From Pitchfork · Kiana Mickles · · 1m 10s
Man Sentenced for AI Bot Streaming Fraud
A North Carolina man gets 18 months prison for using bots to steal royalties from AI songs.
In brief
A North Carolina man gets 18 months prison for using bots to steal royalties from AI songs. Mike Smith, a musician, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraudulently collecting millions in royalties from AI-generated songs streamed by bots. Originally reported by Pitchfork.
Mike Smith sentenced
A North Carolina man received 18 months in prison for collecting millions in royalties from bot streams of AI-generated songs.
Smith used bots from 2017 to 2024
Mike Smith streamed his own music and AI-generated songs using thousands of bots between 2017 and 2024.
Smith pled guilty to wire fraud
Smith agreed to a plea deal for conspiracy to commit wire fraud after his lawyers argued for probation and prosecutors pushed for 46 months.
Smith forfeits $8 million
As part of his plea deal, Smith must forfeit $8 million in streaming proceeds and serve two years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney condemns fraud
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said Smith robbed millions in royalties by flooding platforms with bots and fake songs.
Streaming fraud affects artists
Smaller artists face royalty payout issues with Spotify and Apple Music due to their pro-rata streaming models.
In short
Mike Smith, a musician, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraudulently collecting millions in royalties from AI-generated songs streamed by bots.
