Beyoncé among artists targeted by AI deepfake songs

Music giant Sony Music has requested the removal of more than 135,000 songs created by fraudsters impersonating its artists on streaming platforms. These deepfakes were generated using artificial intelligence and targeted major names such as Beyoncé, Queen, and Harry Styles, causing direct commercial damage and threatening the promotion of new album releases.

Dennis Kooker, president of Sony’s global digital business, said that in the worst cases, deepfakes can harm a release campaign or damage an artist’s reputation. The issue was highlighted during the presentation of the Global Music Report in London, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

According to the IFPI, global recorded music revenues grew by 6.4% last year, reaching $31.7 billion. The United Kingdom remained the third-largest market, while China surpassed Germany to enter the top 10 for the first time in just over a decade. Taylor Swift was the biggest artist of 2025, with the most popular album, The Life Of A Showgirl.

The music industry is also increasingly concerned about streaming fraud, where “fake” artists upload songs to artificially inflate streams and generate royalty income. IFPI said AI has “scaled up” this practice, depriving legitimate artists of earnings, and estimates that up to 10% of content on streaming platforms could be fraudulent, according to BBC.

Victoria Oakley, CEO of IFPI, called on platforms to implement tools to detect AI-generated or fake music, while Kooker noted that Deezer already classifies 34% of uploaded tracks as AI-generated. He emphasized that transparency is essential for a fair and sustainable music ecosystem.