OK, fine, we already know that music is economically worthless. (#796401)
Clarification: its existing stock and potential creatable supply outstrip the world's combined ability to listen to it/consume it. Thus, marginal value of "music" (...and all kinds of art) = BIG FAT ZERO.
So, then why be upset about machines making music? By plenty of humans having plenty of creativity, instrument, computers, and recording devices, you're sort of already there, AI or not.
AI obsoletes everything, etc. And it's very fad-y. #1485162
Apparently, then, Spotify's music chief needs to DEFEND AI MUSIC?!
Spotify co-chief executive Alex Norström has defended the company’s expansion into AI-generated music, arguing that “controlled” products offer a better alternative to the unregulated AI “slop” already spreading online. “There’s a lot of rogue attempts at this,” Norström said in an interview with the FT, referring to tools to make music with AI. He said Spotify wants to be “the one that’s legal” and “the one that’s controlled”.
I understand nothing. AI can generate everything (photos, art, words...), and you're upset that it does music?
On Thursday, the company struck a deal with Universal Music that will allow subscribers to create AI-generated covers and remixes of songs from participating artists. [...] While Universal has previously reached AI deals with smaller start-ups, Spotify is the first major streaming platform to launch a commercial AI music product with label backing. The agreement marks a significant moment for the music industry, with the dominant streaming service now openly embracing AI-generated music.
I don't claim to have any novel or particularly profound thoughts about this, but I have thought about it before.
If you go far enough back to before recorded media (say late 1800s) good music was pretty rare because it required lots of dedication and the high expense of buying instrument, BUT it wasn't very reproducible (ie a musician could only play in front of X number of people on a given day).
Fast forward to mid 1900s and the rise of cheap vinyl media and radio solved the distribution problem. This probably represented the peak of the music industry because it was still a rare skill AND supply was still constrained....so demand clustered around the few content producers available (Elvis, The Beatles, etc).
Now supply has become essentially infinite the skill to produce music is very very low and distribution is even cheaper than vinyl / radio, so market is destroyed....in a sense we have returned to 1800s for actual musicians, that is they can only really earn money now by playing for live audiences.
(EDIT) tldr - there will never be another Beatles again
yes, beautifully reasoned through. I wrote about this a bunch a few years back: https://www.stacker.news/items/798342 multiplied those concerned by AI.
But I think that's completely right: scarcity went in a U-shaped, from immediate consumable (the "1800s") to expensive distribution (mid-20th, large iconic ones) to infinite replication (today), which means musicians are back to their original tools.
Yes, our entire concept of what we think of as the "music industry" is actually just a temporary happenstance of various market forces combining into a specific supply/demand curve around 1960's
Probably is the same for other "media industries" as well....
To the extent that music serves a social signaling purpose, this is a dangerous move by Spotify.
elaborate?
risky to be a brand associated with pushing ai slop music
Especially if music is more about social norms than what you actually enjoy listening to
Taylor Swift has billions.
AI is creating some cool music I have to admit. Nothing replaces a live show, and it may just always be that way. I think musicians should give their music away for free and try to cash in on touring along with merchandise.
Sounds like Spotify wants to dominate the pie before it gets cold
I recently watched a documentary in which two Japanese members of a boy band worked with a renowned song producer to create a song. The process was quite formulaic since the producer could pinpoint the exact point in which the singers should insert a hook and stuff like that. But at least the lyrics were heartfelt and the emotions sincere
There’s already more music out there than one person could hear in a lifetime, and now AI is about to multiply that by 1000.