Inside Spotify's Playlist Secret: How Fake Artists Are Taking Over – Should They Be Removed?

The Rise of AI-Generated Music: A Growing Concern for Spotify

Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, boasts a staggering 626 million users worldwide, making it a powerhouse in the music industry.

However, beneath the surface of this massive user base lies a troubling issue that has been festering for years: the proliferation of "fake" artists.

These aren't just obscure musicians with limited followings, but rather unlicensed covers of songs, many of which are generated by artificial intelligence.

This influx of AI-driven music has sparked alarm within the industry, raising concerns that Spotify's ongoing battle with counterfeit artists may be spiralling out of control.

The phenomenon of fake artists on Spotify is not a new development.

As early as 2016, there were reports alleging that Spotify itself was behind the creation of records under the names of non-existent artists.

This practice, controversial at the time, has only intensified with the advent of advanced AI technology, which has given the issue new dimensions and heightened the level of concern.

The implications are significant, as these AI-generated tracks are infiltrating the platform at an unprecedented rate, threatening the integrity of the music industry and potentially misleading millions of unsuspecting listeners.

What Exactly Are 'Fake Artists'?

Recently, it has come to light that covers of popular songs are being stealthily inserted into large, publicly available playlists on Spotify.

These AI-generated covers are cleverly hidden among dozens of legitimate tracks by real artists, allowing them to accumulate millions of streams without raising suspicion.

Slate reports that the artists responsible for these covers share a common set of characteristics: they have monthly listeners in the hundreds of thousands, yet they lack any social media presence.

Moreover, their bios often have a distinctly artificial tone, reminiscent of something produced by ChatGPT.

Intriguingly, none of these so-called artists have original music on Spotify.

Instead, they exhibit an unusual behaviour—one that would seem erratic if not for the presence of AI.

For example, a group might cover a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, then switch gears to cover Third Eye Blind, and finally end with "Linger" by the Cranberries, all within the same album.

If a listener did not suspect that the songs were AI-generated, they might never notice anything amiss.

This seamless blending of AI covers with real music creates a disconcerting illusion, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine artistry and artificial mimicry.

Firefly Entertainment and the Pseudonymous Wave

In 2022, the debate surrounding these “fake artists” was reignited by a Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter (DN), which conducted an expose on Firefly Entertainment, a Sweden-based indie label.

The report revealed how Firefly has been profiting by releasing music from a plethora of these pseudonymous artists.

DN obtained a staggering list of 830 “fake artist” names connected to Firefly, and it was uncovered that at least 495 of these artists had their music featured on first-party Spotify playlists.

This revelation shed light on the extensive presence of such artists in Spotify's ecosystem.

Johan Röhr: The Maestro Behind the Curtain

The narrative took a dramatic turn on March 19 when DN published another expose, identifying the mastermind behind one of the world’s most prolific networks of fake artists on Spotify: Johan Röhr.

According to DN, Röhr is a Swedish composer whose music has been released under 50 composer aliases and at least 656 fabricated artist names.

His musical journey is rooted in traditional performance—having sung in the house choir for Sweden's Melodifestivalen song competition in the early 2000s and worked as a conductor for various popular artists’ tours and television productions.

Yet, despite his traditional background, Röhr has found unprecedented success through his anonymous Spotify ventures, surpassing the achievements of the artists he once collaborated with.

A Streaming Powerhouse: 15 Billion Streams and Counting

DN’s investigation revealed that Johan Röhr is behind over 2,700 songs released under these pseudonymous artist names on Spotify, with his music amassing approximately 15 billion streams.

This colossal figure has positioned him as Sweden’s most streamed artist on the platform, outpacing even internationally renowned Swedish superstar Avicii in monthly listener counts.

Globally, Röhr’s alter egos have earned him a spot among the top 100 most streamed artists on Spotify of all time, with DN noting that he surpasses legendary figures such as Michael Jackson, Metallica, and Mariah Carey.

The report intriguingly adds that Röhr is “well on his way to overtaking The Beatles,” albeit in the shadows of his anonymity.

Financial Success Behind the Pseudonyms

The financial rewards of Röhr’s musical endeavors are equally impressive.

DN reports that his private company generated over SEK 70 million (approximately USD $6.7 million) between 2020 and 2022, with SEK 32.7 million (approximately USD $3.1 million) of that revenue coming in 2022 alone, all sourced from royalties.

However, the annual reports don’t clarify how much of this income specifically stems from streams under his numerous fake artist names.

Röhr’s rise to financial prominence coincides with the surge of the fake artist phenomenon, marking a significant shift in his income trajectory.

Spotify’s Role and the Power of Playlists

A crucial factor in Johan Röhr’s success is the significant presence of his music across Spotify’s official playlists.

According to DN, his songs have been added to over 144 official Spotify playlists under various artist pseudonyms, with some playlists containing a disproportionate amount of his music.

In one notable example, the large instrumental playlist Stress Relief, which boasts over 1.45 million followers, features 41 out of its 270 songs by fake artists linked to Röhr.

DN’s analysis shows that in 11 of these playlists, more than a fifth of the tracks are his compositions.

Spotify's Stance and the Role of 'Content Creators'

In response to the growing concern, Spotify refers to these so-called fake artists as "content creators."

This broad and somewhat vague designation could encompass virtually anyone on the artist's side, including the bands themselves, their management teams, or even the record labels.

However, some industry insiders suspect that the real culprits might be the third-party intermediaries that many artists rely on to upload and manage their music across various streaming platforms.

Entertainment and music lawyer Henderson Cole shared his perspective with Slate, suggesting that these intermediaries could be playing a significant role in the proliferation of AI-generated content on Spotify.

As the issue of fake artists continues to gain attention, the music industry finds itself at a crossroads.

The rise of AI-generated music presents a complex challenge, one that threatens to disrupt the traditional boundaries of creativity and authenticity.

For Spotify, a platform that has revolutionised the way we consume music, addressing this problem is not just a matter of policy—it is a crucial step in preserving the integrity of the music ecosystem.

Should AI Have a Place on Streaming Platforms?

Spotify’s unchecked allowance of AI-generated music is raising serious ethical questions about the future of the music industry.

While AI music has a place in the creative landscape, its growing dominance on streaming platforms threatens to devalue the authenticity and labour of real artists.

The allure of high-profit margins from AI content seems to overshadow Spotify's responsibility to nurture genuine artistry.

Should AI music be removed from Spotify?

Perhaps the real question is whether Spotify is willing to risk the erosion of the very industry it claims to support.

AI music, no matter how catchy, should not be monetised at the expense of original creators.

They should also be clearly labeled if they remain available online, ensuring transparency for users and helping them distinguish between AI-generated and human-created music.