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Spotify Pulls AI ‘King Lizard Wizard’ After King Gizzard Impersonation Exposed

The removal highlights ongoing gaps in Spotify’s enforcement of recent anti-impersonation rules.

Overview

  • A Reddit user discovered a Release Radar recommendation for “Rattlesnake” by “King Lizard Wizard” that replicated King Gizzard’s song title and identical lyrics.
  • The imposter profile hosted multiple tracks matching King Gizzard titles, displayed AI-style artwork, and in some listings credited frontman Stu Mackenzie as composer and lyricist.
  • The clone recorded tens of thousands of streams and about 29,303 monthly listeners before takedown, surfacing in Spotify search and personalized playlists.
  • Spotify said the uploads violated its impersonation policy, confirmed the content was removed, and stated no royalties were paid for the streams.
  • King Gizzard pulled its catalog from Spotify in July over CEO Daniel Ek’s investment ties to AI military technology, and the incident has renewed criticism of Spotify’s AI content moderation.