Photo Credit: Breaking Rust
Does AI “artist” Breaking Rust really have the number-one country song in America? Despite the multitude of headlines proclaiming “Walk My Walk” to be a chart-topping hit, the short answer is no.
DMN broke down the relative commercial ascent of Breaking Rust and another AI-powered country act, Cain Walker, earlier this week. But when doing so, we certainly didn’t describe “Walk My Walk” or any of the other machine-made releases at hand as “the No. 1 country song in America.”
That’s because “Walk My Walk” wasn’t (and still isn’t) the hottest country track. However, the salient fact hasn’t stopped click-crazed outlets from penning pieces about the AI song’s “topping charts across [the] US,” emerging as “a viral hit,” and taking off as the “No. 1 country song in the US right now.”
Technically, there’s a kernel of truth to the deceptive coverage: “Walk My Walk” is sitting atop Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart, where Walker’s “Don’t Tread On Me” is occupying the third spot.
But the chart only measures digital downloads, not on-demand plays from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. It’s not a secret that streaming has rendered paid permanent downloads a low-volume fringe format – and a format that’s therefore inherently susceptible to manipulation and anomalies, particularly when measured for a specific genre.
(“Walk My Walk” is, in fact, racking up streams – 3.9 million and counting on Spotify – but not anywhere near enough to best genuine country hits from a listening-volume perspective.)
As things stand, we can’t tell precisely how many downloads propelled “Walk My Walk” to the chart’s uppermost position or where those downloads came from.
Nevertheless, we do know that the AI slop is absent from streaming charts based on actual consumption, among them Spotify’s Country Top 50, and meaningful Billboard charts such as Country Streaming Songs. Proper (human) artists are laying claim to these spots and, if current trends are any indication, will continue doing so for the foreseeable future.
We also know that the track is rather painful on the ears and, from an artistic-merit perspective, definitely doesn’t scream “hit.” Though AI audio is rapidly improving, it still can’t replicate human authenticity – or home in on not simply pumping out songs, but generating quality songs.
(Want some proof? Select one of your favorite recent releases, estimate your weekly stream count, and then try to endure “Walk My Walk” an equal number of times during the same window. Good luck – you’re going to need it.)
Even so, the AI audio avalanche isn’t letting up – Deezer says a staggering 50,000 artificial intelligence tracks are being uploaded daily – and the mentioned points don’t mean a fake artist won’t eventually put out a true chart-topping work. For now, misleading media reports or not, Breaking Rust isn’t that fake artist, and “Walk My Walk” isn’t that work.
