AI music is here, whether you like it or not — and it’s quickly becoming a common fixture on Billboard‘s iconic charts of popular new tunes.
As the entertainment magazine recently pointed out, at least one AI or AI-assisted artist has charted in each of the past four weeks, a “streak suggesting this trend is quickly accelerating.”
The AI artists include Xania Monet, an AI avatar created by Mississippi-based songwriter Telisha “Nikki” Jones, who used the AI music generator app Suno, and Juno Skye, an “AI-powered artist” that was produced by Nguyen Duc Nam.
It’s a harsh reality check, showing the wide proliferation of AI slop in the music industry — and a growing appetite among labels to sign “artists” that don’t exist.
Case in point, Xania Monet triggered a bidding war earlier this month, with some labels offering up to $3 million. The artist debuted on a Billboard radio chart this week after earning sufficient radio airplay. The AI also made headlines last month after debuting on multiple Billboard charts for its single “Let Go, Let God.”
The subject of the use of AI in the music industry has been extremely controversial, especially considering that apps like Suno and Udio rely on AI models that have been accused of training on the copyrighted work of real artists.
Just this week, major music label Universal Music Group announced that it had struck a licensing deal with AI music generation app Udio to launch an upcoming AI creation platform, following the settlement of a copyright lawsuit between them.
Music artists signed an open letter last year, calling on organizations to “cease the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.”
Music platforms, including Spotify, have also been flooded with AI slop. It’s become an enormous problem, forcing Spotify to announce new policies to protect artists against “spam, impersonation, and deception.”
However, Spotify has stopped short of banning AI music outright, arguing that “music has always been shaped by technology” and that “at its best, AI is unlocking incredible new ways for artists to create music and for listeners to discover it.”
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