The music industry is undergoing a new technological revolution. While just a few years ago, artificial intelligence (hereinafter AI) was used primarily for sound processing or recommendations on streaming services, today it is already creating full-fledged songs: writing lyrics, generating music, replicating artists’ voices, and even promoting tracks on social media. This opens up new opportunities for the industry, but at the same time raises complex legal questions: who owns the rights to such music, can a famous artist’s voice be used without permission, and who should receive royalties.
In recent years, the amount of music created using AI has skyrocketed. Tens of thousands of new AI tracks appear daily on some streaming platforms, and the share of such content among all new uploads may exceed one-third. At the same time, most listeners cannot even distinguish between music created by humans and that generated by algorithms.
The reason is simple: modern generative models are trained on massive datasets of existing music. They analyze the structure of compositions, harmonies, rhythms, and vocal styles, after which they are capable of creating new works that sound like full-fledged commercial releases.
Viral AI Hits and New “Artists”
One of the most famous examples is the track “Heart on My Sleeve” created by a user going by the pseudonym Ghostwriter977. The song features generated voices of artists Drake and The Weeknd. The track quickly went viral: in just a few days, it racked up hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify and millions of views on TikTok.
However, following a complaint from rights holders, the track was removed from streaming platforms, as Universal Music Group claimed a violation of both copyright and neighboring rights due to the unauthorized use of the artists’ voices.
Also, in the fall of 2025, an event occurred in the global music industry that would have been hard to imagine just a few years ago: the AI-generated track “Walk My Walk” by the virtual band Breaking Rust garnered 3 million streams on Spotify in a month and topped the U.S. Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart.
This chart tracks not just streams, but paid digital downloads in the U.S. In other words, users not only listened to the track but also purchased it. Breaking Rust’s success demonstrated that AI-generated music can be not only popular but also profitable.
In fact, a new type of music project is emerging:
- AI-generated artists who do not exist in the real world;
- songs featuring the voices of famous artists, created without their involvement;
- “custom-made” music that any user can generate based on a text description.
Where Legal Issues Arise
From a legal perspective, AI raises several complex questions.
- Who is the author of AI music?
Traditional copyright law assumes that only a human can be the author of a work. If a song is created by an algorithm, the question arises: who owns the property rights—the program developer, the user who made the request, or no one?
- Use of music to train AI
To create new tracks, algorithms analyze vast databases of existing compositions. In many cases, these works are protected by copyright, and the rights holders have not given permission for such use.
- Copying an artist’s voice or style
AI can replicate the voice of a specific performer or write a song in the style of a famous musician. This creates risks of infringing not only copyright but also related rights and the right to use an image or voice.
- The Issue of Royalties
If an AI track racks up millions of streams, another problem arises: who should receive the royalties? In the case of viral AI songs, even the platforms don’t always know who the rightful recipient of the revenue is.
In addition, new forms of abuse are emerging. For example, some users create thousands of fake tracks and artificially inflate play counts using bots to receive payments from streaming services.
How the music industry is responding
Music labels, streaming platforms, and lawmakers have already begun to respond to these new challenges.
Key trends include:
- platforms are testing AI music detection systems;
- mandatory labeling of tracks created using AI is being discussed;
- labels are filing lawsuits against services that use their catalogs to train models;
- New mechanisms for royalty distribution and author identification are being developed.
Experts predict that AI will become an integral part of the music industry, but at the same time will require a significant overhaul of the copyright and rights management system.
AI is no longer just a tool for musicians—it is becoming a full-fledged player in the music industry. AI-generated songs can rack up millions of streams, create new “artists,” and generate revenue. However, along with these new opportunities come serious legal risks: from copyright and related rights infringements to the unauthorized use of famous performers’ voices and styles.
That is why it is crucial for musicians, producers, bloggers, and businesses that use music in their projects to secure legal protection in advance.
If you create music, work with AI tools, or want to legally use music content in your business, you should consult with intellectual property lawyers. Our law firm will help you protect your copyrights, draft contracts, register your works, and avoid legal risks in the new AI-driven reality of the music industry.
artificial intelligence / copyright / intellectual property / streaming services
