Artificial intelligence is reshaping the music industry as AI-generated bands, such as The Velvet Sundown, amass substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels. The controversy centers on AI’s role in music creation, with debates about originality, human expression, and the future of creativity in the industry.
The band The Velvet Sundown has over a million monthly listeners on Spotify and earns thousands of dollars every month, but it’s not a traditional band. It’s primarily an AI project, guided by human creative direction but composed, voiced, and visualized using AI. This represents the direction the future of music might take.
The revelation has sparked intense debate within the music industry. Some see it as a promising new frontier for creativity, while others view it as a threat to traditional values of originality, emotion, and human expression.
Platforms like Suno and Udio allow users to generate original songs with just a few prompts, handling vocals, instruments, and structure with remarkable sophistication. The Velvet Sundown reportedly earned over $34,000 in a single month from streaming platforms, and other acts like Aventhis, a