AI Impersonates Folk Artists, Uploads Fake Albums to Streaming Platforms
Folk singer Emily Portman was taken by surprise last month when a fan praised her “new album” — one she had never recorded. What she discovered next was both unsettling and revealing about the growing challenges musicians face in the digital age.
Portman found a 10-track album titled Orca distributed across major streaming platforms under her name. With song titles like Sprig of Thyme and Silent Hearth, and a voice eerily similar to hers, the music had clearly been generated using artificial intelligence — seemingly trained on her existing catalog.
“It was creepy,” she admitted. “The voice was slightly off, but close enough to fool people. Even the instrumentation mimicked my style.” Fans had already started streaming the album, unaware that it wasn’t made by the real artist.
To make matters worse, Portman discovered a second AI-generated album uploaded to her artist profile days later. This one, a collection of what she called “20 tracks of instrumental drivel,” appeared to have even less creative thought behind it. Both projects credited her falsely as performer, writer, and copyright holder. A mysterious “Freddie Howells” was listed as the producer, but Portman found no record of such a person existing.
A Growing Problem for Independent Artists
This isn’t an isolated case. AI-generated songs are increasingly being uploaded to streaming services under the names of real musicians — often those who are well-respected but not globally famous. These fraudulent uploads are slipped into existing artist profiles, tricking fans and, potentially, earning revenue for the perpetrators.
While big-name stars often have the backing and resources to quickly remove such content, independent artists like Portman may face delays and limited platform support. In her case, it took some services weeks to take action, and she still has not regained full control of her Spotify artist profile.
Streaming platforms typically rely on third-party distributors to vet content, but with an estimated 99,000 songs uploaded daily, errors — and abuse — are slipping through.
Other Artists Targeted
Emily Portman isn’t alone. New York-based musician and producer Josh Kaufman, known for his work on Taylor Swift’s Folklore, also found AI-generated tracks released under his name.
“I started getting messages from fans about new music I’d supposedly released,” he said. The fake track, Someone Who’s Love Me, featured generic electronic instrumentation and awkward lyrics — clearly not his work. “It sounded like a Casio keyboard demo with broken English lyrics,” he joked.
Kaufman compiled a playlist of similar fake tracks he found, most targeting folk, Americana, and indie musicians. Artists including Jeff Tweedy, Father John Misty, Iron & Wine, Teddy Thompson, and Jakob Dylan were all affected. Many of the songs used the same AI-generated artwork and were credited to fictional labels and a single mysterious songwriter named Zyan Maliq Mahardika — a name now appearing across multiple fake releases online.
AI and Royalties
While none of the tracks went viral, they still generated small amounts of revenue — typically a few dollars per song — for whoever uploaded them. The motive appears to be a volume-based scam: releasing dozens or hundreds of tracks under legitimate artists’ names to earn passive income before the fraud is detected.
Streaming platforms have said they’re working to improve safeguards. In some cases, they’ve removed distributors responsible for repeat violations. But many artists feel the response is too slow and inconsistent.
Legal and Ethical Questions
There’s also a broader concern about what this means for the future of music. “It’s the signature of our soul,” said Kaufman. “And someone else can just walk in and have access to that? It’s disconcerting.”
Portman shares that sentiment. “This experience reinforced my belief in the value of real creativity,” she said. “I’m human. I don’t want to sound perfect.”
She is currently working on her first genuine solo album in a decade — a project that she estimates will cost at least £10,000 to produce and release. It’s a far cry from the cost-free, instant replication AI provides. But for Portman, it’s worth it.
“I’m looking forward to bringing real music into the world again,” she said. “Something with soul, with human imperfections — something that actually means something.
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