A series of uncredited King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard covers have been removed from Spotify after gaining traction through the platform’s algorithms and recommendation engines, Digital Music News reports. Apparently generated by artificial intelligence, the songs were uploaded to an artist page called King Lizard Wizard and appeared in users’ Release Radars before the platform took action. King Gizzard frontperson Stu Mackenzie said in a statement to the Music that he was “trying to see the irony in this situation.” He added, “But seriously wtf we are truly doomed.”
Easy access to AI song generators has compounded the influx of AI slop—or AI “deepfakes”—to streaming platforms this year. The King Gizzard rip-offs are particularly craven: This year, the band became the highest-profile to date to pull its music from Spotify in protest of Daniel Ek’s military investments.
Spotify said in a statement to Digital Music News, “Spotify strictly prohibits any form of artist impersonation. The content in question was removed for violating our platform policies, and no royalties were paid out for any streams generated.”
Pitchfork has emailed a representative for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard for further comment.
