Indie Band Claims AI Hijacked Their Billie Eilish Cover Tune!

The indie band Torus from Milton Keynes recently claimed that artificial intelligence was used to copy and recreate their music. The band had posted a short teaser of themselves performing a grunge-style cover of Billie Eilish's 'Ocean Eyes' on TikTok, which quickly gained popularity. Before they could officially release their full version, they discovered a similar track on Spotify uploaded by an artist named Independent Lemon. This mysterious artist has no social media presence, no record label, and no live performances, but has managed to upload around 100 singles in the past year, many of which are covers of well-known songs. Torus suspects that someone used generative AI to take their TikTok snippet and predict how the rest of the song would sound, essentially creating a full-length version based on their short clip. The Spotify version even starts with what appears to be Torus's own performance, but then continues for several more minutes, which the band believes was generated by AI.

Alfie Glass, the singer and guitarist for Torus, initially thought that a real person had simply made a cover of their cover, and he admitted that it was done quite well. However, drummer Jack Orr realized that the new track was actually built from their original clip, which had been looped and then extended with AI-generated music. The band was frustrated, especially since it took them about a month to record their own cover, while the AI version appeared almost instantly. Jack expressed that while covers of covers are common and usually acceptable, using AI to copy their exact drum patterns and style without any real creativity or credit is unfair. He also mentioned that AI-generated music often lacks the 'soul' that comes from human musicianship. The band plans to report the suspected AI-generated track to Spotify, hoping it will be taken down. Spotify responded by saying they would investigate and highlighted their new impersonation policy, which is designed to give artists stronger protections and clearer ways to address these issues. According to Spotify, vocal impersonation is only allowed if the original artist has given permission.

Simon Holland, a professor of music and human-computer interaction at the Open University, explained how AI can be used to create music. He said that some apps allow users to generate songs from just a few words or a short audio demo. While the quality of AI-generated music can vary, a good demo can lead to a polished result. After listening to some of Independent Lemon's tracks, Professor Holland said it was difficult to be certain if they were AI-generated, but he noticed that the vocals and music were less clear, which is often a sign of AI involvement. Despite these concerns, he remains optimistic about the future of musicians, believing that the creative process and the desire to make music will not disappear because of AI. He suggested that musicians might adapt by creating new styles that AI cannot easily replicate. However, he also acknowledged that it is a problem when AI is used to copy and profit from the work of original artists without permission.

The situation with Torus highlights the challenges that musicians face as technology continues to evolve. While AI can be a powerful tool for creativity, it also raises important questions about originality, credit, and the value of human artistry. Torus hopes that by sharing their experience, they can help protect other musicians from having their work copied by AI. They believe that music should remain a deeply personal and creative expression, and they urge companies like Spotify to take stronger action to support and protect artists in the digital age.