Stick Figure Track Becomes Target Of Viral AI Infringement

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentStick Figure Track Becomes Target Of Viral AI InfringementByProf. Mike Alleyne Ph.D,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Professor Mike Alleyne Ph.D is an award-winning author and editor.Follow AuthorMay 08, 2026, 09:16am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.The American reggae act’s “Angels Above Me” song is being repeatedly cloned, but others are claiming the performance credit and the revenue.LONG BEACH, CA - FEBRUARY 11: Singer Scott Woodruff of the band Stick Figure performs onstage during day 2 of the One Love Cali Festival at The Queen Mary on February 11, 2018 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)Getty ImagesArtist fears about the theft of their copyrighted work through AI have rapidly become reality in the recording industry. The French streaming platform, Deezer, recently claimed that AI-generated content accounts for about 44 percent of its daily uploads – about 75,000 songs.Now, the 2019 track by American reggae act Stick Figure, “Angels Above Me,” from the World On Fire album, has been pirated in several unauthorized AI-generated remixes. The fraudulent versions are topping Apple Music charts in multiple countries across Europe including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, and Ireland. They have also become major streaming hits in Britain, America, and Canada, but the original artist and songwriters are uncredited and unpaid.The Song’s ConceptAfter being relatively dormant since its 2019 release, the streaming revival of “Angels Above Me” has even surprised Stick Figure’s leader and songwriter, Scott Woodruff: “I would have never imagined that first of all it would have been this song or having a resurgence in a viral way in in this fashion.” While on tour, he wrote the song with his friend T.J. O’Neill who came up with the original concept in the m...