Two weeks ago, during an appearance on the 20VC podcast with Harry Stebbings, Mikey Shulman, the co-founder of the AI (music app) Suno, stated that his app is a game changer for the music industry. He explained that it allows anyone to become a musician and create music that could be listened to by billions, simply by instructing the computer on what to do. This, according to him, would make the process of creating music much easier since, as he put it, “I think the majority of people don’t enjoy the majority of time they spend making music.”
It might be understandable that a mathematician and physicist like Mikey doesn’t find satisfaction in the creative process of making music and is more interested in the final product he can listen to through his headphones. However, if the jobs of all the people involved in creating a song or musical work were completely replaced by AI, it would certainly not sit well with producers, songwriters, composers, arrangers, music directors, singers, musicians, mix and master engineers, and many others who are part of the music chain.
Mikey has invested $125 million into Suno through investors, and the company is currently valued at $500 million. The first global study on the economic impact of AI in the music and audiovisual industries has shown that by 2028, music creators could face a revenue loss of 24%, which would amount to 10 billion euros in the next four years. For audiovisual creators, the revenue loss could be 21%, or 12 billion euros in the same period.
However, AI and programs like Suno cannot function without the data that already exists, which includes human-made music. This data is essential for generating similar content, and its use has already caused controversy, with many world-famous musicians protesting, as we have previously written about. Still, some musicians have embraced the benefits of AI. For example, in a recent beef with Kendrick Lamar, Drake used AI-synthesized vocals of the late rapper Tupac (which he then had to remove, facing legal charges). Similarly, rapper French Montana used AI to produce his song “Ride The Wave” by creating beats that blend trap and electronic elements.
In the world of electronic music, AI will have a major impact as well. Recently, AI software has emerged that can replace DJs by selecting entire playlists that match the energy of the crowd. It can even improvise music in real-time, reacting to the vibe of the audience or the direction of a human collaborator. And if you want to create a mix, you can now do it very easily with DJ.Studio, which we’ve also written about before. With it, you can turn your playlist into seamless transitions and a mix tailored to your desired vibe.
But what’s the point of it all? Of course, it’s great that today’s technology offers us so many possibilities and tools to easily bring our ideas to life and share them with others. However, does that mean we’re losing the essence of artistry and creativity that musicians provide and audiences crave? Personally, I don’t know how to mix, and I love the experience of standing in the crowd, admiring a DJ who can do things with music that I could never dream of doing myself.
AI is going to change the way art and artists’ work are validated – if what a computer produces with minimal input from a person can even be called art. This will pose a challenge for those who make a living from their artistic work – or maybe it won’t, considering that, as some say, “the majority of people don’t enjoy the majority of time they spend making music.”
Barbara Martinovic