlets, such as YouTube, against AI content. They will no longer monetise the slop that gets generated. Hopefully, Spotify will take a similar stance.

When I see that Taylor Swift gets over 100 million monthly listeners, I can hardly be surprised that nobody realized a successful Spotify rock band was entirely AI. It doesn’t bode well for us as a race, though, does it?

As someone whose job as a creative is constantly threatened by the never-ending march of AI progress, seeing things like this gives me the chills. When AI was taking menial jobs, it was unsettling, but when they are imitating the very thing that makes us human, it’s disturbing.

The AI rock band, known as The Velvet Sundown, really isn’t indistinguishable from a lot of very generic rock. But, after listening for some time or delving into the band at all, it becomes obvious that they’re AI. However, that didn’t stop them from racking up over a million monthly listeners on Spotify.

For a while, the AI Spotify rock band was featured on a number of playlists, boosting their popularity. This was, according to Glenn McDonald, a former algorithmic expert on the streaming service, because bands can often pay to promote their work. This will have pushed them into people’s ears.

It’s Just A Prank Bro

This movement of music into AI generation was only ever going to be a matter of time. It’s everywhere around us at this point, whether you love it or hate it. Companies, looking to shave some more profits, are using AI slop for advertisements. Writers are filling ‘novels’ and articles with AI-produced trash. And now, inevitably, someone has built an algorithm to monetise the type of mindless background music vast swathes of people love to listen to.

Since the discovery, the Spotify bio for the AI rock band has been changed. Now, the creator is claiming that the group is intended to be a think piece. “This isn’t a trick — it’s a mirror. An ongoing artistic provocation designed to challenge the boundaries of authorship, identity, and the future of music itself in the age of AI,” they state.

However, what it is is just the beginning of thousands more like it. At present, it’s unclear what stance Spotify will take on AI-produced music. There is a kickback forming on some outlets, such as YouTube, against AI content. They will no longer monetise the slop that gets generated. Hopefully, Spotify will take a similar stance.