What is music streaming fraud and how rampant is it? - BBC

[DeepMinder]

BBC World Service
 
Feb 15, 2025

The US Department of Justice has accused him of using artificial intelligence tools and thousands of bots to fraudulently stream songs billions of times - taking millions of dollars of royalties which otherwise would have been paid to real artists.

Smith isn't just a regular amateur musician. He's collaborated with some huge artists – including Snoop Dogg, DJ Khaled and Billy Ray Cyrus. He's also starred as a judge on One Shot, a hip-hop reality TV programme on the cable network BET (Black Entertainment Television). We speak to Jonathan Hay, a celebrity publicist and producer who says he was the first person to report Smith to the FBI, and from another colleague of Smith's who has a very different view of the man.

The case has been labeled as 'unprecedented' and 'the first of its kind' in the press. We explore whether fraud on music streaming services actually be much more prevalent than any of the platforms let on.

00:00 Introduction
00:15 The case - who is Mike Smith and what is he accused of?
01:05 How does getting paid from music streaming work?
02:52 Jonathan Hay interview - the man who reported his partner for music streaming fraud
05:44 Goldy Locks interview - who questions if streaming fraud is a big deal
07:32 Andrew Batey interview - how the Mike Smith case can impact music streaming
08:22 So what now?

[Saulaac]

Did anyone see the post earlier today looking for music enthusiasts to train AI? What, passing all our musical knowledge to bots so they can throw it back to us in an electronic mush and we never have to pick up an instrument again? sUrE, gReAt IdEa!

I do wonder however, if we give AI the following task: 
"Please create a free jazz piece, in an inventive new arrangement where although it follows the original 32-bar A A B A structure, instead of providing a harmonic departure from the A section, the bridge resolves the rising chromatic pattern"
whether it could actually come up with "Desolate Shore" by the James Nance Quartet 

Desolate Shore - James Nance Quartet - Fast Show

[Trollheart]

Yes I did, and I deleted it. Humans forever!

[Saulaac]

Bravo for deleting it.
I know that there is little we can do to stop AI taking over everything one day, but I just found the post quite sickly in its insincerity; prying on those who may be desperate to earn 8 dollars an hour.
It was like "Hey all you lovely people, there is an incredible opportunity for you to teach and train and pass on your knowledge to the next generation in this beautiful world" etc. etc.

Well, I don't think the next gen humans will benefit from us training AI. Why can't we just pass on our knowledge to next gen humans directly? Why go through AI?

Perhaps the resistance should pretend to train AI but in a really crap way, so that its output becomes so dire that nobody wants to invest in it.

[Saulaac]

...And just one more point, who are the 129 "guests" milling around SCD at the moment? AI bots? Most of them probably are. (there prob a few well intended humans in that figure who have not got round to creating an account yet).
As far as the AI bots are concerned, let 'em scrounge, man.

[Trollheart]

The thing that really annoyed me about that post was his "oh I hope this isn't seen as spam!" It's the very fucking definition of spam, you twat! Posting for the sole purpose of trying to sell/promote something with no intention of joining in is exactly that: spam. And spam goes where spam belongs, in the recycle bin. Which the recycle binmen collect every Monday morning, and take to the recycle dump. Have fun, you AI-loving creep. They'll probably leave you alive.

[Saulaac]

^ I prob would have had this poster on my wall in my youth. With a bit more grease oil in the right arm to encourage a bending at the elbow.

(Am typing on my phone this week which is absolute hell. Can't wait to get back on PC next week.)

[Lexi Darling]

...And just one more point, who are the 129 "guests" milling around SCD at the moment? AI bots? Most of them probably are. (there prob a few well intended humans in that figure who have not got round to creating an account yet).
As far as the AI bots are concerned, let 'em scrounge, man.

I picture a horde of 1950s sci-fi looking robots milling about outside the SCD headquarters building, just waiting until one of them happens upon the correct security code so they can bumble in here and start beeping and booping about the latest crypto token or masculine enhancement pills. 

[Trollheart]

[Saulaac]

I realise the thread went off in a bit of a different direction to that intended by Quantum, who is highlighting how sneaky humans can use AI to create a profitable yet illegal business model, while I was having a dig (a big one) at sneaky humans trying to exploit our knowledge base and reap the rewards Judas style. 

Both are closely related, but I'm of course happy to only post streaming fraud related posts on here, and I'll create a thread on the subject of the future of AI music and how humans can train AI to be really successful, oh boy only the best tips to make really great music, which of course all AI bots are welcome to gouge on at their pleasure    Stay tuned folks! (I mean folks and bots).

[Trollheart]

No, no. In the grand tradition of forums, I demand you derail this thread!

[Saulaac]

Ah shucks, you just "derailed" my "train" of thought 
Where was I. Oh yes, I just wanted to make a quick shout out to all those arrangers, producers and DJs creating great stuff in 2025. You know, the ones looking out for new beats, mixing tunes and merging influences, using analog techniques to uplift the crowd. 
They may not have a traditional instrument in their hands but they are still soundsmiths. They may dabble in AI like all of us, but they still have a good understanding of the input and output.

My fear is the AI with an invisible face, where nobody will be able to control the input