Is AI the Next Chapter in Music Evolution, or a Threat to Authenticity?

Music has consistently experienced a complex dynamic with technology. Each time a novel gadget emerges, there are individuals who fear it might spell the demise of authentic music.

Similar queries emerged when the synthesizer first came around, during the rise of the drum machine, and every time auto-tune was employed in hit tracks. However, Cher demonstrated that there can be great music beyond auto-tune, much like how new beginnings occur even after heartbreak.

Assertions regarding the demise of authenticity tend to be overly dramatized, and allegations of 'cheating' often appear ridiculous when looked back upon. Over time, individuals adapt to the new style, or at minimum acknowledge that electric guitars did not destroy all acoustic interpretations.

Everything leading up to this moment is just an introduction for those performing the main melody. Psycho about AI's role in music. I'm not dismissing the gravity of a report from French streaming service Deezer that 18% of songs The uploads happening nowadays are completely AI-generated. That makes for more than 20,000 robotic compositions each day. This figure has doubled since just a few months back. Cue the dramatic sting (yes, you recognize it: Dun, Dun, Dun!).

It’s easy to look at numbers like that and feel a little nervous. After all, the music industry already runs on razor-thin margins for most artists, and now the meager streaming revenue is going to go to robots? Add in the fact that major players like Universal, Sony, and Warner are actively suing AI music platforms like Suno and Udio for allegedly training on copyrighted songs, and you can see how high the stakes are.

The music industry is not the entirety of music, however. I firmly believe in robust protection for artists who face AI stealing their work or training on it to mimic them. But that's a business battle, not a war for the fate of human creativity.

AI has a place in the recording studio. Once upon a time, many people proclaimed that sampling portended the end of music, with a future of nothing but artists stealing other artists’ work. Now it’s the backbone of entire genres of music. Auto-tune has evolved from a gimmick to a legitimate tool across many music styles. And the aforementioned electric guitar was dismissed for being too loud within many people's lifetimes.

Nonetheless, here we are enjoying music made by people pushing buttons, twisting knobs, and bending sound in new ways. AI is just the latest tool. And like any tool, it’s only as good or bad as the person using it.

Allegro AI

What worries me isn’t the existence of AI music. It’s the idea that we might start mistaking it for a replacement instead of a collaborator. Left to its own devices, AI doesn’t make bad music, but it can feel empty or just a warmed-over imitation of real music. It’s elevator music, but more expensive.

That’s not to say it’s useless, far from it. AI can be a brilliant creative assistant. Stuck on a chord progression? It can help. Need to experiment with a new genre you’ve never written in? Fire it up. Want to turn a poem into a melody just to see what happens? Absolutely. AI can help bring the song in your head to life, but it won't do so without you as the source of the ideas.

The genuine discussion ought to focus on how we can integrate AI into music production rather than considering an absolute prohibition. As a musician, I would indeed have concerns regarding the proliferation of AI-generated tracks on streaming platforms, yet these worries stem less from their creation through artificial intelligence and more from questions around their origin, profit distribution among stakeholders involved, and potential unauthorized usage of musicians’ works for training those AIs.

It’s not as if every human-created song is entirely distinct. Many pieces of music share common elements, with some of the biggest hits sounding like minor variations of one another. Musical trends follow patterns, and algorithms have long influenced our listening habits, guiding us towards familiarity, tried-and-true sounds, and acoustically secure compositions. The artificial intelligence isn’t responsible for this bleak scenario; however, it might accelerate the trend.

Nevertheless, artificial intelligence might prove to be immensely beneficial for music overall. Picture a young person living in a remote area with limited access to resources, unable to afford musicians, piano lessons, or professional studios. By utilizing basic technology like a smartphone along with creativity, this individual could employ accessible AI music applications to explore different sounds and disseminate the melodies within their thoughts.

AI-generated music isn't the end of music itself. Instead, it's a potent instrument that needs to be managed with care. While it might serve as a quick fix, it mustn't steal creativity, nor can it infuse a song with genuine emotion.

I experimented with AI-generated background music for my podcast, but I think I'll stick to music libraries for now.
Paul McCartney warns about AI use in music even though an AI-augmented Beatles track has been successful.
Could Adobe's AI agents spell the end for creativity?

If you enjoyed this article, click the +Follow button at the top of the page to stay updated with similar stories from MSN.