‘We're AI,' popular indie rock band admits
Paris, France -- An indie rock band with more than a million monthly listeners on Spotify has owned up to being an AI-generated music project following days of speculation about whether the group was real.
Named Velvet Sundown -- seemingly a nod to Lou Reed's band The Velvet Underground -- the digital group has become a viral hit, generating ferocious online discussion after racking up hundreds of thousands of listens.
An updated Spotify profile, consulted on Tuesday by AFP, admitted that the group was an 'ongoing artistic provocation.'
'All characters, stories, music, voices and lyrics are original creations generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools employed as creative instruments,' Velvet Sundown's profile added.
Recently created social media profiles, featuring photos of the group that look suspiciously fake, have teased readers about the group's origins, offering often contradictory information.
Experts have long warned about the dangers of AI-image, video and music generators blurring the lines between the real and fake.
A major study in December by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), which represents more than five million creators worldwide, warned about the danger of AI-generated music.
It forecast that artists could see their incomes shrink by more than 20 percent in the next four years as the market for AI-composed music grows.
Stockholm-based streamer Spotify declined to comment directly about Velvet Sundown when contacted by AFP.
Spokeswoman Geraldine Igou wrote that the platform does not 'prioritize or benefit financially from music created using AI tools.'
'All tracks are created, owned, and uploaded by licensed third parties,' Igou insisted.
Rival music streaming service Deezer displayed a warning for 'AI-generated content' for Velvet Sundown.
'Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence,' it said.
The Spotify rival has an AI-music detection tool that is able to identify songs generated using popular software models such as Suno and Udio.
Deezer said in April that it was receiving more than 20,000 fully AI-generated tracks on a daily basis, comprising 18 percent of all uploaded content, an increase from the previously reported 10 percent in January.
Reports on Tuesday said an imposter posing as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been using AI-generated voice and text messages to high-level officials and foreign ministers.
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CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
‘We're AI,' popular indie rock band admits
John Vennavally Rao reports on AI-created songs going viral and the accompanying debate over whether they should be clearly labeled for music fans. Paris, France -- An indie rock band with more than a million monthly listeners on Spotify has owned up to being an AI-generated music project following days of speculation about whether the group was real. Named Velvet Sundown -- seemingly a nod to Lou Reed's band The Velvet Underground -- the digital group has become a viral hit, generating ferocious online discussion after racking up hundreds of thousands of listens. An updated Spotify profile, consulted on Tuesday by AFP, admitted that the group was an 'ongoing artistic provocation.' 'All characters, stories, music, voices and lyrics are original creations generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools employed as creative instruments,' Velvet Sundown's profile added. Recently created social media profiles, featuring photos of the group that look suspiciously fake, have teased readers about the group's origins, offering often contradictory information. Experts have long warned about the dangers of AI-image, video and music generators blurring the lines between the real and fake. A major study in December by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), which represents more than five million creators worldwide, warned about the danger of AI-generated music. It forecast that artists could see their incomes shrink by more than 20 percent in the next four years as the market for AI-composed music grows. Stockholm-based streamer Spotify declined to comment directly about Velvet Sundown when contacted by AFP. Spokeswoman Geraldine Igou wrote that the platform does not 'prioritize or benefit financially from music created using AI tools.' 'All tracks are created, owned, and uploaded by licensed third parties,' Igou insisted. Rival music streaming service Deezer displayed a warning for 'AI-generated content' for Velvet Sundown. 'Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence,' it said. The Spotify rival has an AI-music detection tool that is able to identify songs generated using popular software models such as Suno and Udio. Deezer said in April that it was receiving more than 20,000 fully AI-generated tracks on a daily basis, comprising 18 percent of all uploaded content, an increase from the previously reported 10 percent in January. Reports on Tuesday said an imposter posing as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been using AI-generated voice and text messages to high-level officials and foreign ministers.
Toronto Sun
9 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
A '60s-flavoured band blew up on Spotify. They're AI
Published Jul 08, 2025 • 4 minute read A image of Velvet Sundown taken from the group's Spotify page. Photo by Velvet Sundown / Spotify Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Success came quickly for the Velvet Sundown. On June 5, they released their debut album, 'Floating on Echoes,' and in fewer than two weeks, it ended up on Spotify playlists with hundreds of thousands of saves. 'Dust on the Wind,' a pro-peace folk rock song on 'Floating on Echoes,' secured the No. 1 spot for Spotify's daily Viral 50 chart in Britain, Norway and Sweden between June 29 and July 1. In just over a month, the Velvet Sundown had over 1 million monthly streams on Spotify. There was one only problem: It didn't seem like the Velvet Sundown was really a band at all. There was no evidence online that any of the listed band members were real people. The photos the band shared were uncannily smooth, the vocals mechanically soulful and the lyrics a grab bag of anti-war cliches. To many of those following the band's quick popularity – it released two albums, 'Floating on Echoes' and 'Dust and Silence,' in June alone, with a third coming in mid-July – the Velvet Sundown seemed like classic-rock snake oil. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. On Saturday, the group confirmed through its Spotify bio that the music was created using artificial intelligence 'guided by human creative direction.' 'This isn't a trick – it's a mirror,' the statement reads. 'An ongoing artistic provocation designed to challenge the boundaries of authorship, identity, and the future of music itself in the age of AI.' The admission capped nearly three weeks of speculation – and confusion. Shortly after the Velvet Sundown began to garner media attention, someone using the pseudonym Andrew Frelon claimed to be a spokesperson for the band, providing conflicting information to Rolling Stone about its use of AI. The Washington Post spoke to Frelon – which translates to hornet in French – last week but could not verify his involvement with the Velvet Sundown. The next morning, Frelon, who described himself as a Quebec-based web safety expert, revealed in a lengthy Medium post that he was not behind the Velvet Sundown's music. He had falsely claimed to be the band on Twitter to troll those outraged by the band's use of AI. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The music's plausibility speaks to the blandness of some contemporary rock music. When Steven Hyden, author of 'Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock,' heard 'Dust on the Wind,' he felt it could be a parody of the generic Los Angeles bands that play mellow rock. 'There's lots of bands like this trying to take the essence of late-'60s, early-'70s folk rock and replicate it in the most faithful way possible,' Hyden said in a phone call. 'If you just played ('Dust on the Wind') for me without any context, I would have no reason to think it was fake. I would think it was a very derivative band that made a listenable-sounding song.' The band's use of AI troubled many, particularly listeners such as Jamie Jones, an electrical engineer from Manchester, England, who stumbled on the music through streaming algorithms. When 'Dust on the Wind' appeared in his Discover Weekly queue, he assumed the song was performed by humans. Jones now says he hopes Spotify won't program AI-assisted songs in playlists without adding a label first. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If they're putting in five songs to the playlist from the same AI band, and Spotify knows it's AI, you're taking food out of people's mouths who are trying to make it in that business,' Jones said. 'That's pretty wrong.' Spotify did not respond to a request for comment. Others were less concerned about the music's digital provenance. When looking for music for his yoga classes, Oklahoma native Byron de Marsé often scrolls on Instagram. He initially heard the Velvet Sundown's 'Drift Beyond the Flame' in a video of someone dancing. Before long, he worked the song into a yoga class, not realizing AI was involved. 'It's got this emotional tone to it, so it's good for the end of a power yoga or vinyasa, where you're deeply stretching,' said de Marsé, who plans on continuing to use the song in classes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Beyond the philosophical questions about their use of AI, the success of the Velvet Sundown is a strange testimony to the enduring appeal of classic rock. All of the superficial signifiers of classic rock are here, including lyrics about boots, freedom and flags flying. If you squint, 'Drift Beyond the Flame' could be a B-side from Neil Young's 'Harvest,' while 'Rebel Yell' is not far from a Bad Company cover. On 'Vietnam War Music,' one of the Spotify playlists where the band's songs appear, the entire Velvet Sundown discography sits alongside no less than 19 songs by beloved swamp rockers Creedence Clearwater Revival. Stu Cook, CCR's bassist, doesn't think the Velvet Sundown does justice to his band's era of music. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I just can't get past how boring the band is. There's just nothing inspiring at all about any of it,' Cook said. 'In a kind of off-the-wall way, I'm honored that they're including aspects of anything that Creedence represents in their AI efforts, whoever's behind all this. To me, it doesn't sound anything like Creedence.' Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Canada Crime Canada Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls
CTV News
10 hours ago
- CTV News
The Bayeux Tapestry will be displayed in the U.K. for the first time in nearly 1,000 years
This photo taken Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 shows the 11th century Bayeux tapestry chronicling the Norman conquest of England, in Bayeux, Normandy, France. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) LONDON — The Bayeux Tapestry, the 11th-century artwork depicting the conquest of England, will be displayed in the U.K. for the first time in almost 1,000 years. Officials said Tuesday that the treasured medieval tapestry will be on loan from France and arrive next year at the British Museum, where it will star in a blockbuster exhibition from September 2026 to July 2027. The loan was announced during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the U.K. The fragile 70-metre (230-foot) cloth depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. The artwork was believed to have been commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux and has been displayed in various locations across France, including most recently at the Bayeux Museum in Normandy. 'The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most iconic pieces of art ever produced in the U.K. and I am delighted that we will be able to welcome it here in 2026,' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in a statement. 'This loan is a symbol of our shared history with our friends in France, a relationship built over centuries and one that continues to endure,' she added. In return, the British Museum will loan treasures from the Sutton Hoo collection — artifacts from a 7th century Anglo Saxon ship burial — to museums in Normandy. The excavation of Sutton Hoo was dramatized in the 2021 film 'The Dig' starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan. Other items to be loaned to France include the Lewis Chessmen, the mysterious medieval chess pieces carved from walrus tusks and whales' teeth dating from around the 12th century that were discovered on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. The Associated Press
