Ever fallen in love with a band that never existed? A El País article reveals how AI-generated music is infiltrating our streaming platforms – often without us knowing it.
Take "Rumba Congo" by Concubanas, a band with a rich (and entirely fictional) history dating back to 1971. Their Cuban-Congolese fusion music sounds authentic, but as the tiny note buried at the bottom of their YouTube description reveals, it's "altered or synthetic" – code for AI-generated.
"There's no way for people to know if something is AI or not," explains researcher María Teresa Llano in the article. "For me, being from Colombia — and obviously having been born and raised with salsa — when I heard [the album Rumba Congo], I thought it was okay. And when I realized it was AI, I thought it was amazing," she confesses, "but it took away its charm."
This isn't just a curiosity – it's big business. AI-generated music revenue is projected to explode from $100 million to $4 billion by 2028, potentially making up 20% of streaming revenue.
YouTube at least requires disclosure of AI content (though often buried in descriptions), while Spotify hasn't shared any clear labeling policy. Meanwhile, some creators lean into the fakery – one channel called Zaruret has racked up millions of views with 135 AI-generated music videos in just seven months, each featuring fictional bands with elaborate backstories.
Their motto? "Everything that happens on this channel is fiction. But what is the truth? F*ck it, just listen!"
Next time you discover a "new favorite band," you might want to check if they actually exist.
Previously:
• An AI-generated Beatles album I will actually listen to: 'Rubber Soul, but it's Motown'
• Enjoy this AI-generated album in the style of The Beatles
• A song composed by artificial intelligence in the style of the Beatles
• Check out the 'Almost Beatles' songs created by human musicians and AI
• AI imagines a Beatles over of The Beach Boys' 'God Only Knows'
