Latest news with #DustandSilence
Muscat Daily
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Muscat Daily
Not quite human: AI band's debut sparks industry meltdown
In a plot twist worthy of a sci-fi rock opera, a mysterious band has shaken the music world – and not just with its sound. Racking up over a million Spotify streams, Velvet Sundown's debut album Floating on Echoes and Dust and Silence struck a chord with listeners drawn to its soulful, country-folk vibe reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. But as fans started digging into the story behind the group, they unearthed something unexpected: the band wasn't quite real. After a short-lived run of interviews and vague statements describing themselves as 'guided by human creative direction', the group finally came clean online. The entire project – from vocals and lyrics to promotional photos and even the band's backstory – was created using AI tools, particularly the music generation platform Suno. Their cryptic confession on social media only fuelled the fire: 'Not quite human. Not quite machine. Merely somewhere in between'. What followed was a heated debate across the Internet and inside the industry. Spotify, where the album gained its viral popularity, came under fire for its lack of transparency. A spokesperson insisted that 'all music on Spotify, including AI-generated music, is created, owned and uploaded by licensed third parties.' But critics weren't convinced. Liz Pelly, author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist , pointed to earlier incidents — like the 2023 viral AI track that mimicked Drake and The Weeknd — as evidence of how easily AI can mislead listeners and exploit real artists. Industry figures like Sophie Jones from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) have echoed calls for stricter rules around AI-generated content, including clearer labelling, licensing, and enforcement. While fans continue to stream the album – perhaps now out of curiosity more than admiration – the controversy has sparked one of the most urgent debates in recent music history. Is this the future of music creation, or just a digital masquerade? Either way, it seems that Velvet Sundown has left a lasting echo — real or artificial.
San Francisco Chronicle
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Velvet Sundown, a suspected AI band, tops 550,000 listeners on Spotify in under a month
In a little less than a month, a band calling itself the Velvet Sundown has amassed more than 550,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. With two albums — 'Floating On Echoes' and 'Dust and Silence' — released in rapid succession in June, the group's sudden rise has been as mystifying as their digital footprint is sparse. The group's bio is drenched in dreamlike metaphor, introducing its members as 'vocalist and mellotron sorcerer Gabe Farrow,' guitarist Lennie West, bassist-synth alchemist Milo Rains and percussionist Orion 'Rio' Del Mar. But no trace of these supposed musicians exists online, not even a modest trail of interviews, performances or social media activity. That is, until an Instagram account surfaced on Friday, June 27, bearing images critics have called 'eerily AI-generated.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Velvet Sundown (@thevelvetsundownband) Skeptics have raised red flags across Reddit and music journalism circles. On Spotify, all songwriting and production credits go solely to the band, a rare practice in today's collaborative industry. There is no producer. There are no tour dates. There is no record label. Even a quote in their bio — 'they sound like the memory of something you never lived, and somehow make it feel real' — allegedly from Billboard is nowhere to be found in the publication's archives. 'The Velvet Sundown aren't trying to revive the past,' the band's 'verified artist' profile reads on Spotify. 'They're rewriting it. They sound like the memory of a time that never actually happened.' Photos of the band are bathed in amber light and have an almost airbrushed, artificial quality. But what stands out even more is the vacant, lifeless expression on each musician's face. One long-haired member holding an acoustic guitar — resembling a blend of singer Noah Kahan and 'Queer Eye' star Jonathan Van Ness — is especially uncanny: too flawless, too serene, more like a stock photo than a real person. Meanwhile, Deezer, a music streaming service that flags content it suspects is AI-generated, notes on the Velvet Sundown's profile on its site that 'some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence.' The group has reportedly been featured on more than 30 anonymous user playlists and recommended by Spotify's Discover Weekly algorithm, raising concerns about transparency and artist authenticity.
