The update coincides with reports in the US that a man has pleaded guilty in a Southern District of New York case that is seen as the first criminal prosecution of AI-based streaming fraud. The case involved thousands of fake songs generated with AI that were streamed billions of times. (Music Week)
Music Week reported a year ago that Sony had requested more than 75,000 takedowns of digital replicas of tracks by its artists. The number has since surged to 135,000 in the past 12 months.
The deepfakes target some of the major’s top artists including Beyoncé, Queen and Harry Styles, who has just hit No.1 in multiple markets with new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.
“The problem with deepfakes is they are demand-driven,” said Dennis Kooker at the IFPI event. “It is taking advantage of the fact that an artist is in cycle and is out there promoting their music. That is when we see the worst of the deepfakes appear... benefiting from the demand that the artist has created in the market with their fans, and ultimately detracting from what it is the artist is actually trying to accomplish with their fanbase.”
In the worst case, Kooker said this could “potentially damage a release campaign or tarnish the reputation of an artist”.
“So ‘good AI’ begins with protecting the market and the people whose work fuels it, which is why we’re investing in companies that are building solutions that ensure misuses are identified while also creating ethical AI partnerships to build new revenue streams for artists,” he added.
Music companies are looking to licensed AI platforms to drive further growth, while clamping down on unauthorised fake tracks.
