Tech

How AI is changing the world of music

[Mike Raine wrote this for Canadian Musician magazine. AI is coming for music. In fact, it’s here already. -AC]

Artificial intelligence is here, it’s everywhere, and it’s radically changing our daily lives, from internet searches to banking, shopping, commuting, and even the temperature in our homes.

In the music world, AI is fundamentally changing not just how we listen to music, but how music is made and even how the music industry operates. And as all tech does, AI is evolving at such a radical pace that, frankly, we can only speculate about its long-term impacts.

“Didn’t AI just write a symphony? I saw that when I was at the TED Conference. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is insane; it literally wrote the damn symphony! … What the hell is going on here?’” recalls Jason Flom, CEO of Lava Records, to Canadian Musician.

“Maybe it’s a good thing, maybe it’s a bad thing. I don’t know, but … it’s probably a net positive if it helps with research. If it helps identify artists who otherwise wouldn’t get discovered, then ironically, AI would be being utilized, in a certain way, to expose non-AI creativity. I’m sure there will be some nefarious consequences as well, but I don’t know what those would be. It’s a crazy world we live in now.”

It’s a crazy world, indeed. So, let’s look at how AI is impacting the two poles of the music business: the music and the business.

Keep reading.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37921 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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