A Cornelius man pleaded guilty Thursday to running a music streaming fraud scheme that used artificial intelligence and bot ...

Prosecutors say automated plays of AI-generated songs fraudulently diverted royalties from human artists—to the tune of $8 ...

Mike Smith agreed to return the money he was paid in royalties as he awaits sentencing ...

Michael Smith pleads guilty to stealing $8 million from artists using AI-generated songs and bot accounts to manipulate streaming platforms.

Greaties from the ’80s We’re all familiar with the concept of a “guilty pleasure”—those secret indulgences we guard closely, often too embarrassed to admit them publicly.

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Mike Smith was indicted in 2024 after using AI and bots to generate and stream thousands of songs, siphoning millions of dollars away from recording artists.

Record producer Michael Smith has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He agreed to forfeit $8 million, the same amount he scammed from the streaming platforms.

The case involving a Charlotte-area man is the country's first criminal case over manipulating music streaming platforms through AI.

North Carolina musician Michael Smith has pleaded guilty to collecting over $10 million in royalty payments through a massive streaming royalty fraud scheme on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and ...

Smith has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and agreed to pay more than $8m in forfeiture.

It is a feat most Grammy winners never achieve: billions of streams across the world’s largest platforms. But for Michael ...