Can AI make music?
In the past years, AI have been involved in many sectors from education to healthcare and healthcare to music. But the real question is can AI success in sectors that require creativity?
In the recent years, a lot of artists started to use AI in their works such as their new songs or their new books. Today I want to talk about AI and music history.
AI based music is banned from the music industry
As y’all might know, this year Grammy Awards banned AI-only work, but some music created with AI help may qualify in certain categories, the academy’s updated rulebook reads. “A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any categories.”
Music creators must now contribute to at least 20% of an album to earn a nomination. In the past, any producer, songwriter, engineer or featured artist on an album could earn a nomination for album of the year, even if the person had a small input.
Also in April 2023, “AI- generated Drake and The Weeknd song banned from online platforms,” Techround UK says.
Universal Music Group, whose roster includes both Toronto heavyweights, issued a statement calling for a crackdown on AI-powered music. A spokesperson from UMG asked for platforms to “prevent their services from being used in ways that harm artists.” The publisher also sent urgent letters to all streaming services around, demanding they block AI platforms from training on the melodies of their copywritten songs.
This commanding manoeuvre seems to have borne fruit, as Heart on My Sleeve is no longer available on platforms like Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, and Apple Music. Although the track still circulates on YouTube and TikTok, it might soon be pulled out from both social media giants.
So, is artificial intelligence the new bone of contention for music corporations and artists across the board? UMG’s move is not as clear-cut as it looks. Despite encouraging a clampdown on fraudulent songs created by AI, Universal Music Group stated it wasn’t against the technology itself. The publisher said it had been doing innovation around artificial intelligence for some time. However, AI so advanced it can clone melodies and musicians’ voices within seconds is too substantial a threat to the music company’s deep library to ignore.
For all the tensions it elicits, AI may well be a game-changer — and too unstoppable a force already. Rolling Stone magazine claimed that AI tracks could be the largest disruptor in the music industry since the rise of digital downloads. It may even be argued that AI could prove more empowering than undermining. While there is no denying that artificial intelligence is somewhat of a grey area at the moment, the nascent technology has the potential to usher in a new era of user-centric experiences.
