Spotify publishes songs generated by AI of dead artists: anger of the beneficiaries in the face of “an algorithmic deception”
Spotify is again in turmoil after the publication of titles generated by artificial intelligence on the pages of deceased artists, without any prior agreement. © Jrdes
Blaze Foley died in 1989. However, according to Spotifyhe would have released a new song a few days ago. His name: Together. Except that it is neither his voice, nor his style, or even his image. The song is an artificial creation, published without validation, on the artist’s official page. An ubiquitous situation, made possible by a flaw in the moderation of the platform. And Foley is not an isolated case.
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Spotify caught in default: AI infiltrates the heritage of artists
On July 21, 2025, several users discovered on the Spotify page by Blaze Foley a song entitled Togethercredited on behalf of the missing singer. The voice, the style, the image: nothing corresponds to the universe of Foley. “I can tell you without any hesitation that it is not Blaze, it has nothing to do with his style”Craig McDonald alert, head of the Lost Art Records label which manages its catalog. “This piece is soulless algorithmic production. It has no place here.”
“All of this has the authenticity of an algorithm” – Craig McDonald
Alerted by the artist’s relatives, Spotify deleted the song. The platform invokes an offense on its policy on misleading content and points to the responsibility of the distributor, Soundon – an entity held by Tiktok. But the case does not stop there.
The song “Together”, falsely attributed to Blaze Foley, remained online for several days on his official Spotify page before being deleted for misleading content.
Another song generated by AI, this time associated with Guy Clark (died in 2016), was published with the same process. The incriminated titles all display the name of a mysterious rights holder: Syntax Error. No official link with artists or their beneficiaries.
“It is harmful for the reputation of Blaze”add McDonald. “And it’s up to Spotify to set up a safeguard. Only one of their engineers could correct this, if they had the will.”
The presence of music generated by artificial intelligence On Spotify is no longer a secret. Last week, the group Velvet Sundownwith more than a million listening, admitted publicly that it was entirely artificial. Last year, an avalanche of Christmas pieces composed by IA had already flooded the platform.
But the Blaze Foley affair – just like that of Guy Clark – marks a darker turning point. These are no longer artificial content monetized under fanciful pseudonyms, but posthumous usurpation: to attribute to missing artists that they have never written, never sung, never approved.
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