AI-Generated Song Hijacks Real Band’s Spotify Page Through Distribution Loophole

Summary

404 Media reports that a song called “Riding High” appeared on the verified Spotify page of Brooklyn punk band Lathe of Heaven on September 10, even though the band did not write, perform, or authorize its release. The track was generated with a simple prompt in Udio, and its vocals, sound, artwork, and branding differed sharply from the band’s earlier work. The same release also appeared on the band’s Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music pages. The article says the placement was possible because of a long-standing loophole in digital music distribution, allowing anyone to associate a release with a real artist’s streaming profile without that artist’s knowledge. Scammers can then use the artist’s existing audience to attract streams and collect the resulting royalties, while listeners expecting authentic work hear unrelated AI-generated music. 404 Media says it identified and replicated the precise process and found it trivial to execute. The report adds that similar incidents had been documented before, but claims AI-generated “slop” music is now widely exploiting the weakness. It says neither streaming services nor digital music distributors are taking responsibility for closing the loophole.