AI-generated metalcore band Broken Avenue accused of copying real artists
A metalcore "band" called Broken Avenue with 129,000 monthly Spotify listeners is reportedly an AI-generated project that mimics established bands like Counterparts, Knocked Loose, and The Devil Wears Prada in both music and artwork. The project's frontman Counterparts called out the suspected AI imposter after noticing similarities between Broken Avenue's cover art and his band's album.
What happened
Broken Avenue, a Spotify-verified artist profile with 129,000 monthly listeners, is reportedly an AI-generated metalcore project credited to a composer named James Trolby. Dozens of songs were uploaded to the profile within the past six weeks.
Counterparts frontman Brendan Murphy called out the suspected AI imposter on social media after noticing that Broken Avenue's cover art for the single 'finally free' resembles Counterparts' 2019 album 'Nothing Left To Love'. Additional cover art similarities were noted between Broken Avenue's 'YOU'RE ALL I SEE' and Knocked Loose's 'You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To'.
Reported impact
Broken Avenue has amassed 129,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and holds a Spotify-generated 'This Is' introductory playlist, typically awarded to popular artists. The project is described as scraping royalties from the streaming system while mimicking established metalcore bands.
Index analysis
The music is described as mimicking the style of Counterparts, Knocked Loose, and The Devil Wears Prada. Cover artwork appears to be AI-generated and based on existing album covers from these bands.
Governance controls
Spotify awards verified artist status and auto-generated playlists based on popularity thresholds, which Broken Avenue reportedly met. Deezer has began tagging synthetic music uploads but Broken Avenue accumulated only 20 fans on that platform compared to six figures on Spotify.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.