Overview

• The updated Spotify bio clearly labels The Velvet Sundown as a synthetic music project guided by human direction and AI tools.
• The profile describes the band as “an ongoing artistic provocation designed to challenge the boundaries of authorship, identity, and the future of music itself in the age of AI.”
• Since early June, algorithmic and paid playlist placements have helped the project amass over 900,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
• The Velvet Sundown formally disavowed Andrew Frelon following his hoax claims to be the group’s spokesperson on X and in media interviews.
• Former Spotify data alchemist Glenn McDonald and other industry figures are urging enforceable AI-labeling standards and greater transparency in playlist curation.