Criss died in 1977, yet two new songs appeared on his Spotify profile in 2026. The tracks, “Tell me why” and “but a heartache,” featured AI-generated anime artwork and were credited to a composer named “Zainul Irpan.”

Jimmie Noone, who died in 1944, also received four new singles on his profile in April 2026. The releases were attributed to a publisher called “Ami bacuk.”

The issue also affected Jean Carne, who is alive. Her YouTube Music profile was populated with AI-generated songs and artwork, including tracks whose lyrics reportedly appeared to use portions of Backstreet Boys songs.

The problem is not necessarily that someone hacked the artists' accounts. Instead, music distributors can submit releases using an artist's name, allowing platforms to incorrectly associate new content with an existing artist profile.

Spotify said the affected releases had been removed and that protecting artist identities remains a priority. The company also has an Artist Profile Protection feature in beta that allows artists to review and approve or decline incoming releases before they appear on their profiles.

The incident highlights a growing problem for streaming platforms: generative AI makes it possible to produce music at enormous scale, while existing artist-profile systems can be exploited to distribute it.

For musicians, the challenge is no longer only protecting their recordings. It is also protecting their digital identity.

As AI-generated music continues to increase, streaming platforms may need stronger verification systems to ensure that artists are actually behind the music appearing under their names.

Spotify, YouTube and Amazon Music have seen AI-generated tracks appear on the profiles of jazz musicians including William “Sonny” Criss, Jean Carne, Red Nichols and Jimmie Noone, according to Futurism.