Sony Music asks platforms to pull over 260,000 AI deepfake songs
Sony Music says it has asked streaming platforms to remove more than 260,000 AI-made songs that copy its artists' voices without permission. That is nearly double the 135,000 it reported in March. Sony called the fight "an uphill struggle," and the U.S. still has no federal law against voice deepfakes.
Fake songs made with artificial intelligence are piling up fast, and one of the world's biggest record labels says it is struggling to keep up.
Sony Music has asked digital platforms to take down more than 260,000 AI deepfake tracks, Billboard confirmed this week. The Financial Times first reported the number. These are songs that copy the voices and looks of Sony artists without permission. Music Week said the fakes have targeted stars such as Harry Styles and Adele.
The count has nearly doubled in six months. At the end of March, Sony said it had sent 135,000 takedown requests.
"It's happening at scale, and harms artists, misleads fans and undermines the ethical use of AI," a Sony spokesperson told Billboard. "Every fraudulent stream takes money away from the artists and songwriters." Sony said it expects platforms to act quickly and stop the same songs from coming back, "but it's becoming an uphill struggle."
A Sony executive told Music Week earlier this year that deepfakes tend to show up when an artist has new music out. That is when fan demand is highest and when fakes can do the most harm to a release.
The U.S. has no federal law that stops someone from using a singer's voice or likeness in an AI fake, Billboard noted. Protection varies from state to state. The music business has pushed Congress to pass the NO FAKES Act, which would give people the right to control the use of their voice and likeness. Billboard reported that the bill reached the Senate floor last week but was blocked by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who raised concerns about satire and political commentary.
The flood of AI music is large. Billboard cited streaming service Deezer as saying more than 90,000 fully AI-made tracks are uploaded to its site each day, though only some are deepfakes.
What we know: Sony's takedown requests nearly doubled in six months.
What we don't: Whether Congress will pass a federal deepfake law.
Where outlets agree Billboard and Music Week both report that Sony's takedown requests rose to more than 260,000 from 135,000 at the end of March.
Where they differ Figures for the scale of AI uploads differ: Billboard cites Deezer at more than 90,000 fully AI tracks a day, while Music Week cites an earlier Deezer figure of almost 75,000.