Recent incidents reveal AI-generated songs appearing on Spotify pages of deceased artists like Blaze Foley and Guy Clark without permission, raising serious ethical concerns.

One such track, titled 'Together,' was falsely attributed to Foley, featuring AI vocals and artwork, and was removed after being flagged for violating Spotify's Deceptive Content policy.

Other AI-generated songs have also appeared on artist pages, often misattributing music to late musicians, which damages their legacy and authenticity.

Lost Arts Records, Foley's managing label, confirmed they were not contacted by Spotify or the distributor before the AI tracks appeared on Foley's page.

Craig McDonald, Foley's catalog manager, has called for Spotify to implement approval controls requiring consent from the artist's estate before any AI-generated content can be linked to their profile.

He emphasized that such a system would help fans recognize authentic music and prevent unauthorized uploads.

McDonald criticized Spotify for lacking security measures to prevent fraudulent uploads and called on the platform to take responsibility and act swiftly.

He also stated that the AI-generated songs do not reflect Foley's style and are essentially 'AI schlock' that tarnishes the artist's legacy, describing the content as lacking authenticity.

The AI tracks, including 'Together,' were uploaded via TikTok's SoundOn platform, which allows direct uploads and royalties, but attribution was made to a company called Syntax Error.

Spotify removed the song after it was flagged for deception, but questions remain about how such unauthorized content is allowed to appear and whether more proactive measures will be implemented.

This situation underscores broader concerns about the verification of AI-generated music and the protection of artist pages, especially for independent and legacy artists vulnerable to unauthorized uploads.

Rights holders like McDonald argue that Spotify should take more responsibility for preventing unauthorized content, rather than placing the burden on estate managers or indie labels.