When the internet first came along, many businesses thought it was a fad, and websites could be built and maintained on a part-time basis by some geeky kid already on staff. However, as the years passed, it became evident that the internet was here to stay and that to compete in the new world, companies needed a dedicated webmaster. Or two. Or three. Or more.
A similar phenomenon later occurred with social media. Facebook? What’s that? Twitter? Never heard of it. But as social media platforms gained traction, businesses realized that they needed a social media manager, complete with supporting staff.
Today’s paradigm-shifting technology is artificial intelligence, something that’s iterating and becoming more powerful practically on an hourly basis. Companies are now investing heavily in AI, and not just in people who can write a good prompt. AI departments are sprouting up everywhere. This tech is in the process of changing everything.
Last week’s column focused on the things I miss about the old (i.e., pre-2000) music industry. Now let’s give some equal time to the future.
After a rough decade of trying to adapt to the realities of the digital world in the 21st century, the music industry is evolving at an accelerating rate, embracing new AI technologies and practices. This includes the creation (or potential creation) of jobs that didn’t exist even five years ago. Let’s speculate wildly, shall we?
Record producers and songwriters will morph into ‘music designers’
When synths went mainstream in the late ’70s and early ’80s, synth players were decried as not being “real musicians,” people whose talent was getting machines to do something. Who needed any formal musical training to create songs? The British Musicians’ Union even called for the U.K. government to ban synthesizers because they were taking jobs away from working musicians who spent years on their craft.
That’s nothing compared with what’s happening with AI.
Oh, you write your own songs, do you? And when you go into a studio to record them, you pay for a producer and engineer, correct? Record labels are looking for ways to get rid of as many unreliable humans as possible. With platforms like Suno capable of generating super-realistic songs, companies are looking for ninjas at that sort of thing.
Hallwood Media, an indie record company founded by former Geffen Records president Neil Jacobson, announced a deal with Imoliver, a human who “uses the AI-powered platform to develop his lush sonic landscapes.” Yes, his main tool is Suno. A full album will be available in October.
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“Imoliver represents the future of our medium,” Hallwood says. “He’s a music designer who stands at the intersection of craftwork and taste. As we share his journey, the world will see the dexterity behind his work and what makes it so special. What he does is exactly why I love music and why we push boundaries at Hallwood.”
Check out what he can do. Is this art or just more sophisticated AI slop?
Does this negate the skills and talent of musicians who have spent decades writing, recording and touring? Your call. But one thing is certain: Sound designers are going to be very much in demand in many areas, including movie/TV scoring, jingle production and creating production libraries. And maybe, just maybe, something even more ambitious.
Virtual star creator
Virtual bands are nothing new. We can go back to at least 1969 when The Archies, a fake cartoon band whose sound came from a bunch of anonymous studio players, had a number one hit with Sugar Sugar. Since then, we’ve seen Prozzak, Gorillaz, Hatsune Miku and about a dozen others, including some AI creations. Most recently, we had the Velvet Sundown, a milquetoast AI band that was hot for about a month.
But the Velvet Sundown is hardly unique. There have been experiments with AI-generated acts like FN Meka (a failure), Yona, the creations of the Auxuman Collective, Polar, K/DA, Anna Indiana and this thing, a product of some pretty clever sound designers who are, in essence, creating brand-new virtual pop stars. This is Germany’s Ben Gaya.
His Instagram profile reads: “Hi there! I’m Ben, an AI Singer with a passion for creating and performing music that touches the soul. Designed with state-of-the-art technology and a deep love for all things musical, I blend the best of human creativity and machine precision to bring you songs that are both heartfelt and innovative.”
Record labels can generate stuff like this without having to deal with musicians and their erratic attempts at creativity. Just eliminate them! AI pop stars are always available, never get drunk, don’t overdose, and don’t get involved in dodgy relationships. Perfect!
I’ve seen some newer AI music programs that are so good and so quick — I’m talking about creating an artist, name, persona and song, complete with generative lyrics, in less than 60 seconds — that this transition will inevitably spread.
Here’s what I’m talking about. Notice how long the process takes.
This is also disturbing Emily Portman released a new album–except that she didn’t. It was all an AI fake.
AI voice agent
I do a lot of voiceover work for radio, TV, commercials and educational material, but I see the writing on the wall. Why hire me for these projects when clients can order producers to use AI-generated voices? It’s possible that it’s already happening: There are rumours in the industry that some producers are currently illegally cloning the voices of well-known people and using them for certain projects, stealing the sound of a person’s unique voice and turning it into profit.
What we need are more AI voice agents, people who license the voice of voiceover talent for jobs where a live human isn’t readily available. For example, if someone wanted me to narrate a long, boring corporate video and I don’t have time in my schedule for a session, an AI voice agent would broker a deal where my personal sound is cloned. Granted, there would have to be a lot of restrictions, guarantees and penalties put in place, but it could turn out to be a source of passive income. Or I could be squeezed out of the business entirely by bigger, better-known voiceover talent. I guess we’ll see, huh?
Hologram experts
This job already exists, as evidenced by the number of avatar/hologram productions already out there. Today, holograms are substituting for dead performers (Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Ronnie James Dio, Whitney Houston), with more on the way. As more superstars die, their estates and the holders of rights to their songs are going to want these artists to live on and keep producing. And with actuarial tables telling us that we’re soon going to lose many, many artists that we’ve grown up with, the demand for hologram ninjas is going to go up and up.
And consider this historical precedent. In the mid-’60s, the Beatles decided that they were going to become a full-time studio band. No more live performances. This greatly annoyed both their record company (which relied on tours to promote records) and media outlets (who would no longer benefit from a Beatles appearance). The compromise was for the band to shoot short films of them performing or doing fun, surreal things. These were the earliest days of the music video.
Today, ABBA (whose members are all still alive) has reaped hundreds of millions of dollars from their ABBA Voyage show in London. They get all the revenues and benefits of touring without leaving the house. How long will it be before another still-living artist goes down this route? Who needs the hassle of touring at age 75 when you can just spend a few days in a motion-capture suit to create a production featuring all your greatest hits? All they’ll have to do is cash the cheques.
These are just four examples of what we can expect to see in the future. Probably tomorrow, even. Get ready.
