AI-Generated Songs Top Spotify Charts Amidst Rising Uploads and Removal Controversies
Three AI-generated songs recently topped Spotify charts: "Walk My Walk" and "Livin’ on Borrowed Time" by Breaking Rust led the Spotify US Viral 50, while a Dutch AI track, "We Say No, No, No to an Asylum Center" by Broken Veteran, reached the top of the Spotify Global Viral chart. Breaking Rust also placed in the global top five. However, these songs rose on Spotify before disappearing days later as rights holders removed the tracks from Spotify and YouTube. Broken Veteran stated that he was investigating the disappearance.
A study by Deezer estimates that around 50,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded daily, accounting for approximately 34% of all music submissions. Furthermore, a Deezer survey of 9,000 people across eight countries found that 97% could not distinguish AI-generated music from human-written music.
AI music is distributed through platforms such as DistroKid, Amuse, Landr, and CDBaby. DistroKid is frequently used for AI tracks, with policies regarding AI-generated content varying in leniency across distribution services. Spotify acknowledges the presence of AI-generated content on its platform and has policies addressing such tracks.
Experts suggest that the sheer volume of AI-generated music drives virality and fosters a hyperscalable competitor built through exploitation, which helps explain the rapid ascent of AI hits on the charts. An earlier AI hit, "Velvet Sundown," amassed over a million streams on Spotify but was later described as an art hoax by a member of the group.
