Spotifys Mysterious Viral Band: Are AI-Generated Tracks the Future of Music Promotion?

On Spotify, tracks by the band The Velvet Sundown have gone viral. Over the course of a month, the group amassed more than 500,000 streams and even released two albums. The only downside is that little is known about the members of the band, and searching for their names yields no results. Listeners speculate that The Velvet Sundown’s music may be generated by an AI, and that the group is being promoted by Spotify as a way to cut costs on artist payments.

According to the description, the band was formed by mellotronist Gabe Farrow, guitarist Lennie West, keyboardist Milo Rains, and percussionist Orion «Rio» Del Mar. Their sound is a blend reminiscent of 70s rock mixed with modern alternative influences. Tracks can be listened to on the band’s [YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/channel/UCLeR-eGh2OFy9ydX7IUcOTw?si=DmthWf4IlF6-9ABX).

As their popularity grew, users began to search for information about the band members, but found nothing. They have no social media presence, interviews, or any online mentions. The band itself established social media profiles in June, shortly before releasing two studio albums. Additionally, fans noticed there are only two photographs of the band members, both featuring a yellowish filter typical of AI-generated images.

In late June, The Velvet Sundown was included in an editorial playlist, prompting listeners to suspect that Spotify is actively promoting the group. Fans believe that in the near future, more AI-generated bands will emerge and appear in recommendations. They claim that the platform is taking this approach to save on payments to musicians, with some users reporting that they frequently encounter up to six AI-generated tracks in editorial selections.

It’s important to note that Spotify’s guidelines do not prohibit the publication of generative music on the platform. The only restriction the company imposes is against cloning the voices of well-known artists.