Sony Music's Fight Against Deepfake Fraud
Music giant Sony Music has announced it has requested the removal of over 135,000 songs created by fraudsters impersonating its artists on various streaming platforms. These AI-generated 'deepfakes' include voices of prominent artists such as Beyoncé, Queen, and Harry Styles, and pose a severe threat to the integrity and revenue of the music industry.
Dennis Kooker, President of Sony's global digital business, stated that these impersonations can significantly harm the artists' commercial interests, creating a direct financial threat and potentially harming the reputations of musicians especially during release campaigns.
The company has recognized a continuous increase in such fraudulent songs, with approximately 60,000 identified since just last March. The majority of these tracks leverage the demand generated by legitimate artists promoting their new music, effectively undermining their promotional efforts.
At the recent Global Music Report launch in London, figures released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) indicated that recorded music revenues grew by 6.4% in the past year, emphasizing the industry's recovery after a recent period of piracy and decline. However, the rise of AI technologies has expedited the emergence of streaming fraud, with the IFPI estimating that up to 10% of content across major platforms could be fraudulent.
As the industry grapples with these challenges, calls for regulatory measures regarding AI-generated content are intensifying. There's a growing consensus that music streaming platforms should implement clearer labeling and identification of AI-created music to protect genuine artists and preserve the authenticity of the music ecosystem.
Music giant Sony Music has announced it has requested the removal of over 135,000 songs created by fraudsters impersonating its artists on various streaming platforms. These AI-generated 'deepfakes' include voices of prominent artists such as Beyoncé, Queen, and Harry Styles, and pose a severe threat to the integrity and revenue of the music industry.
Dennis Kooker, President of Sony's global digital business, stated that these impersonations can significantly harm the artists' commercial interests, creating a direct financial threat and potentially harming the reputations of musicians especially during release campaigns.
The company has recognized a continuous increase in such fraudulent songs, with approximately 60,000 identified since just last March. The majority of these tracks leverage the demand generated by legitimate artists promoting their new music, effectively undermining their promotional efforts.
At the recent Global Music Report launch in London, figures released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) indicated that recorded music revenues grew by 6.4% in the past year, emphasizing the industry's recovery after a recent period of piracy and decline. However, the rise of AI technologies has expedited the emergence of streaming fraud, with the IFPI estimating that up to 10% of content across major platforms could be fraudulent.
As the industry grapples with these challenges, calls for regulatory measures regarding AI-generated content are intensifying. There's a growing consensus that music streaming platforms should implement clearer labeling and identification of AI-created music to protect genuine artists and preserve the authenticity of the music ecosystem.
