Artificial Intelligence

AI Band Velvet Sundown Revealed as Elaborate Art Hoax

JUL 3 2025·Updated JUL 7 2025

Story

Above: A generic image of a concert microphone. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

The Velvet Sundown, a band that gained over 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners within weeks of appearing last month, has been confirmed as an AI-generated art hoax by spokesperson Andrew Frelon, who admitted to using the AI music platform Suno to create at least some of their songs.
Stereogum
Rolling Stone
The band's rapid rise to prominence raised suspicions due to AI-generated promotional photos, the inclusion of a fabricated quote in its biography, and virtually no digital footprint prior to their sudden appearance on streaming platforms.
Aaabackstage
Fast Company
Frelon, who still hasn't specified which songs are AI, initially denied AI usage but eventually acknowledged employing Suno's "Persona" feature to maintain consistent vocal styles across tracks, the same technology used by producer Timbaland for his controversial AI artist TaTa.
MusicRadar
Billboard
The band's streaming success may have involved playlist manipulation, with Music Ally determining that most Spotify playlists featuring Velvet Sundown originated from just four accounts, though Frelon declined to offer the tactics he used to boost engagement.
Aaabackstage
Rolling Stone
Spotify currently has no specific policies against AI-generated music, with a former Spotify data analyst noting that the platform's AI-driven recommendation systems have moved away from human-centered algorithms, potentially enabling AI-generated bands to achieve viral success.
Billboard
Rolling Stone
There are growing concerns about AI music, with French streaming service Deezer reporting about 20,000 fully AI-generated tracks submitted daily, representing 18% of all new music submissions, and most major streaming platforms lacking comprehensive AI detection policies.
MusicRadar
Billboard

Sources Split

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The Spin

Techno-skeptic narrative

AI music, trained on artists' work without permission, endangers creativity and livelihoods, which is why the likes of Elton John, Billie Eilish, and Paul McCartney decry unauthorized use in LLMs. As thousands of lawsuits against AI startups expose rampant copyright violations, platforms must bolster algorithm safeguards, and regulators should mandate licensing to protect artists' rights and ensure fair compensation.

Rouse

Techno-optimist narrative

While the music industry should, and is, regulating AI music, it's also accepting the inevitability of this growing practice. With algorithms already being implemented to flag AI-generated songs before they go viral, coupled with licensing and compensation policies to ensure artists' rights aren't violated, this technology will become a boon to the industry without harming the humans at the heart of it.

Verge

Cynical narrative

This issue is bigger than just AI music; it deals with Big Tech's profit motives and faulty streaming analytics. The Velvet Sundown was able to game Spotify's "monthly listener" algorithm, which, rather than revealing genuine popularity, only shows how many times a song came across a user's page. Music corporations, backed by the government, aren't likely to change the system — whether it's gamed by AI or not — that benefits them.

Louder

Jazzandcoffee

Metaculus Prediction

Editor's Note

This story currently has limited coverage. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our reporting as additional information becomes available.