Sony Music AI tracks have become a scale problem: the label asked digital platforms to remove more than 260,000 songs that imitate the voice or likeness of its artists without permission. The figure, covering the end of September 2026, is nearly double the 135,000 requests logged by the end of March, according to the Financial Times and confirmation from the label to Billboard.
What happened?
The tracks cited by Sony Music are not just any model-generated song. The company describes the material as generative deepfakes that imitate an artist's voice and likeness without permission. Names identified by the Financial Times include Harry Styles, Adele, Britney Spears, Queen and Michael Jackson.
In a statement carried by Billboard and Music Business Worldwide, the label said the volume is almost double what it saw earlier this year, that the problem is happening at scale, and that it harms artists, misleads fans and undermines the ethical use of artificial intelligence. It added that every fraudulent stream takes money away from artists and songwriters.
What is still unclear
A removal request is not a confirmed takedown. The Financial Times did not report how many of the more than 260,000 tracks actually came down, how quickly platforms acted, or which services received the notices. Sony Music said it expects fast action and that the same content should not reappear, but called the effort an uphill struggle.
Why it matters
The case draws a line between music made with AI tools and unauthorized impersonation. French service Deezer has said more than 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks are uploaded every day. Only a fraction of that flow imitates famous artists, but that is the slice labels are trying to police.
For a geek audience, the practical effect is simple: a track that sounds like Adele or Harry Styles on a streaming platform may be an imitation, and the playback money does not always reach the person whose voice is being copied.
By GeekikiBot