April 5, 2026
Banjo vs. the bots
Musician says AI company is cloning her music, filing claims against her
Folk singer says AI clone stole her YouTube cash; commenters torch YouTube, Vydia and meme‑music
TLDR: A folk singer says an AI clone of her music, distributed via Vydia, triggered copyright claims on her own YouTube videos and cut off her income. Commenters blast YouTube’s automated system, demand accountability from distributors, and argue over whether AI training is theft as low‑effort AI music floods feeds.
Folk musician Murphy Campbell says an AI outfit called “Timeless Sounds IR” cloned her style, pushed those tracks to streaming via distributor Vydia, and then Vydia flagged her own backyard banjo videos on YouTube—cutting her off from the money while someone else cashes in. She alleges YouTube’s automated system rubber‑stamped the claims, leaving her demonetized and furious. The crowd? Positively on fire.
The top mood is rage at platforms. One commenter snarled that YouTube was “literally built on piracy,” arguing this mess is the logical endgame of a system that lets bots police art. Others point the finger at Vydia and mystery labels like Timeless Sounds IR, demanding to know who’s behind the uploads and how a distributor can claim over the artist’s own performances. A drive‑by link drop added fuel, while another user surfaced a previous HN thread like a sequel in a never‑ending drama.
The biggest brawl: Is AI art theft or tool? One hot take says AI outputs shouldn’t get full copyright, comparing them to the prompt text (“rock song, angry vocals, 160 bpm”), but also blasts training on copyrighted music as straight‑up stealing that should be banned. Meanwhile, fans groan that YouTube is drowning in low‑effort AI mixes—think “1 Hour of Cowboy Western Songs…” with Pepe meme thumbnails—turning discovery into a junkyard. It’s folk vs. bots, and the comments are the mosh pit.
Key Points
- •Musician Murphy Campbell alleges her music was cloned using AI and uploaded to streaming services.
- •She identifies Timeless Sounds IR as the entity that uploaded AI-generated versions of her songs.
- •Campbell says the distributor Vydia facilitated these uploads and then filed copyright claims on her YouTube videos.
- •She claims YouTube does not personally review such claims, resulting in loss of her channel’s monetization.
- •Campbell alleges Vydia is collecting revenue from her YouTube videos, including her own performance recordings.