$10m streaming fraudster got caught, expected to have jail time

This guy should be in jail for awhile. While broadcasters like me try to play musicians who want and need the airplay, people like Michael Smith should be in jail for defrauding the system.

The mix’s podcast page

When going to the podcast page, select the independent artist spotlight single feed, or either the duel feed or Sunday feeds.

I either get people submitting, or I buy the music outright with my own money.

I can use streaming services and other tools where available, but I also pay for those tools and services.

Using a VPN was quite clever, I must say.

North Carolina musician Michael Smith was indicted for collecting over $10 million in royalty payments from Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube Music using AI-generated songs streamed by thousands of bots in a massive streaming fraud scheme.

I’ve never heard of him, and I think I’ve heard many Michael Smiths so I am not sure if I know what he plays.

According to court documents, Smith fraudulently inflated music streams on digital platforms between 2017 and 2024 with the assistance of an unnamed music promoter and the Chief Executive Officer of an AI music company.

He acquired hundreds of thousands of songs generated through artificial intelligence (AI) from a coconspirator and uploaded them to these streaming platforms. He then used automated bots to stream the AI-generated tracks billions of times.

I know there are services that a few people use to create AI type songs, and I’ve heard a few of these, but i wouldn’t play them on my shows, as they are not done by those that would take the time to actually create it.

To avoid detection by the streaming platforms’ anti-fraud systems, Smith ensured his bots accessed the platforms using virtual private networks (VPNs).

As I said, this was quite clever, and probably forward thinking.

By manipulating streaming data, Smith fraudulently collected more than $10 million in royalty payments after his bots streamed hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs billions of times. In a February 2024 email, he boasted that his songs generated “over 4 billion streams and $12 million in royalties since 2019.”

“Through his brazen fraud scheme, Smith stole millions in royalties that should have been paid to musicians, songwriters, and other rights holders whose songs were legitimately streamed,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

Smith now faces charges of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Was this worth it to this musician?

Musician charged with $10M streaming royalties fraud using AI and bots is the article.Have fun with this one! This is only going to get more interesting.