I’ve said for years, if you can’t write your own lyrics or reproduce what you did in the studio on a stage you’re not going to last. Take ownership of your craft, don’t let a third party make it for your.
I can definitely see where you're coming from. Authentic artistry has always been about that direct connection between creator and audience, which is something no algorithm can replicate.
What's particularly insidious about the current AI push is that labels are using it to bypass exactly what you're describing; the messy, human process of learning your craft, developing your voice, and earning that stage presence. They want the efficiency of manufactured content without the investment in real artistic development.
Your point about live performance is especially relevant now. When everything can be generated, the ability to create genuine moments with real people becomes even more valuable. 🤔🤝🏼
Yep AI has completely changed live music. I’m ok with some over dubbing in a live element. If you look at songs that have pre-recorded tracks on a record you present that live. Take for example, Guns N Roses track Madagascar off Chinese Democracy. There’s a portion Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech added. It feeds into the message in the song. It a short blip and doesn’t take away from the band’s presentation. But EDM is all computer and AI based. Sorry if I’m ranting but I really appreciate it time and blood and are the building blocks of music. Have a great day. 🤘🏻
Thanks again for getting the word out. I've been hearing this "creative enablement" line from tech execs I know personally for years now. I don't know if they're lying outright, or if it's just self-delusion on their part to assuage any guilt or sense of responsibility they may have for creating these technologies that are so transparently designed to increase corporate profit by removing the human element. Either way, I'm tired of being lied to by corporations and politicians.
"...and development of alternative economic models that don't rely on the existing industry infrastructure." - Exactly this, but I wonder what that looks like. The live performance economy has also been shrinking for decades; 200+ gigs a year will net you an income less than $40k. Tours lose money for the vast majority of artists, unless you're part of the "big industry." University teaching positions are few and far between and often don't pay enough.
I suppose the labels and big money interests have done a good job of conditioning our culture to believe that the only metric of success for artists is massive corporate-funded fame. But there are thousands of us being churned out by university music programs every year that are not and will never be Live Nation headliners, and these programs so far are completely failing to adapt to this changing landscape. They were already behind the curve before AI hit the scene.
Even audio engineers at the top of their craft, who have climbed as high as you can in the industry, see the writing on the wall. They too have no idea what to do about it.
I continue to walk the path because, for me, it is a spiritual one and a matter of necessity. Thinking too long about the business side of it quickly renders me hopeless and robs me of the spirit I need to actually create.
Thanks a lot for your comprehensive comment! Your insight about the 'creative enablement' rhetoric is spot-on. I suspect it's a mix of both; some genuine self-delusion mixed with calculated PR messaging designed to make their disruption seem benevolent. The result is the same though as artists get the friendly face while facing economic devastation.
You have also touched on something critical about the broader collapse of sustainable music careers. Even before AI, we were watching the systematic dismantling of "middle-class artistry;" the session musicians, touring artists, and regional acts who could make a living without stadium fame. University programs, as you note, haven't adapted because they are still training students for an industry structure that's already crumbling.
What gives me hope is that artists like YOU recognize this as fundamentally a spiritual practice. That core understanding that creation is necessity, not just a commodity, might be the foundation of whatever new models emerge. Maybe the answer isn't competing with the industrial complex but building parallel systems that serve human-scale artistry. That's what we are trying to eventually build with Vinyl Culture.
Keep walking that path. The spirit you mention isn't just what fuels your creation, it might be what saves music itself. 🤝🏼
Thank you for reading! This fight needs all of us; artists, fans, and everyone who believes music should come from the heart, not from a server farm. Appreciate you being part of the movement! 🤝🏼
Thank you for your comment and for raising the importance of crediting sources. I want to clarify that I have previously written about Spotify's "Perfect Fit Content" and credited Liz Pelly in that earlier piece. It's linked in this article. I have credited Liz Pelly in the opening paragraph.
This current article builds on a broader range of research and original analysis, including label investment strategies, artist contracts, and the economics of AI music, which are NOT derived from Liz Pelly's work. This is our own investigation & hard-work.
I respect Liz Pelly's contributions to the discussion and have acknowledged her work where appropriate. I believe this comment may be a misunderstanding & is misleading, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify.
Thank you for engaging with the article. Have a great day.
I’ve said for years, if you can’t write your own lyrics or reproduce what you did in the studio on a stage you’re not going to last. Take ownership of your craft, don’t let a third party make it for your.
I can definitely see where you're coming from. Authentic artistry has always been about that direct connection between creator and audience, which is something no algorithm can replicate.
What's particularly insidious about the current AI push is that labels are using it to bypass exactly what you're describing; the messy, human process of learning your craft, developing your voice, and earning that stage presence. They want the efficiency of manufactured content without the investment in real artistic development.
Your point about live performance is especially relevant now. When everything can be generated, the ability to create genuine moments with real people becomes even more valuable. 🤔🤝🏼
Yep AI has completely changed live music. I’m ok with some over dubbing in a live element. If you look at songs that have pre-recorded tracks on a record you present that live. Take for example, Guns N Roses track Madagascar off Chinese Democracy. There’s a portion Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech added. It feeds into the message in the song. It a short blip and doesn’t take away from the band’s presentation. But EDM is all computer and AI based. Sorry if I’m ranting but I really appreciate it time and blood and are the building blocks of music. Have a great day. 🤘🏻
Thanks again for getting the word out. I've been hearing this "creative enablement" line from tech execs I know personally for years now. I don't know if they're lying outright, or if it's just self-delusion on their part to assuage any guilt or sense of responsibility they may have for creating these technologies that are so transparently designed to increase corporate profit by removing the human element. Either way, I'm tired of being lied to by corporations and politicians.
"...and development of alternative economic models that don't rely on the existing industry infrastructure." - Exactly this, but I wonder what that looks like. The live performance economy has also been shrinking for decades; 200+ gigs a year will net you an income less than $40k. Tours lose money for the vast majority of artists, unless you're part of the "big industry." University teaching positions are few and far between and often don't pay enough.
I suppose the labels and big money interests have done a good job of conditioning our culture to believe that the only metric of success for artists is massive corporate-funded fame. But there are thousands of us being churned out by university music programs every year that are not and will never be Live Nation headliners, and these programs so far are completely failing to adapt to this changing landscape. They were already behind the curve before AI hit the scene.
Even audio engineers at the top of their craft, who have climbed as high as you can in the industry, see the writing on the wall. They too have no idea what to do about it.
I continue to walk the path because, for me, it is a spiritual one and a matter of necessity. Thinking too long about the business side of it quickly renders me hopeless and robs me of the spirit I need to actually create.
Thanks a lot for your comprehensive comment! Your insight about the 'creative enablement' rhetoric is spot-on. I suspect it's a mix of both; some genuine self-delusion mixed with calculated PR messaging designed to make their disruption seem benevolent. The result is the same though as artists get the friendly face while facing economic devastation.
You have also touched on something critical about the broader collapse of sustainable music careers. Even before AI, we were watching the systematic dismantling of "middle-class artistry;" the session musicians, touring artists, and regional acts who could make a living without stadium fame. University programs, as you note, haven't adapted because they are still training students for an industry structure that's already crumbling.
What gives me hope is that artists like YOU recognize this as fundamentally a spiritual practice. That core understanding that creation is necessity, not just a commodity, might be the foundation of whatever new models emerge. Maybe the answer isn't competing with the industrial complex but building parallel systems that serve human-scale artistry. That's what we are trying to eventually build with Vinyl Culture.
Keep walking that path. The spirit you mention isn't just what fuels your creation, it might be what saves music itself. 🤝🏼
Great job! Keep fighting the good fight 🤛
Thank you for reading! This fight needs all of us; artists, fans, and everyone who believes music should come from the heart, not from a server farm. Appreciate you being part of the movement! 🤝🏼
Thank you for your comment and for raising the importance of crediting sources. I want to clarify that I have previously written about Spotify's "Perfect Fit Content" and credited Liz Pelly in that earlier piece. It's linked in this article. I have credited Liz Pelly in the opening paragraph.
This current article builds on a broader range of research and original analysis, including label investment strategies, artist contracts, and the economics of AI music, which are NOT derived from Liz Pelly's work. This is our own investigation & hard-work.
I respect Liz Pelly's contributions to the discussion and have acknowledged her work where appropriate. I believe this comment may be a misunderstanding & is misleading, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify.
Thank you for engaging with the article. Have a great day.