Michael Smith sentenced to 18 months in $8 million AI song fraud case

Music Business Worldwide reports that Michael Smith was sentenced to 18 months in prison in an $8 million AI song and bot streaming fraud case. The case keeps AI music, fake streams, and royalty fraud in the same enforcement frame. Managers should expect platforms and labels to tighten proof requirements around traffic and catalog ownership. Creators using AI music tools need clean rights records before any monetized release.