--- title: "Spotify Busts Network of Bots Listening to Bot-Generated Music" description: "Spotify has taken down \"tens of thousands,\" or roughly seven percent of songs uploaded by AI music startup Boomy." date: "2023-05-11" modified: "2023-05-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spotify-bots-ai-streaming-music" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai music" - "music streaming" - "spotify" - "the digest" --- # Spotify Busts Network of Bots Listening to Bot-Generated Music ![Spotify has taken down "tens of thousands," or roughly seven percent of songs uploaded by AI music startup Boomy.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Bots Listening to Bots An AI startup has been accused of fraudulently boosting the listenership of AI-generated music with the use of streaming bots posing as human listeners. As the [*Financial Times* reports](), Spotify has taken down "tens of thousands," or roughly seven percent of songs uploaded by AI music startup Boomy, which generates tracks based on user inputs. These tracks can then be shared on Spotify where they can generate royalties. While the AI generation of the music itself is arguably sketchy on an existential level, the issue on Spotify's end stems from "artificial streaming," which is when bot networks are "listening" to these tracks to artificially inflate the number of streams. The issue, *FT* reports, was raised to Spotify by record label Universal Music Group, which informed all the major streaming services that there was something fishy about Boomy's numbers. As AI technologies progress and make it easier than ever before to generate music, companies are caught up in a game of cat and mouse as they try to keep up with an increasing number of agents trying to game the system. ## AI Music Flood This latest AI debacle is the second time in recent months that UMG has waded into the AI-generated music debate. Last month, the label [veritably popped off]() in response to a viral, AI-generated track that used a cloned version of Aubrey "Drake" Graham's voice. The label demanded that Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms remove the song, likening the practice to "fraud" in a [statement provided to *CNN*](). It's clear that the record label is going to continue its anti-AI music crusade, and in a statement to *FT*, Universal's chief digital officer Michael Nash applauded Spotify for taking down a portion of Boomy's tracks. "We are always encouraged when we see our partners exercise vigilance around the monitoring or activity on their platforms," said Nash. AI-generated music is absolutely flooding streaming services. Boomy claims it has generated a [whopping 14.5 million songs]() — or 14 percent of the world's recorded music. It's a worrying trend that could end up undermining the livelihoods of human artists, who receive only a [minuscule amount of money]() from streaming royalties. **It's** a dystopian quagmire that seems mighty difficult to untangle**,** a frantic game of whack-a-mole that paints a grim picture of the music industry's future. **More on AI music:** [*Grimes Says She'll Split Royalties With Anyone Who Deepfakes Her Voice Into a Song*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()