Paul Bender of Hiatus Kaiyote and The Sweet Enoughs fame has launched a petition and open letter, calling on streaming services to implement a reliable authentication system to prevent fraudulent, AI-generated music uploads.

“Within the current framework of digital music distribution, there lies a glaring oversight: the lack of an authentication process for uploading music to digital streaming platforms,” the open letter reads, stating that “anyone has the ability to” upload music onto the profile of any artist on streaming services.

The open letter has artists decrying the abundance of fake songs currently populating digital streaming platforms, which are being presented as music from existing legitimate albums.

The open letter continues, “Whether AI-generated or man-made, these tracks are being uploaded and royalties collected by bad actors at an industrial scale. 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 DSPs, which is time-consuming and laborious for all parties involved.

“The effectiveness and expedience of this solution is also highly dependent on the standing of the artist, leaving many smaller independent artists hopelessly disempowered to resolve their issues effectively.”

In a statement, Bender explained that he’s been personally affected by fraudulent music being posted on his artist accounts.

“Earlier this year, I had four songs that were not created by me, had nothing to do with me, and sounded like AI slop uploaded to my artist profile, The Sweet Enoughs,” he said.

“It took over eight weeks, and a lot of public pressure, to get them taken down. This issue is widespread and highlights the urgent need for better protections. We need to ensure artists maintain control over their work and that streaming platforms uphold their integrity.”

Bender, and the open letter’s supporters, including Kimbra, Genesis Owusu, The Teskey Brothers, Ecca Vandal, Chaka Khan, Animals As Leaders, Anderson .Paak, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Jordan Rakei, Willow Smith, and many others demand that digital distributors and streaming platforms “institute a functional authentication system” to prevent further harm to artists.

Without one, they warn, “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.”

Adding that authentication systems have been successfully utilised on other online platforms, the signees describe their demand as the “bare minimum” when it comes to uploading music to artists’ profiles.

“Without these measures, streaming platforms are leaving the door wide open for a non-stop barrage of fraudulent activity to occur,” the open letter continues. “Without an authentication process in place, these platforms should face legal penalties for failing to prevent fraud.”

The letter concludes, “We are calling on the music industry, politicians and lawmakers around the world to take measures to protect our creators in these most uncertain times.”

You can see the open letter below and sign the petition here.

It’s worth noting that Spotify recently announced new measures to strengthen AI protections for artists and producers.

The new measures include stronger impersonation rules, a music spam filter, and new AI disclosures in music credits, with all aspects expected to roll out in the coming months.

Spotify explained that this attitude toward spam and AI-generated “slop” is not a new one, as the past decade has seen them fight against the rise of invasive technology that can hurt the creative and listening process. 

In fact, the platform noted that the past 12 months alone have more than 75 million “spammy tracks” removed from the service – the equivalent of roughly two years' worth of annual uploads to the service.

However, some artists are concerned about Spotify’s connection with AI, as the streaming giant has recently partnered with OpenAI. Meanwhile, major labels such as Universal Music and Warner Music Group are reportedly getting closer to securing new licensing deals with high-profile AI companies.

The normalisation of AI’s influence within the musical sphere rose to further prominence this month when Welsh outfit Holding Absence noted that AI band Bleeding Verse had overtaken them in terms of listeners on streaming platforms, despite allegedly citing the group as an influence.

“So, an AI ‘band’ who cite us as an influence (ie, it’s modelled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months," wrote vocalist Lucas Woodland.

“It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting - most importantly, it’s a wake-up call," he added. “Oppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing.”

Concerns around AI in music have consistently grown over the last year. Fake songs have appeared on the profiles of Australian acts Pond, Polaris, Northlane, Alpha Wolf, and Thy Art Is Murder. Meanwhile, Crowded House were victims of an AI post that alleged that frontman Neil Finn suffered from “erectile dysfunction.”

In July, the band The Velvet Sundown made waves due to its use of AI and claims that it existed as a “hoax.” On the streaming service Deezer, the following disclaimer was shared: “Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence.”

Artists like James Blunt and Jordan Merrick have argued against the use of AI in music, while Billy Joel, Peter Gabriel, and IDLES have already utilised it in their campaigns, and Timbaland launched a new company called Stage Zero and announced the signing of AI “artist” TaTa.

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