It might seem like everything’s normal when you scroll through Spotify, but behind the playlists and artist pages, there’s something strange going on. I recently came across several so-called musicians gaining millions of streams — but they’re not even real. And no, this isn’t just another AI music experiment — it’s much bigger than that.
These are fully AI-generated tracks, uploaded under fake artist names, and some of them are verified. Let that sink in. These “artists” don’t exist, but they have millions of monthly listeners, official Spotify playlists, and tracks performing better than real musicians who’ve been grinding for years.
One example? An “outlaw country” act called Aventhis. According to Spotify, he has over 1 million monthly listeners, and his track Mercy On My Grave has crossed 2 million streams. He even has a ‘This Is Aventhis’ playlist — you know, the kind Spotify creates for actual popular artists. Except… Aventhis isn’t real.
His voice, songs, and image are all built by AI tools, and the content is spreading across Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and more. It’s not limited to just one platform.
What makes this even more concerning is that most listeners have no idea. It’s hard to tell the difference anymore between a human-made track and an AI-produced one, especially when these songs are wrapped in professional-looking profiles with cover art, bios, and playlists.
Streaming platforms are getting flooded with this kind of content — and the real problem? It’s working. These tracks are performing extremely well, likely pushed by algorithmic playlists and casual listening behavior.
If this keeps growing, it could seriously impact independent artists, real producers, and even listeners who care about authenticity in music.
