Music aficionados paid $13,000 for fake Frank Ocean recordings

A scammer managed to generate approximately $13,000 through the sale of counterfeit recordings attributed to renowned American musician Frank Ocean. These compositions, produced by artificial intelligence, were marketed within a Discord community of collectors as exclusive unreleased works that had mistakenly surfaced on the internet.

In an effort to garner attention, the perpetrator, operating under the username “mourningassasin,” initially shared an authentic unreleased track by Frank Ocean.

Subsequently, the fraudster unveiled a brief excerpt from an “unreleased” song purportedly generated with the aid of AI. The scammer justified their decision to sell fake tracks by highlighting the willingness of listeners to accept the authenticity of the recordings.

Experts emphasise the rapid advancement of technology, making it increasingly challenging for individuals, aside from the original artists, to differentiate between genuine and counterfeit music.

Previously, Universal Music, one of the world’s largest record labels, had approached streaming services Apple Music and Spotify, urging them to remove music catalogues that employed AI. The label firmly believes that communities must combat the “unauthorised use of music.”