AI in music: friend or foe?

You must have heard about the popular AI music generation companies like Suno or Udio. Chances are, if you are an artist, you hate them, and if you are a venture capitalist - you love them. Now, i am not an artist simply because i have 0 musical talent. However, music for me is so much more than lyrics and melody: it is art which makes feel a certain type of way. A way, which i haven’t yet experienced listening to AI music.

Let’s dive into the artist perspective. From the interviews and discussions with various artists and music pros I can see that what artists are afraid of is that genAI music would replace the craft, replace the artist and make it impossible to compete for attention. After all, ‘AI-rtist’ can create music in mere seconds, while for a human artist it would take days if not weeks. Then, the prompter (the one who ‘orders’ AI what to do) can go to AI mastering solution and master the track in some seconds, go to Midjourney, DALL-E etc. to create visuals, ChatGPT (or any other LLM) to create a bio and identity of the ‘AI-rtist’ - and done. You got yourself a track or even an album fully generated by AI. You can also generate music videos with AI and your ‘AI-rtist’s’ career is ready to go. This is scary to many musicians who make a living of their music. How can an artist compete with something which can spit out new music every 5 minutes and doesn’t need sleep?

Okay, let’s not be super depressing. The goal here is not to scare you, i wanted to show you what it can do. But - let me also show you what it can’t do.

If you are an artist who is reading this, I want you to understand your biggest advantage: you. ‘AI-rtist’ cannot have a relationship with its fans, it can’t connect with people, it cannot write lyrics which people would be able to relate to, it cannot perform live (or? ref. Kraftwerk - any live performance), it will not have a unique and recognisable voice. And finally, AI cannot create anything original.

Believe me when I say - talent takes you far, but grit, community and courage of conviction takes you beyond what you ever thought it could be. Think about your favourite artist now. Did you hear about them from your friend, your partner, your loved one, found on TikTok or Instagram, discovered through Spotify, did you see them live first or maybe found a record in some God-forgotten store in the middle of nowhere? Was it them who inspired you to create also? Think about it - the music itself is only a part of it. Music is love, AI cannot love (despite what chatGPT voice will have you believe).

However, I wanted to also say that using genAI as a tool is totally possible. Have you heard about David Bowie? (I hope the answer is yes, if not - go listen.) Well, did you know that Ty Roberts created the first ever lyric generation back in the 90s (way before AI was a trend) for him. Bowie used it to get inspired and write songs which touched many hearts across the globe. Again, the difference here is the artist - the human person using AI to his advantage. AI can help you expand your capabilities, help you produce faster and overall help. be more productive. You can use what is out there to get the juices flowing, but then create your unique and exciting sound.

Nexro is also an AI company. But, there’s an important distinction to make here: we do not generate, we analyse - data and numbers. With us, you get to create music while we take care of the data behind your career. We can tell you which platforms to focus on - to give you more time to create; which markets and audiences to target - to make sure your music reaches people who would enjoy it; when to release - to save time and money and not waste a great song by releasing it at the wrong time; what content to post - to connect with fans and show your personality.

Remember, AI can do a lot, but it cannot replace you.

With love,

Lana from Nexro.