It’s an open secret that AI-generated fake artists are disrupting the music industry, and that the public is stupid enough to enjoy AI-generated music. Things seem, however, to be completely out of control.

⚜️

The other day, I was listening to Klassik Radio, and I wondered who was interpreting Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2. Here’s what Shazam thought it was listening to:

This cannot be. I don’t know if Shazam got it wrong or if Klassik Radio really had broadcast this shit, but “Luis Burgado” is an AI-generated persona!

⚜️

This fake artist has such albums listed on Deezer:

The artist’s page on Deezer is grotesque:

This shit is also on Spotify:

Piano, violin, guitar—“he” plays everything!

⚜️

You might have noticed the copyright notice on albums: “© 2024 Think Big International”. Now, here’s the LinkedIn profile for a certain Luis Burgado:

This profile looks worse than if a broken chatbot generated it. It’s more like a phishing e-mail! I was almost expecting this guy to be a Nigerian Prince…

⚜️

On Apple Music, “he” shows up with “such recordings”:

“Domain of the Public” (sic), yeah.

⚜️

In a cursory analysis, ChatGPT found three suspicious cases.

❶ Chopin’s Waltz No. 19 in A minor, B. 150, listed on Spotify as being interpreted by Luis Burgado, is identified by MusicBrainz as having been performed by Aya Higuchi and released into the public domain by its author, Musopen, on Wikimedia Commons.

ChatGPT:

The Luis Burgado release appears to be an existing Aya Higuchi recording being distributed under the Luis Burgado name.

❷ In another case, Apple Music lists Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (feat. Kevin MacLeod)” under Luis Burgado and gives the release date as November 5, 2010, while listing Kevin MacLeod and “Christmas Music and Christmas Carols / K. McLeod / Holiday Music” as performers!

❸ A third case: Qobuz offers “Love is Like a Red Balloon” by Luis Burgado, with Luis Burgado both as artist and composer!

Garbage and fraud. Fraud and garbage!

ChatGPT went on:

  • Spotify currently attributes Waltz in A minor, B. 150 to Luis Burgado and gives it more than 1.3 million plays. (Spotify)
  • Apple Music has an entire Mental Masters: Frédéric Chopin album under Luis Burgado, released in 2024 by Think BIG International. (Apple Music – Web Player)
  • Apple Music Classical also has individual Chopin recordings attributed to Luis Burgado while placing them on an album called Always Classic, whose ℗ owner is “Domain of the Public.” (Apple Music Classical – Web Player)
  • The Beethoven catalogue is particularly revealing: Shazam’s metadata for one “Luis Burgado” track identifies Giancarlo Andretti as the performer, while the track is nevertheless presented in the Luis Burgado catalogue. (Shazam)
  • For Carnival of the Animals, the streaming metadata actually exposes Neil O’Doan, Nancy O’Doan, Vilem Sokol and the Seattle Youth Symphony as performers, while “Luis Burgado” is the lead artist. (Spotify)

There is nothing inherently improper about taking a public-domain composition and releasing a new recording of it. And there is nothing inherently improper about compiling public-domain recordings, provided the rights and credits are handled correctly.

But if an existing recording by Giancarlo Andretti, Aya Higuchi, Seattle Youth Symphony, etc. is put onto streaming services with “Luis Burgado” occupying the artist/performer position, that is not simply “using public-domain music.” It is an attribution problem.

And the avatar is relevant because it visually reinforces the attribution: it creates the impression that Luis Burgado is the musician responsible for the music.

⚜️

Whoever created this Luis Burgado scam shouldn’t have the right to live. This is cultural terrorism.