AI-Generated Band Velvet Sundown Hits 1M Spotify Plays: Industry Demands Transparency

In London on July 15, 2025, Strangely enough, a band that became popular on Spotify with over a million plays has been shown to have been made entirely by computers. Velvet Sundown's folk-rock sound and hit song "Dust on the Wind" made them famous around the world, but the band doesn't have any real members.

Suno, an AI platform that makes songs, lyrics, vocals, and even record art, was used to make the band's two albums, Floating on Echoes and Dust and Silence. Listeners in the UK, Sweden, and Norway were fooled by the music until studies showed the truth: Velvet Sundown was never real.

The music business wants AI to be open and clear

The news has caused a huge reaction in the music business. Groups like the Ivors Academy and BPI want AI-made music on services like Spotify and Apple Music to be required to have labels.

"People have a right to know whether the music they're hearing was made by a person or a machine," said Roberto Neri, CEO of the Music Publishers Association.

Thoughts About Original Ideas and Copyright

People who work in the music business say that AI content, particularly when it's not made public, could hurt the work and income of human musicians. Composer Ed Newton-Rex was worried that AI systems were being taught to use protected works without permission. "This isn't new thinking." "That's digital plagiarism," he said.

There is now a lot of pressure on streaming services. Deezer has started to flag songs made by AI and has found that almost 70% of AI streams may be fake, which makes Velvet Sundown's success seem less real.

The Need for Rules

Experts want states and streaming services to make it clear which songs were made by AI

Get permission and payment for training data

Stop AI "slop," or material that is mass-produced and not very good, from flooding platforms.

As it gets harder to tell the difference between AI-made music and music made by humans, Velvet Sundown's popularity and rise should serve as a wake-up call. It's no longer just about technology; it's also about morals, talent, and the future of music.