Global music powerhouse Sony Music has sounded the alarm over a growing crisis in the entertainment industry, revealing it has requested the removal of more than 135,000 fake songs created by fraudsters using artificial intelligence.
The tracks—commonly referred to as deepfakes—are designed to mimic the voices and styles of some of the world’s biggest artists, including Beyoncé, Harry Styles, and iconic rock band Queen.
According to Sony, these AI-generated songs are deliberately released on streaming platforms to exploit fan demand—particularly when artists are actively promoting new music. The result is confusion among listeners and a diversion of streams and revenue away from legitimate releases.
Dennis Kooker, president of Sony’s global digital business, warned that the rise of deepfake music is causing “direct commercial harm” to artists and could even damage carefully planned album campaigns.
“The problem with deepfakes is that they are demand-driven,” Kooker explained. “They take advantage of the attention an artist has created and ultimately detract from what the artist is trying to accomplish.”
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The scale of the problem appears to be far greater than current figures suggest. Sony believes the 135,000 tracks identified so far represent only a small portion of the total number circulating across platforms. Since March last year alone, the company has flagged about 60,000 songs falsely attributed to artists on its roster.
Other global stars, including Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus, and Mark Ronson, are also believed to have been targeted by the growing wave of AI-driven impersonation.
Industry experts say the situation is being worsened by the rapid advancement and accessibility of AI tools, making it easier and cheaper for bad actors to create convincing fake content at scale.
Beyond deepfakes, the industry is also grappling with streaming manipulation—a practice where fake artists upload songs and artificially inflate play counts to earn royalties. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) warns that artificial intelligence has significantly “supercharged” this fraudulent activity.
Unofficial estimates suggest that as much as 10% of content on major streaming platforms could be fake or manipulated, raising serious concerns about fairness and revenue distribution in the digital music economy.
Despite these challenges, the global music industry continues to grow. The IFPI reports that recorded music revenues increased by 6.4% in 2025, reaching $31.7 billion, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth. Streaming subscriptions remain the key driver behind this resurgence.
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However, industry leaders say urgent action is needed to safeguard this growth. They are calling on streaming platforms to implement systems that can detect, label, and remove AI-generated content before it causes harm.
French streaming service Deezer has already taken steps in this direction, revealing that 34% of songs uploaded to its platform are now identified as AI-generated.
For many in the industry, transparency is key. Without clear labeling, experts warn that fans may struggle to distinguish between genuine artistry and AI-generated imitations—potentially eroding trust in the music ecosystem.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the creative landscape, the battle between innovation and authenticity is intensifying—leaving the future of music hanging in the balance.
