The Rise of AI in the Music Industry: A New Wave of Creativity or a Threat to Human Artistry?
At the forefront of much news since Taylor Swift’s last concert has been the growing presence of Artificial intelligence (AI) in the music industry. If you have been following developments, AI has slowly but surely made its way into everything, from pictures to videos to social media and now music. It is a friend you knew was going to the party but were not ready for.
It seems that AI is the new wave certainly, and the last was social media. Like so many we are not ready for the change but have to quickly accept it. So what exactly are we dealing with?
Ai has brought change to what the definition of creativity is and its limitations. For example, the iconic group The Beatles was able to release a song 45 years later, using a pre-recorded tap of their band member. Twenty years ago, this would not have been a possibility. While some may consider this a success, an important question remains: where does the line between AI creation and humans end? Does the value of human creation change, and if so in what way?
Image sourced from UVA Today
AI progress in any industry is exponential, and even when expected, it can still come as a surprise. Not only can it help memic voice for a full song, but it can also write lyrics, create melody and compose an entire song.
Ed Sheeran commented on AI, saying, “What I don’t understand about AI is, for the last 60 years, Hollywood movies have been telling you, ‘Don’t do it.’ And now everyone’s doing it. Have you not seen the movies where they kill us all?”(Billboard).
Meanwhile, Grimes has said she’s willing to split with her fans if they create something worthy with her vocals. “I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice,” she promised. “Same deal as I would with any artist I collaborate with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings.”(Billboard).
Many have been going back and forth with the current reality of the situation, including artists. In March 2022, a legislative bill was passed in Tennessee to protect music industry professionals against AI threats. Tennessee is the first state to take this action.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image SecurityAct (ELVIS), a bill updating Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights law to include protections for songwriters, performers, and the music industry professionals’ voices from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI)(Tn.gov).
Pictured: TN Gov. Bill Lee signs Elvis Act. Image sourced from localmephis.com
Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry are just a few of the 200 artists who have signed an open letter against the use of AI in the music industry in a predatory way.
In conclusion, a new wave of technology is here, and we will need to find ways of defining what we used to know as reality. We must approach the situation from a workable mindset to create a unique take on the human experience with such advanced technology.
