Spotify has finally removed an AI-generated imitation of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard after the fake artist managed to slip through the platform’s filters for weeks.
The incident highlights growing concerns around AI impostors and the challenges streaming platforms face in protecting artists.
The Australian psych-rock band has been openly critical of Spotify in recent years.
Along with several other musicians, they pulled their catalog from the service earlier this year in protest of outgoing CEO Daniel Ek’s investments in an AI-driven military tech company.
However, despite the band’s exit, Spotify users soon began noticing something strange.
AI Clone Appears in Release Radar
A Spotify subscriber on Reddit reported that their Release Radar playlist recommended a suspicious track — one that sounded eerily similar to King Gizzard’s style and even matched one of their well-known song titles.
The artist behind these tracks was named “King Lizard Wizard”, and their page featured multiple songs using the same titles and lyrics as the real band.
The music appeared to be AI-generated recreations of King Gizzard’s work.
The imitation remained live for weeks before fans started calling it out online, pushing Spotify to take action.
Spotify Responds
After removing the fake artist profile and its music, Spotify issued a statement to DMN addressing the situation:
“Spotify strictly prohibits any form of artist impersonation.
The content in question was removed for violating our platform policies, and no royalties were paid out for any streams generated.”
Despite this decisive statement, the slow discovery of the imposter raised concerns about how easily AI-generated clones can blend into the platform unnoticed.
Not an Isolated Case
The Reddit discussion that exposed the imposter also highlighted other examples of AI-generated tracks mimicking well-known artists. Some users pointed out that bad actors are increasingly uploading AI copies of popular songs — sometimes even using nearly identical artist names.
Can Spotify’s New AI Policies Keep Up?
Back in September, Spotify announced new tools aimed at identifying low-quality AI “slop” and introduced updated rules requiring creators to disclose AI-assisted content.
However, this incident shows the gaps that remain — especially in cases where an artist has intentionally removed their music from Spotify, only to have AI replicators fill the void.
Whether the company’s new systems will be strong enough to prevent future impersonations is still unclear. But for now, King Gizzard fans can rest knowing the imposter has been taken down.
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