A Little Vlog About AI and Electro Swing

[@CatInTheHatSwing]

you're gonna need more tea at this rate, a lot more tea

[@EmmaLeaSwing]

I was literally about to forward this to you! I think I need something a little stronger than tea right now! Not Parov too! 🙈😔x

[@JazzandTea]

That's for sure!!

[@EmmaLeaSwing]

As an Electro Swing artist, who literally pours portions of her soul into her art, this AI nonsense is really starting to make me SO sad for our genre! 😔 Music making (to me) is a sacred, human gift, of creative expression and shouldn't be replicated by computers! I also find it incredibly fraudulent that artists and producers are generating AI tracks and claiming it as their own work! It's just lies. The whole AI thing really needs to stop now, before it completely destroys our beautiful genre xx

[@JazzandTea]

As an artist, what do you think the role of AI should be? Where is the line? Have you ever used it in your work?

[@EmmaLeaSwing]

@JazzandTea Oh hun, I have never, and would NEVER, use AI in music! It just doesn't belong! It goes against everything I believe about music, It sounds 💩, but most of all, songs should be created with REAL human emotion from the soul, not some soulless motherboard! I have an abundance of thoughts Alex, but it's probably best to not share them all, as not to offend! No war in swing! 😉 xx ❤️

[@Cont0rt]

IDK if it's just me, but it feels like most of my recommended is all AI stuff and it's honestly really tiring. As someone who does actually make music, it's incredibly demotivating seeing AI generated songs getting more traction than mine which are, yk, actually made by a human and often have months if not at least over a year put into it. I put it on YT and it gets usually only around 30-100 views. And the demotivating aspect is not only the view count of my uploads, but seeing the view counts on random AI generated songs that keep getting recommended to me. What annoys me even more is that there's a subset of people making AI generated playlists that rake in the views like its nothing, where if I did that with my own songs, KZbin wouldn't even bother. The thing that angers me the most about AI generated songs is that theres another subset of people making AI generated songs that sound like theyre from the 30s-50s, and as someone who archives records from that period, seeing people making songs that are TRYING to sound like theyre from that period, even if theyre parodies that are vulgar which you wouldnt usually see from that period of time, it feels like in 30 years time, people might think "huh, this song is really 100 years old. thats cool!" when in reality it was just AI generated 30 years ago.

[@JazzandTea]

Yeah. I mean, I laughed at the 60's-style AI song, "My Arms Are F*kin' Stuck Like This," but after twenty-something more songs like that, the joke isn't funny anymore. BUT you got me thinking... what if the popularity of these types of AI tracks means there is an audience for parody old-fashioned music? Maybe a real producer out there can give that a whirl and find their niche?

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

@@JazzandTea There have been videos like "what if old music had modern lyrics" or smth before the ai videos and it did pretty well, but nothing long term that ive seen

[@JazzandTea]

@@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369 Yeah, I've seen those! There's the more serious Postmodern Jukebox and the sillier There I Ruined It. I was picturing something like sampled old stuff or original melodies in the jazz/swing style, with original lyrics on modern themes. Could be funny if you view modern problems through a vintage lense! (IDK what I'm talking about, I'm not a producer. 😆😅)

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

@@JazzandTea I think there I ruined it uses Ai too Tho from what ive heard Laufey is a pretty successful artist that makes more relatable songs using mid century pop and jazz sounds

[@TrunkNetwork]

I came into watching this video being like "I don't think I can conscionably still be in this community and keep ElectroSwing in the show I'm creating." (Not a brag or advertising, I promise), but by the end of it what you said had changed my mind. It's up to us to keep the community alive and without people listening to, reviewing, making shows, writing books, that stageplay, the people over in nerdcore who do ElectroSwing a big service by making songs about Bendy And The Ink Machine, etc, ElectroSwing would be consumed by AI and we'd be left with nothing. I know what I'm about to say is unpopular, but I think that maybe some artists should volunteer to do covers for at least the big three labels (and Tape Five.) and maybe also the big three labels could actually try to pull in vocalists from NerdCore since there's an overlap between these two underground communities. Maybe even we could get more review channels and people making short films. (Oops, mild tangent.) This feels a little evil, but I think we need to strengthen the community to get through this and someone stepping up to provide covers would make ElectroSwing stronger. (I don't think any songs with AI in them are salvageable and the AI videos are abominations.) (Edit: Collaboration with Steampunk would also be a fun and valid way to strengthen the community. As for voices for your book, maybe you could ask like ESC or someone to do some voices. Also apologies for the crazy ramblings.)

[@JazzandTea]

That's the right idea! MORE COLLABORATION!! 🙌

[@mrmoonman4552]

It’s truly sad seeing how badly AI has affected the electro swing community, but what’s important to remember is that there’s always going to be at least some people who make and produce by people for people. And if an alternative is absolutely necessary then perhaps the only possible reason AI should ever be used is to help build a base. For example that shirt design could’ve been an AI suggestion, but should’ve been made with actual artists.

[@JazzandTea]

I'm worried that it's gonna be much harder for all the good, real artists out there if listeners have to sift through tons of AI-genersted trash to find them. 😬

[@EmmaLeaSwing]

@@mrmoonman4552 I'm definitely keeping it real! 💯🎶 x

[@CatInTheHatSwing]

and yo it was really great meeting you at the Tiki and hanging out :)

[@JazzandTea]

Seriously one of the best meetings of my life. Please come back to the US soon! 🥰😆😁

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

Yeah, its tough, i feel bad whenever I listen to an e-swing song with AI art covers (I like the charm of the old unique ones better too) and keep checking the dates of tracks to see if theyre recent enough to have AI sounds, even in artists im already familiar with. I just want to listen to the people who worked hard to made the music I love, not someone using their work without credit. Saw a rat smth in the e-swing reddit, blocked em (Parov Stelar going into it isnt surprising since he did NFTs lol but hes such a big name and his videos were so cool its a shame) Missed the previous video dang, never heard of Skyler Villain. Was worried there'd be something wrong with the concerts thank goodness lol

[@JazzandTea]

Parov Stelar did NFTs?? 🤣

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

@@JazzandTea Thats even how I discovered the term lol, KZbin post