Despite Spotify’s efforts to crack down on AI clones, the streaming giant continues to have a problem with artist impersonators. In the latest example, a Redditor has shared that they were recommended a “bad AI ripoff” of Aussie psych rockers King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who famously left Spotify in July.
In a Reddit post, Dipper_Pines wrote that Spotify recommended a band named “King Lizard Wizard” on their Release Radar playlist. They described the music as “a bad AI ripoff, from aesthetics to band name, copying their songs.”
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While the artist page for “King Lizard Wizard” is now empty, Futurism reports that the “clearly AI-generated” tracks shared titles and lyrics with real King Gizzard songs. One upload, “Rattlesnake,” reportedly featured identical lyrics and “notably similar composition” to the original version. The page was reportedly live on Spotify for weeks before being pulled.
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This isn’t the first time an impersonator has copied the band’s music since they pulled their discography off Spotify. Last month, Platformer pointed out that a separate King Gizzard clone employed a similar strategy to flood Spotify with muzak versions of the group’s songs.
King Gizzard made their decision to leave Spotify in response to reports of CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in AI military technology company Helsing. Frontman Stu Mackenzie later told the Los Angeles Times that King Gizzard and their musician friends have been “saying fuck Spotify for years.” In a separate interview with The Guardian, he said, “It was a decision about our music and a decision about what we think is right and what we think is not right.”
Spotify announced in September that it had strengthened its policies against AI voice clones and was rolling out an updated music spam filter. Based on this story alone, however, it appears the platform is still falling short with its handling of AI-generated music.
For a deeper look at the industry’s current landscape, check out our own Kiana Fitzgerald’s recent report on the figures behind AI-generated music.