aThe music I produce is all over streaming platforms and it looks like it's here to stay. Last month, three of AI's songs reached the top of the Spotify and Billboard charts. Jorja Smith's label wants to receive a cut of royalties from songs in her catalog that are believed to have been trained on original AI-generated vocals and later re-recorded by human singers.
Therefore, we asked everyone's thoughts on music composed by AI, the use of AI as a music production tool, and what should be done to protect musicians. Here are some of the responses we received.
“Actually, there's a song I like.”
I’m already seeing AI songs being added to Spotify’s jazz playlists and “radio stations.” I actually found a song that I liked, so I looked it up and found out that it's a group with a common name that will be releasing around 3-5 albums in 2025. Then I noticed the next song and the truck followed the same path. It was really troublesome. I think history shows that people appreciate human flaws in art. Sometimes it helps give us a feeling of being seen or not alone. I don't understand how a completely computer-generated sound based on something from the past can do that. Again, some people get excited about LLMs. I think everything needs to be labeled somehow. Give people choices. Make sure there are safeguards in place, such as forcing social feeds and music platforms to allow consumers to filter AI-generated content. casey37 years old, Chicago, USA
“Music generated by AI has no soul”
Music generated entirely by AI has no soul, and encouraging it is hurting the livelihoods of musicians. It is also very important not to call music created by AI “composition.” This term gives AI teleprompters much more credibility and confuses the question of what constitutes. AI music is only available to companies like Spotify and major record labels that don't want to pay artists at all.
As for working with AI, I once recorded an album with a band and lost the stem tracks before the final mix was complete. However, we were able to use AI tools that allowed us to isolate certain instruments within the master and boost them to get the mix we wanted. This seems like an example of positive use of AI, but it would not have been possible before AI. Composers like Ben Nobuto are another example of someone who has used AI as a starting point to build authentic, human-like music. It's probably too late now, but all the musicians working on streaming sites probably should have been paid, as their work was being used as training data. Additionally, musicians should be able to opt out of having their work used for LLM training, similar to cookies on websites. John, 30, Switzerland, musician and music teacher
I believe that for music to have any value, it needs a human element. From what I've heard, a major problem with AI-composed music is that the lyrics are simple or visible and lack emotional content.
But I'm happy for musicians to use AI as a tool. We provide professional quality recordings for those who can't afford a studio, orchestra, or vocalist. I've been writing songs for decades. Back in the '80s, I couldn't afford a Portastudio (a four-track cassette recorder), so I instead used two single-track machines to play and record at the same time. Now you can upload your songs to Suno (a generative AI program) to create new arrangements that are closer to your original intentions. It's great to be able to write a voice other than your own. Still, some of my family and friends say they prefer my original version. Mike Leigh, 67, former photographer and teacher, Southampton
“Creativity has stopped”
AI-generated music is a copyright nightmare and halts creativity. You don't have to accept it or use it. The most infuriating thing is when non-creatives believe they are artists, use AI to create something, and then claim it as their own art, even though it's a collection of stolen works. It's not something I carved with my own hands or thought of in my head. Honestly, I think it's embarrassing for someone to proudly declare that they use it. Artists are already being marginalized, but there is a backlash against television disqualification, for example, and a growing demand that all forms of viewers are not treated like idiots. The answer to this is not AI, but artists.
If you can use it as an auxiliary tool, please use it. The danger is relying on AI. There needs to be a clear payment scheme, similar to PRS or PPL, where the AI will tell you exactly what items were used to create it. or watermarks of copyrighted material. Nicole Valdon-Martin, 37, event and stage manager, Dagenham.
When social media and streaming services are flooded with digitally regurgitated material, it becomes difficult to find works that have personal decisions behind them. I like knowing there's a story behind the songs that stick in my head. I don't think generative AI is the neutral tool that many people say it is. Because it has to come from somewhere and keep coming in order for the combination of the burden on the planet and what's being used in these algorithms to look original.
Blatantly copying someone else's work is not “inspired” as it has some software mixed in. Sure, some musicians create “new” music using only their own work, but in my opinion this is a very closed and thoughtless way of creating. Without new content to sustain it, generative AI will always end up being boring, and even more AI-generated work won't fill the void. charlotte, student, cornwall
“I'm worried about becoming dependent on technology.”
In my home studio, I use AI to help mix and master music. We know it's tempting to use an AI voice to compose if you can't sing, but why not use an open mic to see if you can find a real, living voice? Where would Burt Bacharach and Hal David be without great singers to interpret their songs? You never know what a real musician will add to your music.
I might be tempted to use AI to write songs, but I think that would diminish my own musical abilities and quickly become dependent on the technology. I'm not sure how copyright works in situations like this, but we need to protect human creativity, and one way to do that is by going to see live music, commissioning people to compose music, and preferably buying music directly from the artists. Avoid streaming services that offer little payout and appear to be actively promoting fake artist profiles. Geoff Smith, 65, musician, former headteacher, Cornwall
