If convicted, Michael Smith could spend up to 60 years in prison. That prospect raises a crucial question: Will he be able to prove his innocence?
Tl;dr
- A North Carolina man is charged with fraud for generating songs with AI and streaming them billions of times.
- Michael Smith has reportedly pocketed over $10 million in royalties since 2017 using this method.
- He is also accused of lying to streaming services by providing false names and account details.
- This is the first criminal case involving the use of bots to artificially inflate music streaming figures.
A musical fraud orchestrated by AI
A North Carolina man, Michael Smith, is at the center of a groundbreaking court case in the United States. He is accused of generating hundreds of thousands of songs using artificial intelligence and then using bots to distribute them billions of times on various streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
A lucrative scheme
Since 2017, the scheme has reportedly allowed Smith to pocket more than $10 million in royalties.. Initially, he reportedly tried to upload his own music to these services, before realizing that his catalog was not large enough to generate a significant amount of royalties. It was in 2018 that he reportedly turned to music generated by artificial intelligence.
A network of accomplices
According to the indictment, Smith allegedly worked with two unnamed co-conspirators: the CEO of an AI music company and a music promoter. In exchange for a share of the revenue, the CEO allegedly provided Smith with thousands of tracks per week, which would have randomly generated song titles and artist names for audio files.
A deceptive process
Smith is also accused of lying to streaming services, providing fake names and account details when setting up the bots. He allegedly tried to cover up his deception by using fake email addresses and VPNs, while advising his accomplices to remain “undetectable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, “Michael Smith fraudulently streamed songs created with artificial intelligence billions of times to steal royalties. Through his audacious scam, Smith stole millions in royalties that should have gone to musicians, songwriters, and other rights holders whose songs were legitimately streamed.”
This case, the first of its kind, highlights the challenges facing streaming services in combating fraud and ensuring fair compensation for artists.
