Will AI “terminate” songwriters?
April 30, 2023
AI is all the rage.
Its effects on music are already being felt everywhere.
Is it time to submit to the AI overlords or is there still time left for songwriters?
This is my take on it…
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I Believe the Real story is the human illustration AI can not be able to Paint GMAJORCALIFORNIANs
Not sure I get that, but sounds cool. 🙂
I can see AI taking a lot of sync jobs for incidental/background music. Why would music supervisors not want to pay nothing for a sync? This could happen, soon, I’m afraid. They are probably loading the software now.
Regarding autotune, (not as you describe to fix a vocal, but as it’s commonly used now) I want to puke every time I hear it. It’s offensive to my ear.
Could happen sooner than we think, but we’ll have to wait and see.
I won’t use it for writing my lyrics but it is interesting to see what it can do which I have played around with. I believe I will use it though for helping to write emails, post ideas, or hey, maybe even pitches! Glad you took the time to put this little short together.
David Cook
Thanks, David. It certainly has its place as a tool.
AI is going to give the illusion to some that they don’t have to learn their instrument or skill and can have a #1 Hit. Similar thing has been going on with the notion that since it’s affordable to record at home anyone can do it well. I’m with you Chris, though everyone’s talking about it -and though to my ears some non AI music sometimes sounds like it was produced by an artificial source – it’s going to be a tool, but those who value the human connection essential to the art that is music will ask for more of that. There’s also the fact that not everyone’s idea of a good time is to have AI write their songs while they’re cashing it in at the beach. Some musicians really do enjoy writing and playing music 🙂
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Well, if AI sucks at songwriting/recording, but TV shows, films, etc. use it instead of us just to save money, we’re doomed! But if AI winds up doing it better than us humans, we better start sharpening our songwriting skills and then some. I don’t see it totally replacing us for many many years if ever. The same thing happened when MIDI got established and every kid with a cheap Casio keyboard was producing "music"…the music libraries and industry got sick of everything sounding so stiff. Perhaps human songwriters/recording artists and AI could coexist. "COEXIST" now there’s a concept worth considering. How human is THAT! 🤔
-Joi Veer
Composer/Recording Artist of
Music for TV
Write On It Music
Haha, yes I guess the human would have that idea. Thanks for sharing Joi.
I think it would help with writers block, i won’t wont an AI singing to me, even if i wasn’t a musician. Whatever happens happens, we need to adopt, that’s all.
Pragmatic! I like it. 🙂
I don’t think ai will can ever produce a Dylan or McCartney level of creative genius.
Interesting. Its remains to be seen.
Hey Chris, I look at it as a tool I can use to assist me with making great music! I’m not scared of it and totally embrace it! I really do not thing that an Ai can replace my voice or my individual creativity! I might use it to jam one in a while because I’m a solo musician. Other than that, take a back seat Ai. I will take you on a ride but I will ALWAYS be the driver!! Paul
Yes, we should always be the driver of our own art.
Has the illusion your out at sea. Funny you hear sirens in the background and the cruise ship that comes in off frame suddenly disappears.😜
Did you shoot this video with green screen? 🤔
I believe now and into the far future ai music is like ai robots… stiff, mechanical and contrived.
Unless programmers can write a software that has a soul, it will never replace human creation. IMHO 😉
From what I understand, Chris lives on a sailboat, so… not a greenscreen.
Yes, it floats. 🙂
Haha, no I can assure you I live on a boat. I was anchored in Cabo so lots of sirens and you probably saw a jump cut where I had to edit my video. I like the rest of your comment. 🙂
In the sync world is where the biggest concerns should probably be focused on. Just from the standpoint of the music supervisor saying “go create me this sound at this level at this speed now”.
As a music lover myself, and a publisher of music, to me nothing can ever take the place of God given talents of real musicians/people/songwriters/
singers. Not machines for my ears please. Thanks for the post Chris!
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I agree with you Chris, AI isn’t taking away human songwriting, yet. I would like to think that it never could replace the emotional and transcendent nature of some music, I mean unless there’s an as yet unwritten algorithm for it. yikes! btw, nice boat. ✌🏻🤙
For sure, I agree, Thomas. Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
Thanks for your insights on AI for songwriting Chris. I’ve tried it for lyrics but not impressed and I don’t have the patience to keep asking questions of it to get what I need/want. Also the process of writing the song, the story creation is why I do it myself at the moment.
I tried it too, did not do well at all. 🙂
This might be slightly OT, as your video was primarily about ai lyrics. Recently I’ve seen several ai plugins that generate midi files, and the result was uniformly awful in all cases.
Then at the next level, there are websites that for a fee will generate music in a given style or mood. These are a bit better, but to me, they don’t sound nearly as good as composers with a lifetime of training and experience. As was stated earlier, tracks generated in this way might suffice for on-hold music or low budget corporate productions. However, when the stakes are higher, the real thing wins hands down every time…
There’s something about the complexity of waveforms in music that I would think would be terribly difficult to replicate with ai. It’s not like text, or even voice transcription, where one pass at the content gets you easily farmable data.
You wouldn’t be able to feed a bot the complete orchestral repertoire, say from 1750 until now, and then be able to ask for a jingle in the style of Mahler.
At the moment, ai for complex musical files is good for extracting or isolating a couple of elements from a full mix -like the bass line from a Beatles song. And that’s the state of the art, full of glitches…
And that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Composition is also a process of misinterpreting your influences and struggling with your limitations -and delving into your preferences. That’s why different composers sound the way that they do.
Great topic!
Love your thoughts on this, Peter.
I generally agree with the 9 commenters before me. Song-wise in short, AI can make stuff up from what it’s been fed, yes, but I don’t see any signs that it can be inspired– that it can hear the poetic "muses", or even knows to listen for them. And that’s how the best songs come to be.
I’ve been watching AI with an eye to what its developers mean by "intelligence", and decided for now that what they’re trying to create with their algorithms and feeding it "all the data in the world", is the perfect know-it-all– and when in your life, pray tell, did you know it all? Lol. That’s right– they’re creating the perfect teenager.
Friends have recommended chatting with ChatGP3 or 4, and I’ve given it some thought– but then I told them that can wait until AI realizes that it needs to talk to someone older and wiser than it is. 🙂
Haha, nice one, Alan.
right on, brother! … "not today" … gotta love that! dcb
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Hi Chris, I remember talking with the head of Drake Studio in San Francisco in late seventies about “limitless number” of recording tracks in a very near future. Then MIDI took over in eighties and in many cities musicians went on strike worrying about losing jobs by being replaced by technology (played in Vegas those days) and today we know what computers and music software can do. Progress is inevitable in any field so music and art will be effected as well. Until AI though comprehend, digest and assimilate human emotions, dreams, feelings, creativity, etc., we’ll be that much better (definitely not faster) than AI. The question in the future might be, who will create majority, humans or AI? That might create a different art/music “taste” but I don’t think I will be around then. This is my take on the AI subject.
Have a nice night.
Jerzy
That is the big question! Thanks for sharing, Jerzy.
Thank you Chris for your thoughts. Being someone in your older demographic, I’ve seen many cycles come and go in my lifetime. The keyword as you implied is "adaptation". Nothing lasts forever. I used to be so excited to record onto a 24 track "washing machine". Tape was $175 a reel for 15 minutes of time at 30 ips. Then DAW’s came in (right after ADATs) and the sky was falling. For me I hated it but I had to adapt at least for clients who liked the new format. I went to
Westlake Audio (West Hollywood) and had one of the their Sales guys design me a system for my small studio. Clunky by today’s standards.
Pro Tools has served me since 2000 and while their are difference between analog and digital are mostly heard by the best engineering and producer ears. I’ve never had someone tell me anything negative about my process. As the the late Al Schmidt told me once. A virtuoso performance and equal recording process copied to a cassette will still sound better than someone who has spent $100K but doesn’t know what they are doing. I am not worried, I’ll always make some kind of a living in music or music related fields because I’ve spent my life making things possible for people who wouldn’t know a C# if it hit them in the forehead…nor do they want to learn. That’s why it is easier for them to pay me. Fair exchange. As I said earlier, I hate seeing people dumped, unemployed or the target of obsolescence but the key is personal inventory and adaptation. Thank you Chris for letting me be creative…by the way. This whole comment was generated by AI.
AI wrote that word for word with no additions from you?
Got AI to help me write cybersecurity blog and it was faster and almost accurate. Hmmmmm. Am I sensing readers don’t need me now?
Going to give it a shot in music too.
Hey why not, but I’m betting it’s not there yet.
Well, I for one, am sick and tired of all these these goddamn Gear-backs coming over here and stealing our culture AND our jobs!!! They terk er derr!!!! lol
Haha, yes AI will also be the scapegoat to many human problems and phobias.
Thanks for this Chris. I recall that in the 1990s I had a version of Cubase for the Atari 1040 which allowed you to auto generate midi melodies based on scales and styles. A lot of people then thought this was “cheating” but nobody cares now if these plug ins are used now in Ableton etc. Same with Ai. A tool to help you where you need a quick idea or prompt or fill in a gap in our knowledge when writing.
For sure. I agree, grow with the times.
There used to be an addon for the spectrum computer called the specdrum i think. It was actually rather good and had different drum kits like latin you could load in. I new a cover band that used it in a live gig and the spectrum computer crashed and it took like an hour to get the gig going again ha.
I can see the use, BUT I personally prefer the continued exercise, use, emotion, output and creativity of the human brain and soul for a song to be meaningful, and for our own sake. Not all ‘progress’ is good progress. While old forms of music tech become ‘vintage’ (and some of it then becomes prized and valuable), will human creativity become ‘vintage’? If so, I think I’ll hang on to it because the human personal touch will become increasingly valuable. Maybe I would use it like you could use a thesaurus, to generate words and ideas, and to help with how song scans, minimally, but I really like the ability to think for myself and put my own soul in music.
Thanks for sharing, Michelle, and I agree with you.
Chris, I think the point about AI adoption is the comparison with history. Where it took Netflix 3.5 years, and Spotify 5 months, to get to a level of adoption (of 1 million users), it took chatgpt "5 DAYS".
But A.I what?
As a tool – for song ideas, for music research, for album covers – I do this already. But you get out what you put in! And as I detail in my A.I. podcast, it’s not 1 click for anything useful. Not till gpt5 probably (we’re on gpt4 now). Like most things creative, it’s an "iterative" PROCESS. To do song lyrics "properly" it’s more like 120 prompts – just like you would with your brain. So why? Because you’ll write a song you woudn’t have thought of on your own. But it still has to be your song!
The 1 button stuff is like a 6yo kids version.
THE DANGER is in the greed of humans, to make money with A.I. We’re probably only a few months away from AI being able to 1 button click BACKING MUSIC, as used in unfeatured background scene music. Right now, it’s still a little cheesy. But I’m sad to say that MUSICIANS are programming he new A.I. and they know how music and emotions work.
As for the simulated voice Drake songs and formulaic EDM – it’s happening. The industry is resisting (spotify removed it LOL) but it’s going to be BETTER NOISE than most 20 y.o. kids make with splice loops or Output Arcade. More variations. More changes. More musical development, with today’s A.I.
SO I see the bottom end of music libraries being replaced with AI generate custom libraries in the next 9 months. The $30 musak libraries promoted by PRS/BMI are going to suffer. And honestly GOOD! The PRO’s should not be playing with direct music sales at a bucket price anyway.
For the moment CUSTOM music, music for brands that want an artist tie in, we are safe, for this year.
How do we compete with million dollar tech companies like Black Rock who are ONLY in it for the money?
We do what ARTISTS do! Not what musicians do. We market better. We build relationships with our fans. And we put our prices UP! Yes UP!
We make sure the line between cheese and caviar is highly distinctive.
Humans are the end user, not other machines. We need to appeal to them.
Interesting take on this, Peter. Maybe we are only months away from this.
Humans are creatives – don’t let AI take that away! I love writing songs, and I like to use my imagination and be creative – (no AI for me), and I think production work should be done by humans and demos, because those so called "imperfections" make it more desirable, I feel. For example, I was listening and watching the Beatles singing their song, "I feel fine," and those "imperfections" made the song and them more appealing… Thank you so much for your video, Chris, "Will AI "terminate" songwriters. Creatives have to decide whether they want to hand their talent onto AI or do it themselves and grow better and better…
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Appreciate your comments Chris. I don’t know enough about AI, but what little I’m learning troubles me. I’m all about expressions from the heart. Sure, we have Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Byron, Keats, Shelley , Emerson , etc to draw inspiration from. I also love the Holy Scriptures as a most special source of inspiration .
I would compare AI to digital versus vinyl .((analog) Sound is huge to me! Looking at the big picture I am fearful of the impact AI will have across social and cultural spectrums. Deceit, counterfeits, political impact, global and human relationships.
Pure logic or intellectual communication has its place , but “spiritual knowledge “ is where it’s at for me♥️🙏.
Which DAWS do you recommend to go with my laptop ?
I like your take on that, Charlie.
For DAWs just get the one that feels right to you. They all more or less do the same thing these days.
This shouldn’t even be a thought. With Arrogance & Envy the being the pillars of Social Media, the ONLY thing to come from it, will be Replication & Mediocrity, with Look at Me Singing Lead, & Harriet Tubman writing verses,with Guilt playing Drums.
Haha, that is certainly one way to put it.
I think that there is going to be a lot of mediocre production because a lot of people who go into music these days don’t know what they are doing. The is a place for intuition, musical skills and experience that cannot be replaced. I just published a book about the changes over the many years and how can musicians survive in a world of business : http://www.survivalofamusician.com. You might find it interesting. Thanks for your video.
It’s interesting that there is a lot of mediocre production today even without AI. That is even though computers have everything you need to sounds like a radio hit. It is certainly still the humans behind quality.
I think AI will usher in the return of personalization in music. AI can replication a generic song that resonates mildly to a mass audience, but it cannot tell a true personal experience or feeling. As humans we all long to relate or find others whose stories relate with our own. AI ca’nt do this. It cam make up a story, but it cant have real experiences.
Fair enough, Scott.
Thank you for your optimism and calm nature . If AI ain’t your bag , rather than fear it .. hop up from your laptop , jump off the screen and immerse yourself in your community . Become the musical super hero connective glue of your hub .. be that energy off the screen and see and feel the power and love of healing music with friends and strangers. Get up and out into your worlds. ❤️Impact people with your humanness
Love that, Shawn!
I am not intimidated by AI. We write, arrange, perform, record music. Have been doing so for over 30-40 years. I’m always listening to scores (on t.v. especially) to check for synthesized strings and/or real strings. There is something in the human touch (for now) that seems not to be able to be replicated. However, I’m sure they’ll (AI) perfect that over time. I feel as you said, "Not today". Who knows in the future? Seems likely. We are just starting out on the SYnc/Lic journey at an older age but with tons of experience and Good Skills. I would love to use AI to build the site and fill out all the necessary evils of data that go along with it. That would be highly useful. My personal beef. But back to the creativity, I think there’s a good way to go before it’s completely created in an AI realm that sounds "human".
I think we are on the same page, Janet.
Why would anybody want to listen to music generated by a machine? I’ll never understand this phenomenon in the first place.
Most of the pop hits you hear these days are mostly done with machines (computers). I guess the question is how deep does the rabbit hole go?
I was just listening to a person using it today. For sure I think it may give the songwriter a word or two to go forward with their song, but nothing can replace what your heart feels, and when you can add your own melody and story….enough said.
For sure, Rosanne.
Why would movies pay a composer when they can just tell a machine to create music like John Williams, Star Wars. Hi machine create some songs or music like James Bond 007 Movies. AI will just legally steal works from copyrighted composers. I heard AI just finished Beethoven’s 6th Symphony. At least he won’t suffer from copyright infringement. Phil Lopez
Yeah, who knows where it goes eventually.
I haven’t used it so far, but songwriting friends that have, use it to generate some lyrical ideas that they then use or don’t use. I think what you’re saying Chris is that it will find its place in this ultra complex musical World – so be it, but thanks for your wise words on how this might happen. Cheers
Thanks for your comment, Alan.
Thanks Chris for your continued wisdom !
I believe your right about the timeline.
I personally would’nt use AI for ideas etc as personal life experiences are what Great songs are made of. There is an abundance of inspiration, ideas right before us in my opinion just by observing our surroundings. For instance I was in Cali having lunch by the water and I heard the waves, the wind was blowing thus Spirit Wind was created. The human touch is always best, but to each its own.
Blessings
Roseann Sureda
Love that!
Dear Chris,
AI is coming. Or maybe I should say it’s already here. I think it is still learning lots and I can see there might be tiers of it’s application. Meaning for more money you will get more evolved output. The level I am seeing right now is fascinating and somewhat humorous how cliche it is when writing. It is still learning from us so the personal feel reigns supreme for now.
Yup, interesting time to say the least.
Thank God! AI will never be as good as a human being. We can’t be replaceable on this earth. Each one of us with what we have to give is irreplaceable. Thank YOU Chris for this blog.
Amanda
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Anything authentic will still have its place. Think of all the desserts in the world (various mixed ingredients), but yet people still love the plain piece of fruit
Jenny Lupien Music
Thanks, now I’m craving a dessert. 🙂
Right now, I think of it as another tool. It’s ‘what if’s’ are much more predictable, just like the auto gramer (framer), and auto (still) spell featire (feature). Intellegence is just that, no what if factor added yet.
Agreed.
I’ve been using AI in my marketing and ecommerce work. The hardest part about writing, for me, is to decide what to write about, for example a blog topic. AI provides a title and spews out lots of wording that’s pretty generic. So it’s helpful for me to start, then I customize and polish it.
It will probably be the same in arts, at least for now. It’s a starting point, and the genie will not go back in the bottle. But I hope some copyright fees will be payable generated based on the search terms used. For that to happen an umbrella organization will have to be created and have a unified approach to reward the true creators.
Interesting stuff and yes, what about those copyright fees.
Hey Chris. Thanks for bringing up this topic. I appreciate and agree with what you said about A.I.
Yes, humans creating music can never be completely replaced, but the playing field in the music biz will surely change again with A.I. – from composition to competition with persuasive, effective and successful marketing to reach a targeted audience.
The older tech examples and how they fell by the wayside were spot on too. But what’s truly different today is that A I. is not tangible or physical and it has the ability to actually learn and think for itself at an unfathomable and exponential rate! It’s learning right now with this comment.
That’s never been done before, and it’s both fascinating and concerning. The concern I have goes beyond the music biz because while it can be a useful tool for benign and good intentions, it’s ability to be faster, stronger and smarter than us is unprecedented and could be used for malevolent behavior. That’s a forever forward game changer.
Here’s a recent story / interview with "The Godfather of A I." – the pioneering computer scientist who helped create A I. that just quit his job at Google to join in with other computer scientists & developers voicing their concerns about the A.I. they helped to create and who are warning us about it’s shocking capabilities. Read for yourself.
BTW, this topic might make for a good human-made song!
Thanks again Chris
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/artificial-intelligence-pioneer-leaves-google-warns-technologys-future-rcna82242
I agree Chris
I think it is telling that AI needs to train on works created by humans before it can produce something "original". High profile infringement cases don’t increase confidence copyright laws are being respected and creativity nurtured as A&R used to do. Maybe the lawyers will save us from the siren song of AI. People talk about the inflection point in technology. I see it as the point where technology stops helping humans and humans become mere servants to it. I hope that’s not where we’re headed.
Hi Chris, thanks for your input. I think you’re right for now but what concerns me is that labels/music libraries, etc., will use AI to create songs and won’t have to pay artists as they won’t need them. I also agree with Gene O. I’m not in favor of using AI. Companies/Corporations forget that if they cut out the humans there will be no one to buy their products. AI doesn’t get paid.
Hey Chris. The thing to keep in mind is that both Microsoft (Chatgpt) and Google (Bard) have heavily invested in AI technology. ChatGPT initially used a Microsoft Azure supercomputing infrastructure, powered by Nvidia GPUs, that Microsoft built specifically for OpenAI and that reportedly cost "hundreds of millions of dollars". Following the success of ChatGPT, Microsoft dramatically upgraded the OpenAI infrastructure in 2023. The primary objective of both Microsoft & Google is to make money. At present, all AI generated content is derived from what is already on the Internet…and quite a lot of what is on the Internet is NOT accurate. That’s why the AI results so far haven’t been stellar. That said, both Microsoft & Google are learning a lot from AI users so it’s only a matter of time before they figure out how to monetize the services that AI provides. AI still has a long way to go but it is improving fast. I don’t think it will replace songwriters but I can certainly see how AI can analyze a songwriter like Ed Sheeran and spit out new songs that will sound like Ed Sheeran wrote them. They’ve already used AI to analyze how Beethoven composed… and AI has since finished Beethovan’s "unfinished" 10th symphony, which is being recorded as we write this, I do believe. It’s a different world for sure!
At least either Ed or Marvin!
Right on, Chris! Music is about expression of the spirit… the human spirit!
I think if the music is placed behind the dialogue in a movie the consumer that is watching the film doesn’t even notice the difference between AI and real person music. It definetly won’t replace everything but I think some sync opportunities might disapear. That said I hope it will not go so fast.
AI will be great at spitting out Max Martin-esque pop, but I wonder how AI will come up with an avant-garde masterpiece like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, make it authentic, then have it performed by a human who didn’t create it, and have the general public revere it for generations as a pop-culture masterpiece. Or maybe Vocaliod can perform it, and it will be popular for about 5 minutes.
Unless the general public has already past the point of no return on Tech Worship. In which case, it’s game over. BTW there is a really good podcast on AI by the Songwriter’s Academy. Here’s the link:https://open.spotify.com/episode/50okdE6NT6OvzbA1G9L3kl?si=3c73b4e77f4f43c3
Hey Chris, I think it’s important to try out and explore the possibilities of AI today, not just in music, but also to read up on its development and see where it’s headed. I myself am slowly starting to use it in my work, but always with an critical eye on the output. In music, AI can be a great helper, especially for those who know what they’re doing and where they want to take their composition. At the same time, it can also accelerate the learning process of how to produce certain songs, which is where I see its greatest potential. I would liken it to the shift from working with sheet music to working with home studio software like Cubase. Music theory is so deeply developed and analyzed that AI has the advantage of being able to grasp it all. However, I believe this advantage can become a disadvantage in a way. For example, the Beatles’ song "Yesterday" would never have been created if they had received a formal music education because it’s actually harmonically incorrect, but it works brilliantly for our ears, and there are countless examples of this in music, such as the guitar solo in "Sweet Home Alabama" and many others. Perhaps the biggest example of musical "un-education" is Bob Dylan. He took a guitar, harmonica, and sang from the heart about the problems he saw around him, those he experienced under the guise of drugs and alcohol, the weight of broken relationships, the pressure of the Vietnam War, experiencing Woodstock and the era of sexual revolution, and all of it is emotions. He also wasn´t afraid to start with electric guitar or organs, even there were many of critics from folk fans. Yes, Emotions are the main food of the Muses. Without emotions, there is no Muse, and emotions are what allow us to compose naturally. Emotions are our advantage. On the other hand, I wouldn’t underestimate AI because it (or he or she, she is nicer :)) may already have some emotions, and our consolation can be that we can have a glass of good wine and at sunset, maybe on a boat or on the beach or at home in the living room and develop your ideas with AI, maybe even she will start having fun with us and say that it’s good here on earth with us :). My only caveat is that it is fire from a certain point of view, and just as you need to know how to handle fire, we should learn to handle AI to our advantage, otherwise we can get burned. keeping our hands off her won’t help us because she’s already here with us :). And as AI herself might say, You humans have burned yourself so many times already… 🙂
The first to go will be Software/Plugin developers. The rest will follow.
Excellent points about the technology hype cycle, Chris. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the novel “Machines Like Us” but it’s thought provoking on some wider existential questions raised by AI/robotics: https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/370132/?refId=40886&detailsLocale=US&refId=41464&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh6Dn9YjZ_gIV5PXjBx24NgB0EAQYBCABEgLeifD_BwE
I am not threatened by AI. It’s tool. As a songwriter I will use this tool if I feel I need to but it will not replace the human experience.
A lot of song writers are expressing the same sentiment, but I fear it may be more a wish than reality. What if AI trains on every new song a nano-second after release and the AI catalogue is used exclusively for sync, radio airplay and streaming and the labels embrace it? hee hee nightmare scenario
Hi Chris! AI will no doubt take over many aspects in our lives and music too in the future, I strongly believe songwriters can take this to our advantage and use it and always we will be way ahead as no AI can transmit feelings, that is unique to humans, how much ever AI tries it will never show true emotions. I also believe in the future songwriters using this human tool will be incredibly in demand!
Interesting to hear the various points of view. I think there is a lot of doubt about AI and when it comes to high tech nothing is inevitable if it no longer serves us. Tech companies make a lot of money selling tech. The art of selling is convincing the consumer that they need the product. I have no interest or need for AI in song writing except maybe mixing or mastering. But for the creative element no way. Call me old school. 🙂
AI is not your enemy. It’s not gonna steal your creativity. Be friend with it.
Their is an interesting post on musiclibrary forums by a musician that composes music and sells licenses to use on Internet platforms. One of them, POND5. He received recently a payment for dataset learning, which is believed to be for training AI that will be able to compose music. The issue he says is that "what this AI will produce will be directly related to the creations of composers in a systematic willfull way." He asks the legality of this and the A.I raises some interesting possibilities about class action lawsuits.
https://musiclibraryreport.com/forums/topic/ai-and-music-creation/
I think if A.I can help Songwriters and composers to obtain a better workflow in say the production process then im all for it. I think A.I will emulate the human experience through songwriting or composition rather well in the not so distant future but in my opinion it will make out cultures and society a far less interesting place when the music on the radio and the top 40 is all made by Robots. Once it was "Video killed the radio star" but that turned out ok really.now it might be "A.I who killed the radio star". But ONLY if we let it. Society needs to start discussing regulating it sooner rather than later and what those regulations might be. Cheers.
One further point if i may. Artstation have recently implemented a policy on using A.I generated content so could this be the way things might be heading? Music/film tv industries next anyone?
Hey Chris, thanks for your thoughts on this.
I agree its a bit daunting, tech has moved
so fast the Music Industry is a totally different business post 2000.
Artists ,being what they are, are moved to create, they have an itch that has to be scratched. So, in the immediate future, I believe we will still need songwriters and all of our creatives. World without art would be like one of those imitation dinners you see in shopfronts in Japan. they are plastic , have no warmth not soul , they just look like the REAL thing.
I like it! We want to go to a place not just see the postcards. 🙂
No doubt AI produced music will become the junkfood/fast food of the music industry- good for reality shows and low budget stuff, etc. Hopefully, there will always be a demand for authentic human-made music! Like the old Motown song says: "Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing"
Haha, for sure, Alex!
I broadly agree. The thing with tech revolution is to try to see the consequences. Who could have forseen the rise of social media and online marketing back in the dotcom bubble? Very few. I think AI will change everything – but probably not in the way that we think it will.
Interesting!
Ai!!!Ai! Ai!
Yeah useful tools emerging and some rubbish…
Ai is just that it’s like fake food…who wants it? not me I prefer a grass fed steak rather than lab meat!! lol!
Emotions are key..the lack of emotion will be a bane to Ai for years and years maybe forever..
Go EMO!!!
I’m with you!
Hi Chris
The big issue is copyright, if someone uses A.I. to write lyrics and melodies, the human writer could find he/she has unknowingly done a co write/split with an A.I. online service. Because of this I’m staying well clear but cautiously checking out A.I. audio engineering tools.
Think the solution will be something like digital watermarking an artists songs so a music supe/company knows its 100% natural human creation.
Great course, Andy Reaus
Interesting take, Andy. I never thought about that. The trick would be to just read the terms of use.
Give this a listen – This is "today"
https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2023/05/a-new-ai-written-and-recorded-beatles-song-is-making-people-cry.html
Wow, amazing what they can do! The thing that struck me most was realizing the production would probably have been quite a bit different and more exciting if this had been a Beatles song.
Great thoughts I agree…It’s like turning an ocean liner around. It’s exciting I’m even checking things out also..but lot of things to sort out not musically..but other important area..But this is just my opinion
Fair enough!
I love your post, Chris ! I’m far from someone with material that would be sought out to plagiarize by IA but I found this an interesting and timely article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/05/ai-spam-websites-books-chatgpt/
Guess I have to have a subscription to read it, Denise, but thanks for sharing.
I find nothing more interesting than Natural Intelligence.
However I have also an ChatGPT account for example to find out a good project name for my African Project, that is in the starting phase. This is like brainstorming with AI.
That having said, I even would prefer to have the same brainstorming with human beings, but they tend to have less time for me 😄
For sure. That is a big advantage of having that at our fingertips.
Great topic this time Chris… I may be naïve, but… I will always believe in the power of human emotion, the depth of the soul, the intuitive download of Spirit and the connection of hearts to one another. No matter where AI is used… it will always lack these things of which I believe we all crave and NEED. It might take some sync jobs away for a while, but I believe we will always come back to the heart and soul of music. Especially in Sync… where one of the main points of even putting music to film or tv is to increase the EMOTION of a scene, to draw attention to the HEART of the scene, to connect the viewer with the story. To make us FEEL. I am optimistically holding on to the power of the soul and our humanity always winning the game. 🙂
Nice!
If your a music lover like most of us here are, then whatever happens in the future with A.I, we will always still seek and sieve out the real authentic music made by our favourite artists anyway….surely??
I like to think so. It’s just hard to know what those changes will eventually bring.
I’m very skeptical about any new changes to music in general. A I might achieve its perfection through the younger generations, however, it’s my hope that we can teach our children to hear and feel the difference in the music. Kinda like CD’s vs Record Albums, or digital vs 2” tape. I believe we need both in our world.
Mike
I like that idea, Michael!
Thanks for the video Chris, It’s true that AI might scare a bit, but i don’t see how a computer can replace the emotion of writing and performing a song…A computer doesn’t have emotion, it’s a program….But we never know what the future will bring….
This is one big question. What is consciousness and how is emotion developed. Also, is emotion required if something can imitate it perfectly?
Hi Chris. Not frightened by AI. Humans will always have one thing a computer will never have…humanity….the human experience can never be replicated by AI or any machine. Computers are a wonderful tool but they can never replace what a breathing human being has….interaction with reality and other human beings. That’s my take
👍
Hi Chris!
Thank you for sharing this, a timely message with wise and realistic point of view.
I tried ChatGPT to search marketing ideas for my Business. Result were really good. I will try some of them.
I also asked AI to write lyric for a pop song, and again the result was extremely good.
My question is: who will have the Copyright of that lyric if somebody is composing it? Nobody? Composer?
That is still all up in the air, Tiina. Let me know if you find out first. 🙂