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Musician Sent to Prison for $10 Million Streaming Fraud Using AI Bots
Smith used AI-generated songs and bots to stream tracks billions of times and steal more than $8 million in royalties, prosecutors said.
- On Tuesday, a Manhattan federal judge sentenced North Carolina resident Michael Smith to 18 months in prison for streaming fraud, marking the first criminal conviction in the case.
- Between 2017 and 2024, Smith used thousands of fake accounts and AI-generated songs to manipulate streaming platforms, fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in royalty payments.
- In April 2023, Smith's bots generated 80.9 million streams for his AI music on YouTube Music, while Taylor Swift's entire catalog received 9.3 million streams that same month.
- Judge John G. Koeltl ordered Smith to forfeit $8.09 million, while the Recording Industry Association of America said "streaming fraud harms creators and deceives fans."
- The IFPI warned that generative AI makes large-scale fraud faster and cheaper, as streaming platforms now face distinguishing legitimate AI-assisted music from artificial audiences.
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18 Articles
18 Articles
A US musician has come across millions of AI-generated songs. At times, his songs have been retrieved more frequently than Taylor Swift's, but only by Bots. Now the verdict was against the man.
·Hamburg, Germany
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North Carolina Man Gets 18-Month Prison Sentence For $8 Million AI Music Streaming Fraud
The North Carolina man earned more than $8 million in royalties from streaming platforms after using thousands of bot accounts to stream his AI-generated songs billions of times.
·Jersey City, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources18
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Left
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Left
55% Left
L 55%
C 45%
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