The internet is in a frenzy over a new viral sensation: Velvet Sundown, an indie band whose vintage sound and sudden Spotify fame have fans wondering if this group is real. This is in an era where artificial intelligence can create photorealistic images and compose symphonies.
Since making their debut a few weeks ago, a band by the name of The Velvet Sundown has had hundreds of thousands of plays on Spotify, but no one is certain what the songs are. The band has a verified page on the music streaming service, but there are no recordings of any live performances and none of the four musicians listed have been interviewed or seem to have personal social media accounts.
Early in 2024, the retro-rock group Velvet Sundown made an appearance on Spotify. Despite having no major label support or obvious promotion, the band has already accumulated over 750,000 to 850,000 monthly listeners thanks to its warm analog textures and catchy guitar riffs inspired by the 1970s.
Their debut single โDreamer Highwayโ appeared on carefully curated playlists almost immediately. Their band photos have an oddly stylized, almost artificial intelligence-like sheen, and their album art on Spotify is drenched in soft neon colors. However, despite their rapid rise, there is oddly little basic information about the band members.
Even some music industry veterans are perplexed by The Velvet Sundown, a band whose Instagram account claims to be dedicated to โSaving Modern Rock.โ All of the bandโs proposed images appear to have been produced by artificial intelligence. The tunes? Itโs more difficult to say.
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The bandโs rise and the larger discussion surrounding it contribute to a growing concern about the future of art, culture, and authenticity in the age of highly developed generative artificial intelligence, regardless of whether the band is real, fake, or something else entirely. AI-generated content has already flooded many major tech platforms, and AI influencers are growing more prevalent on social media.
Based on its social media profiles, Velvet Sundown seems to have first appeared in June. The bandโs โVerified Artistโ badge on Spotify lends them a certain authority. The Velvet Sundown hinted at their next album, โPaper Sun Rebellion,โ on X. They even addressed public skepticism about the bandโs legitimacy and provenance. Despite these clues, there are no recorded live performances and none of the identified members have taken part in interviews, which has increased skepticism about whether the group is an artificial intelligence (AI) project or a real act.
The song, according to an AI detector tool used by rival music streaming service Deezer, was โ100% AI generated.โ According to 404 Media and Futurism, Deezer identified particular Velvet Sundown tracks as likely AI content using internal detection algorithms that look at sonic and production patterns.
According to Deezer, its artificial intelligence (AI) detection system uses sonic pattern analysis to find music that might have been created or performed by AI. An internal database that was leaked to reporters included the names of dozens of artists, including Velvet Sundown.
Velvet Sundownโs explosive rise shows how automation and artificial intelligence are becoming more and more important in the contemporary music industry, regardless of whether they are wholly AI-generated. The questions surrounding The Velvet Sundown, according to Ed Newton-Rex, founder of Fairly Trained, an organization that advocates for AI companies to respect creatorsโ rights, reflected musiciansโ worries about attribution and transparency in the era of generative music.