Image: Broken Avenue AI cover art
AI bands are no longer a rarity. One project in particular is currently drawing a lot of negative attention: the AI metal band Broken Avenue. “Their” sound clearly borrows from the catalogs of bands like Knocked Loose, The Devil Wears Prada, and Counterparts. And even without listening to the music, it’s obvious that other people’s art is being used in a far-from-subtle way, especially when it comes to the cover artwork. Several Broken Avenue covers can be directly linked to album covers by other bands, with only minimal differences.
One example is the cover for their song “Crushed Beneath the Mask,” which imitates the artwork of You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To by Knocked Loose. Another track, “You Are The Pain,” very clearly copies the look of Color Decay by The Devil Wears Prada.
Counterparts are affected as well, which is why vocalist Brendan Murphy has taken to social media to search for the creator of the AI project, who is listed on Spotify as James Trobly:
“$100 to anyone who can get me the legit contact info for James Trolby I won’t do anything fucking crazy you won’t get in trouble”
However, he quickly followed up to clarify that he wasn’t entirely serious, writing in his next post:
“for the record I ain’t actually mad about this why would I care if James Shitforbrains makes 34 cents a month?"
Even so, these developments are a sign for the music industry, as it shows that AI bands like this can currently profit from stolen content.
Broken Avenue AI Cover Art
Original Cover Art by Knocked Loose
