Brett McFarland voice deepfake — Oct 2026

Humboldt County musician Brett McFarland discovered that his original songs were being exploited by an AI-generated artist known as HAZE PNW. The AI entity used McFarland’s lyrics and song titles to upload music to major streaming platforms, resulting in false copyright claims that blocked the monetization of McFarland’s own work and redirected his royalties.

What happened

The incident came to light when McFarland received a YouTube notification stating that his own live performance video of his song “Humboldt” was infringing on someone else’s copyright. Upon investigation, he found that HAZE PNW had uploaded his lyrics verbatim, set to different music, and claimed ownership of the intellectual property. The AI artist utilized DistroKid, the same music distribution service McFarland uses, to publish the stolen content.

McFarland reported the issue to DistroKid but reported receiving no response. He also faced similar copyright strikes on Meta platforms, where his own content was flagged as infringing on the AI-generated versions. McFarland has been forced to navigate a complex process of disputing these claims across multiple platforms while balancing his career as an independent musician and farmer. He noted that the situation highlights a broader integrity issue regarding AI systems trained on copyrighted work without permission, where automated systems allow bad actors to weaponize copyright claims against the original creators.