Sony Music asks platforms to remove more than 260,000 AI voice fakes
Sony Music has asked online platforms to remove more than 260,000 tracks that use artificial intelligence to impersonate its artists.
The total covers takedown requests made by the end of September. It was reported by the Financial Times on 5 October in an exclusive titled "Sony Music steps up fight against streaming fraud."
The tracks at issue are deepfakes, recordings that copy a singer's voice without permission. A takedown is a formal request to a streaming service or other platform to remove a track.
The figure shows how fast the problem has grown. Sony had sought removal of more than 135,000 such tracks by the end of March, meaning the September total is almost double the March total, according to Music Business Worldwide.
Artists named as targets in the latest reporting include Harry Styles, Adele, Britney Spears, Queen and Michael Jackson. An earlier filing had also named Beyoncé among the singers affected.
The company's own count has risen sharply over three years. Executive Dennis Kooker said in November 2023 that Sony had sent close to 10,000 takedowns for unauthorised deepfakes.
By March 2025, that number had passed 75,000, according to Sony's submission to the UK government's consultation on AI and copyright law. A year later, in March 2026, Sony put the total at more than 135,000.
For listeners, this means the fakes are often sitting alongside authorised music. They can appear in search results and playlists under an artist's name, even though the artist had no part in making them.
