Musicians-turned-detectives are hunting for AI grifters

Wholly AI-generated songs (and people) are finding success, as well. Last summer, Vinih Pray’s Suno-created song “A Million Colors” also peaked at 44 on TikTok’s Viral 50 chart, and AI artists Breaking Rust and Cain Walker made it onto Billboard’s Country Digital Song sales chart — a lesser-known chart focusing on individual song downloads. Meanwhile, Hallwood Media — a label founded by former Geffen Records president Neil Jacobson — signed AI avatar Xania Monet to a $3 million recording deal. Certain segments of the industry are clearly trying to normalize AI-generated music, and people are definitely making money with their machine-generated tracks. Kapwing estimates that the top 10 most followed / streamed AI music creators on Spotify and YouTube collectively raked in over $6 million in 2025. And with platforms like Deezer reporting that AI songs now account for over 50 percent of new uploads, that kind of music is getting harder for listeners to avoid — if they can even recognize it. While streaming platforms are beginning to more clearly label AI songs, many listeners have reported that they can’t really hear the difference between generative and human-made music.