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2 Week Old AI-Generated Band Already Has 500,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:01 am
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:01 am
quote:
“The Velvet Sundown aren’t trying to revive the past. They’re rewriting it. They sound like the memory of a time that never actually happened… but somehow they make it feel real.”
quote:
According to their bio, The Velvet Sundown’s music is “’70s psychedelic alt-rock and folk rock,” and the lineup is comprised of four purported “members”: singer and mellotron player Gabe Farrow, guitarist Lennie West, synth player Milo Rains, and percussionist Orion “Rio” Del Mar.
Yet, these members aren’t traceable online beyond the band’s Instagram account, which was started just days ago on June 27th. Some of the photos feature the “members” enjoying burgers to celebrate their second LP’s release, and recreating The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover (sans one member appearing barefoot).
quote:
There has been growing concern about AI on streaming platforms and beyond. A December report in Harper’s Magazine alleged Spotify is supplementing playlists with “ghost artists” to decrease royalty payouts, while a separate study from the same month suggested music creators could lose up to 24% of their revenue by 2028 due to a lack of protections and policies against AI.
https://consequence.net/2025/06/the-velvet-sundown-ai-band/
quote:
Psych-rock band The Velvet Sundown have garnered over 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners and released two full-length records in a single month, with a third on the way this July. While this rapid rise would be impressive for any music act, it appears the group may be a product of generative AI.
As one Twitter user pointed out, The Velvet Sundown have accomplished all of this despite only existing for two weeks. In addition to pumping out albums like there’s no tomorrow, all images posted on their social media accounts appear to have been made with AI. This inspired internet sleuths to investigate the band’s potentially fabricated origins.
The yellow-tinted, smoothed-over, and hyperrealistic nature of The Velvet Sundown’s press photos strongly hints at the use of AI, but little information is available about the group beyond their Spotify artist page.
This post was edited on 7/7/25 at 9:28 am
21
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:04 am to Shexter
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:06 am to Shexter
quote:
2 Week Old
quote:
Has 500,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners
This post was edited on 7/7/25 at 9:25 am
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:07 am to Shexter
Thankfully, I just listen to the same songs over and over from bands that existed before AI...
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:07 am to Shexter
In addition to the photos clearly being AI, they don’t show a bass player either.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:08 am to Chicken
AI keeps pumping these out, i will listen
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:09 am to Shexter
AI is getting better with fingers although you can still notice some frick ups.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:11 am to Shexter
Yet another reason to own your music. Buy the albums from the bands you like, it's not that hard.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:17 am to SUB
quote:
2 Week Old
quote:
Has 500,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners
AI Bot listeners
quote:
While it’s possible that The Velvet Sundown’s more than half a million monthly listeners could be bots, their most popular song on Spotify, “Dust on the Wind,” is closing in on 500,000 streams as of publishing.
quote:
The band has already released two albums just 15 days apart: Floating on Echoes and Dust and Silence. A third, Paper Sun Rebellion, is due out on July 14th. Their songs are also featured on prominent Spotify playlists like “Vietnam War Music” and “Good Mornings – Happily Positive Music to Start The Day.”
The Velvet Sundown’s music isn’t restricted to Spotify, appearing on other streaming platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer. Their records on the latter service carry a disclaimer: “Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence.”
The group’s artist biography is a confounding word salad that reinforces their manufactured aura. “There’s something quietly spellbinding about The Velvet Sundown. You don’t just listen to them, you drift into them,” it reads. “Their music doesn’t shout for your attention; it seeps in slowly, like a scent that suddenly takes you back somewhere you didn’t expect.”
quote:
It continues, “The Velvet Sundown aren’t trying to revive the past. They’re rewriting it. They sound like the memory of a time that never actually happened… but somehow they make it feel real.”
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:21 am to Shexter
Manufactured bands marketed to the public at large aren’t new.
This just takes it to a new level.
Can’t wait until the AI drummer decides he isn’t being featured enough and wants to do his own solo projects.
This just takes it to a new level.
Can’t wait until the AI drummer decides he isn’t being featured enough and wants to do his own solo projects.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:24 am to Shexter
Are people listening because they like it or because of the movelty
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:29 am to castorinho
quote:
Are people listening because they like it or because of the novelty
Bot farms are probably increasing the view count.
The music is OK. Sounds like a good blend of every band that everyone likes.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:32 am to Shexter
At least one of those band members are gay.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:40 am to statman34
quote:
In addition to the photos clearly being AI, they don’t show a bass player either.
Yes they do
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:44 am to OweO
L to R - Eddie Vedder, Jon Bon Jovi, Ringo Starr, and the guy who always plays the coffee shop on Sunday afternoons.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:45 am to Shexter
This is good. The music industry gets away with flooding the market with trash bands. AI can do that. The talented musicians will be fine. This is just another Napster and the industry crying about making less money.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:47 am to OweO
quote:
At least one of those band members are gay
Definitely the lib looking one.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:50 am to Shexter
quote:
The Velvet Sundown
I liked them before they blew up.
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:51 am to holdmuh keystonelite
Posted on 7/7/25 at 9:56 am to Shexter
No bullshite, they kinda suck.
The sound is pleasing because it’s a mashup of like 20 other incredibly popular bands. The lyrics have no meaning.
When I hear human bands or rappers or singers clearly imitate other artists with nothing else original that also sucks.
I can’t imagine who is actually listening to this.
The sound is pleasing because it’s a mashup of like 20 other incredibly popular bands. The lyrics have no meaning.
When I hear human bands or rappers or singers clearly imitate other artists with nothing else original that also sucks.
I can’t imagine who is actually listening to this.
This post was edited on 7/7/25 at 9:58 am
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