The band Velvet Sundown, with over 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, is now embroiled in AI-related allegations, which a spokesperson has described as part of an elaborate “art hoax.”
The situation unfolds in two key parts. First, Rolling Stone featured an interview with the band’s supposed spokesperson, revealing that they use the generative AI platform Suno for much, if not all, of their songwriting.
Despite earlier denials regarding their AI involvement, band representative and “adjunct” member Andrew Frelon admitted, “It’s marketing. It’s trolling. Before, no one cared what we did, but now we’re talking to Rolling Stone—is that wrong?”
Concerns have been raised about potential playlist manipulation aimed at boosting their listener count, as Frelon acknowledged they landed on playlists with huge followings, causing their popularity to surge.
This revelation comes amid growing scrutiny of Spotify, especially after CEO Daniel Ek became the chairman of an AI-focused military startup following a €600 million investment, without any protections for AI-produced music on the platform.
However, the story took a surprising turn. Just a day after the Rolling Stone interview, Frelon admitted to being a fraud, claiming his interest in “art hoaxes” motivated him to fabricate the band’s narrative, even engaging with media outlets officially connected to Velvet Sundown through various social engineering tactics.
In response, Velvet Sundown clarified on their Twitter, linked to Spotify, that Frelon is not a member of the band. They stated, “The Velvet Sundown is a multidisciplinary artistic project that combines music, analog aesthetics, and speculative storytelling. While we embrace ambiguity as part of our narrative, we ask that coverage reflect verifiable sources rather than false personas or synthetic media.”
As of now, the band hasn’t provided further comments, raising more questions about their authenticity.
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