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3 sourcesTracking since 29 Sept, 21:21

Prosecutors seek 46 months in prison for AI music fraud case

In brief

Prosecutors are seeking a 46-month federal prison sentence for Michael Smith. They accuse him of generating $8 million through fraudulent music streams and taking royalties from songwriters, while Smith says no one was harmed. His catalog recorded 80.9 million YouTube Music streams from family-plan subscribers in April 2023.

Generated automatically by AI from 3 sources, without editorial review · updated 30 Sept

What changed

  1. 29 Sept, 21:21Feds Say AI Music Fraudster Deserves Prison For Stealing Royalties From ‘Hard-Working Songwriters’ · Billboard
  2. 30 Sept, 00:33Feds Want Nearly 4 Years in Prison for AI Music Fraudster Who ‘Stole Millions’ · Rolling Stone
  3. 30 Sept, 14:52Feds say AI music fraudster who ‘stole’ $8M in streams deserves prison · The Independent
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Chronological coverage

  1. 30 September
  2. The Independent
    Latest30 Sept, 14:52

    Feds say AI music fraudster who ‘stole’ $8M in streams deserves prison

    Michael Smith’s catalog logged 80.9 million YouTube Music streams from family-plan subscribers in April 2023 – nearly nine times Taylor Swift’s 9.3 million

    The IndependentThe Independent•Erin Keller
  3. Rolling Stone
    Follow-up30 Sept, 00:33

    Feds Want Nearly 4 Years in Prison for AI Music Fraudster Who ‘Stole Millions’

    Prosecutors are urging the judge to sentence Michael Smith to 46 months in federal prison to "send a clear message"

    Rolling StoneRolling Stone•Nancy Dillon
  4. 29 September
  5. Billboard
    First seen29 Sept, 21:21

    Feds Say AI Music Fraudster Deserves Prison For Stealing Royalties From ‘Hard-Working Songwriters’

    Michael Smith claims his $8 million streaming fraud didn't actually hurt anybody, but prosecutors say he took that money from "underpaid" musicians.

    BillboardBillboard•Bill Donahue