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FBI busts musician’s elaborate AI-powered $10M streaming-royalty heist (arstechnica.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 2 months ago (2 children)

The crime isn't in publishing AI music. The crime was that he setup fake listeners streaming his songs so he could get royalties and inflate popularity. Initially he published his own songs, but to scale up and avoid detection he started creating music at scale - That's where AI Comes in.

Smith's scheme, which prosecutors say ran for seven years, involved creating thousands of fake streaming accounts using purchased email addresses. He developed software to play his AI-generated music on repeat from various computers, mimicking individual listeners from different locations. In an industry where success is measured by digital listens, Smith's fabricated catalog reportedly managed to rack up billions of streams.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This is basically the same way you get on the NYT bestseller list - buy your own books.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

The times doesn't pay you royalties for your book sales, and it doesn't cost you anything. They also detect if someone is messing with the system and display a dagger symbol if you are found to inflate your numbers.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

True, but if you are a politician and you pay a ghost writer then political groups can bulk purchase your book as a way of laundering bribe money

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

The times doesn't pay you royalties for your book sales, and it doesn't cost you anything.

Of course they don't pay, but getting on the list is fantastic advertising for your book and that pays.

They also detect if someone is messing with the system and display a dagger symbol if you are found to inflate your numbers.

Jack Rhysider's research on this indicates otherwise.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Was this on Darknet Diaries? I must have missed that ep. Sounds interesting.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Yes, it's the link in my comment above.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Isn't this basically how Taylor Swift got her start .... her millionaire father just buying thousands of her debut album at the beginning.