Scammers are exploiting a distribution loophole to upload fake AI-generated songs onto real artist profiles on Spotify and other streaming platforms. Using tools like Suno or Udio to create low-quality tracks and AI-generated album covers, they submit these via services such as Distro Kid, falsely claiming to be the actual artist. Once approved, the songs appear on Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music as legitimate releases, diverting royalties to the scammers and damaging the reputations of real artists.

The process takes minutes and works on both small bands and major stars like Taylor Swift, as well as deceased artists. Odette Child reported tracking over 300 such fake songs, noting the scale has increased dramatically with AI tools enabling hundreds of uploads per day. While Spotify confirmed that unmanaged profiles are especially vulnerable and said protecting artist identities is a top priority, their pre-release review tool remains in limited beta since its March announcement.

Estimates suggest around 50,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded to Spotify daily, highlighting a systemic failure in content verification across the music streaming ecosystem.