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AI-powered tools can now provide insights into many of the questions that previously confounded stakeholders in the music industry. Analytical and predictive models enable labels to make smarter investment decisions, decisions that are now informed by a more complete understanding of the competitive environment and audience preferences.
Clearly, AI technology is here to stay. However, it is being applied in new and innovative ways beyond understanding listeners and their preferences: it has become the ultimate method of creating music.
Do not panic. This is not the dystopian nightmare of real musicians being replaced by computers that some might fear, but an opportunity for artists and content creators to explore paths they might not otherwise discover.
AI as a creative tool
Some musicians train machine learning models on data based on what they want their sound to be. Others feed a neural network, a system of algorithms modeled on the neurological activity of the human brain, with musical preferences based on bands or digital sounds who then create compositions of melodies and rhythmic patterns.
according to a part on AI and Red Bull music, one of the first pop songs, “Daddy’s Car”, created by AI, debuted in 2016. A year later, American YouTuber Taryn Southern “went one step further to release the first LP by an artist solo song composed and produced with AI, titled I AM AI.” Pop songs aside, AI is even being used to compose symphonies.
As AI music production becomes more sophisticated and ubiquitous, the way artists use it will likely continue to evolve. Who knows what unimaginable rhythms and sounds will be the result.
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Opportunities for content creators
The demands of a content-driven music industry, in which producers are expected to consistently deliver volumes of music for video content and more, can be difficult to meet. Independent creators need original music for their content, preferably without paying the high costs of licensing music or using recording studios.
Apps like Mubert, Ecrett Music, and Songen allow independent creators to generate royalty-free music in just a few steps. Such services use AI-assisted engines that outline song ideas that users can customize and finish according to their needs and preferences. They also help creators prevent the misuse of copyrighted material that, by the way, AI has been instrumental in detecting.
Helping music reach its audience
The music industry has faced many challenges in the last few decades of the digital revolution, from piracy to the rise of streaming services. AI has been the only technological advance that has brought clarity to labels and creators in the context of a rapidly changing market with overstimulated consumers.
Deep and machine learning assistive applications like Spotify and Apple Music, which generate the majority of revenue in the overall music industry, help ensure a satisfying listener experience. User data on demographics, listening habits, and other behaviors inform and improve artist and album recommendations within the platform. All of this data is also available to labels and artists through social listening. Looking at data and listening to fans can revolutionize business strategy, offering better insights that benefit artists, the industry, and fans.
In conclusion, the music industry could continue to undergo changes as the use of AI proliferates. AI will not replace musicians in conveying sensory experiences through music, but it could become increasingly essential for musicians, and everyone involved in today’s music industry, to understand and harness it.