{"id":173486,"date":"2025-10-01T19:20:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/173486\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T19:20:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:20:07","slug":"its-disheartening-its-insulting-its-a-wake-up-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/173486\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s disheartening, it\u2019s insulting, it\u2019s a wake up call"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cardiff rock group Holding Absence have hit out at an AI<\/a> \u2018band\u2019 which has overtaken their streaming figures on Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sharing a post on X\/Twitter yesterday evening (Tuesday September 30), frontman Lucas Woodland wrote: \u201cSo, an AI \u2018band\u2019 who cite us as an influence (ie, it\u2019s modelled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months.\u201d<\/p>\n

The vocalist continued: \u201cIt\u2019s shocking, it\u2019s disheartening, it\u2019s insulting \u2013 most importantly \u2013 it\u2019s a wake up call.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woodland signed off by urging his followers to \u201coppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing\u201d. Check out the post below.<\/p>\n

According to The Music<\/a>, the AI \u2018band\u2019 in question is Bleeding Verse. On the group\u2019s official Instagram page, it is noted that they use \u201cAI-assisted instrumentation and vocals\u201d. Their YouTube channel, which has 2.75k subscribers, includes the same description.<\/p>\n

It also namechecks Woodland\u2019s group, reading: \u201cBleeding Verse is an emotional post-hardcore band crafting cinematic soundscapes and heartbreak-heavy melodies.<\/p>\n

\u201cInspired by artists like Dayseeker and Holding Absence, we blend ambient textures, soaring vocals, and poetic lyricism to explore grief, identity, and healing. Lyrics from the heart. AI-assisted instrumentation and vocals.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, an AI \u201cband\u201d who cite us as an influence (ie, it\u2019s modelled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s shocking, it\u2019s disheartening, it\u2019s insulting \u2013 most importantly \u2013 it\u2019s a wake up call. <\/p>\n

Oppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lu (@Lucaswoodland) September 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Bleeding Verse\u2019s official Spotify profile currently shows that they have 897,349 monthly listeners, at the time of writing. Holding Absence\u2019s page, meanwhile, displays 847,638 monthly streams.<\/p>\n

The AI act\u2019s top song \u2013 \u2018If You Loved Me Then\u2019 \u2013 has racked up 2,605,508 plays in total. Holding Absence\u2019s biggest track on the platform \u2013 \u2018Afterlife\u2019 \u2013 boasts an overall stream count of 89,759,788.<\/p>\n

The first and only Bleeding Verse album, \u2018I Became What You Broke\u2019, was uploaded to Spotify on July 25, ahead of a string of singles and an EP called \u2018The Anatomy Of Hurt\u2019.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, some Reddit<\/a> users have noted that some of Bleeding Verse\u2019s music regularly features on personalised music discovery playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar.<\/p>\n

Holding Absence released their third and latest studio album, \u2018The Noble Art Of Self Destruction\u2019, in 2023 via SharpTone. This summer, they teamed up with Halocene on the collaborative single \u2018Bite My Tongue\u2019.<\/p>\n

Last week, Spotify confirmed that it was cracking down on AI by removing 75million \u201cspammy tracks\u201d and targeting impersonators<\/a>. The statement, titled \u2018Spotify Strengthens AI Protections For Artists, Songwriters, And Producers\u2019, added: \u201cAI technology is evolving fast, and we\u2019ll continue to roll out new policies frequently.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This followed a report claiming that AI-generated songs were being uploaded to dead musicians\u2019 Spotify profiles without permission<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, an AI-generated \u2018band\u2019 called The Velvet Sundown made headlines after gaining around 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners<\/a> \u2013 despite only existing for less than a month. A \u2018spokesperson\u2019 for the viral act later admitted that he was running a hoax aimed at \u201cthe media\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As for how The Velvet Sundown got so many listeners on Spotify, he said: \u201cI know we got on some playlists that just have like tons of followers, and it seems to have spiralled from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Deezer recently revealed that 28 per cent of music uploaded to the streaming platform<\/a> was fully AI-generated.<\/p>\n

It comes amid a period of controversy for AI technology in music. A study late last year gave a stark warning that people working in the industry were likely to lose a quarter of their income to Artificial Intelligence over the next four years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Paul McCartney<\/a>,\u00a0Kate Bush<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Elton John<\/a> are among the big British artists to have urged Keir Starmer to protect the work of creatives<\/a> last month. This came after the Prime Minister told NME<\/a>: \u201cIt\u2019s very important we protect creativity, and we\u2019re brilliant at creativity in this country \u2013 we punch well above our weight within the country and globally, and we\u2019re all very proud of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to get the balance right. That\u2019s why we did a long and important consultation, and we\u2019re going through the responses of that consultation now. So it is a question of getting the balance right.\u201d<\/p>\n

His comments followed a call on the UK government from various major acts to change copyright laws to combat the tech<\/a>\u00a0as it progresses rapidly. Elton John claimed in January that AI would \u201cdilute and threaten young artists\u2019 earnings\u201d<\/a>, while backing\u00a0criticism from Paul McCartney<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recently,\u00a0Kehlani<\/a> hit out at an AI-generated artist receiving a $3million (\u00a32.2million) record deal<\/a>. Other critics of the tech include Mac DeMarco<\/a> and SZA<\/a>, while ABBA\u2018s Bj\u00f6rn Ulvaeus has called AI \u201csuch a great tool\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yesterday Spotify founder Daniel Ek announced that he would be stepping down from the role of CEO<\/a>. He had previously received backlash for issues regarding artist payment.<\/p>\n