Photo: Baypicz
AI is great at creating (or regurgitating) perfectly average, unoriginal music in extreme quantities. Which is a big, big problem for human musicians creating perfectly average and unoriginal music in any quantity.
In the latest Artist Expansion Podcast, musician extraordinaire and now Digital Music News editor Michael Whalen explores how musicians must adapt in an era where artificial intelligence can instantly produce endless amounts of competent, listenable, and oftentimes boring music.
Perhaps the initial takeaway is obvious: if AI has already mastered the average and generic, attempting to compete with machines on volume, perfection, or speed is a losing battle. But there’s plenty that technology cannot replicate, including a genuine human point of view, a distinct musical personality, and a real emotional connection.
Perhaps ‘the human premium’ will save an entire generation of musicians. Because as AI-generated music becomes cheap and infinite, authentic human qualities like artistic taste, distinct creative judgment, and even organic imperfection become an artist’s ultimate competitive advantage.
AI music is typically good, listenable, and painfully average. Which means that simply making ‘good’ or average music is no longer enough; artists must double down on developing a memorable musical voice, honing their live performance skills, and taking genuine creative risks to stand out.
All of which plays beautifully into the hands of indie artists and creators who have the freedom to experiment and scribble outside of the lines.
