Sony Music has asked streaming services to take down more than 135,000 tracks it says were created by generative AI to impersonate its roster of performers, a removal campaign the company disclosed alongside industry reporting this week. The targeted files, which Sony identified on platforms including Spotify and Apple Music, purported to feature high-profile acts such as Beyoncé, Queen and Harry Styles. (Sony said similar uploads also implicated other artists). Sources close to the matter say the figure is likely a subset of the total volume of AI-crafted content now appearing across major services. (Sources: HotPress, DJ Mag)

Sony framed the purge as a response to both reputational and commercial harm. In a statement to the BBC, Dennis Kooker, president of Sony’s global digital business, warned of the consequences for artists, saying, "In the worst cases, (the deepfakes) potentially damage a release campaign or tarnish the reputation of an artist". He added that counterfeit tracks can "ultimately detract from what the artist is trying to accomplish", and highlighted the direct financial impact when streams and attention are siphoned away from authentic releases. (Sources: Music Business Worldwide, HotPress)

The company has also flagged tens of thousands of uploads that it judged to be falsely claiming attribution to Sony artists since March of last year, emphasising how quickly generative tools and distribution pipelines have lowered the cost and complexity of producing convincing fakes. Industry commentators and Sony executives alike say those detected removals probably represent only a portion of AI-originated uploads, given the scale of daily deliveries into streaming platforms. (Sources: DJ Mag, Music Business Worldwide)

That scale has intensified calls for clearer labelling and detection. According to the report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, music industry leaders are urging platforms to mark AI-generated material so listeners know what they are hearing. The IFPI’s chief executive, Victoria Oakley, told the BBC, "I hate to say it, but it's very simple to fix", arguing that transparent tagging should be a basic responsibility for streaming services and distributors. (Sources: HotPress, MyJoyOnline)

Some services are already experimenting with technical and policy responses. Deezer has developed an AI-music detection system and has publicly reported tagging millions of tracks it classifies as AI-generated; the company says its tool identified more than 13.4 million such tracks in 2025 and that tens of thousands of AI-originated songs are uploaded daily. Deezer’s approach includes labelling and excluding fully automated tracks from editorial playlists and recommendation systems, and the firm says its measures have reduced the share of fraudulent streams that would otherwise feed royalty payments. (Sources: Deezer newsroom, TechCrunch)

Approaches differ across the market. Deezer’s detection tool operates independently of labels and can block or tag content without relying solely on disclosures from rights-holders. By contrast, Apple Music’s Transparency Tags place the onus on labels and distributors to declare AI involvement, a system critics say allows undisclosed material to slip through if parties choose not to self-identify. Spotify has encouraged user reporting and taken enforcement actions, but has not rolled out a universal, platform-level AI tag. These divergent policies create gaps that rights-holders argue bad actors continue to exploit. (Sources: TechCrunch, Deezer newsroom)

Executives and industry groups are pressing for a combination of better detection, standardised disclosure and stronger platform governance to protect artists and listeners. Sony’s removal requests and the large detection tallies reported by streaming services underline how the rise of generative audio has shifted from a technical curiosity to a tangible commercial threat. For artists, labels and platforms, the immediate task is to agree on workable standards for identification and transparency before the scale of AI-originated uploads further erodes revenue, discovery and trust. (Sources: Music Business Worldwide, DJ Mag)

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Source: Noah Wire Services