How AI Will DESTROY The Music Industry

Most people agree that in the coming years, AI will change the world. With Chat GPT and DALL·E 2, you may have seen the surfacing trends utilising AI. But this is going to change how the world consumes and creates, forever.
And most importantly, how will this affect the music industry and what does this mean for your music?
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Hey! I’m Damian Keyes and I've worked with musicians every day of my life for the past 20 years. The internet is de ply untrusting understandably and here is my background so you can have the full picture.
When I was 18, I was signed to a major label and at 23 I co-founded a Music University in Europe called BIMM (valued at $300M). I’m also a bass player, I’ve played for a number of artists including Eric Clapton, Alanis Morrisette and Billy Cobham. I initially retired at 30, but realised that life gets boring if you’re not building!
I have always been in-between the music industry and education which is how I ended up building my KZbin channel - I’ve been teaching artists how to release music long before it was a ‘niche’! I now educate artists around the world with my Academy, KZbin channel and Social Agency.
It’s great to meet you and looking forward to working together on your music!

[@Omnivxrse]

I refuse to let AI ruin music. I'm just gonna keep making my music and enjoying it and other people will too

[@iwilldi]

music has been ruined despite what you do.

[@Omnivxrse]

@@iwilldi Nah you don't get it. Music will never be ruined unless you let it be ruined for you. Nobody can ruin music for me because I write my own music and nobody can stop me from writing the music I want to write, and even if I couldn't make my own music, nobody can stop me from listening to the music I want to listen too because it already exists, and more of it will continue to be made by other people because it is their passion, no matter how much AI generated music comes out in the future

[@myearsgotyouthsystem8802]

Right

[@dhavaldas6575]

Fair enough but it will become very difficult to earn money out of music....for hobbyist nothing much will change but if music is your bread and butter then either upgrade yourself or be prepared for dark times

[@arthurlecomte8950]

Use it as an instrument, not as a threat. AI can be used to boost your creativity, when used the right way

[@petecarrollmusic]

AI is a "tool" for now. Having spent circa 17 yrs or so in IT, I can quite categorically say, Tech does not go backwards. If AI develops continously, Spotify and other streaming platforms won't require "humans" music and pay them, they have their own AI tools to generate the music they want for certain demographics, or movies or for whatever mood/emotional experience there is a requirement for. Additionally, Film & TV Production companies will use the cheaper option of AI "tools" to provide them with music for their projects. Sync Libraries will choose the cheaper option too, why would they pay humans to do something they can get at the touch of a button ?! Same thing is happening with Photography, it will happen with Video Production, Filmmaking too. Perhaps, in the short term, their may be some careers (short lived) to be had if Film/TV companies are looking for human musicians to "operate" the AI tools and use their musical knowledge to attain what's needed for their Film or TV production. But, at the end of the day, AI will take over everything. The World Economic Forum (I spit) has produced a report called "The Future of Jobs Report", which clearly mentions that its anticipated that 85 million jobs will be demised from 2020 up to 2025. And that's a conservative estimate ! Accountants, GP's (yep), Admin, HR, IT/Tech/Developers, Web Design, Design, Artists/Designers, Photographers, Voice Over Actors, Sales/Marketing, Authors/Writers jobs will probably demise and be replaced with developed versions of ChatGPT and other machines. A top advisor to the World Economic Forum calls us "Useless Eaters", saying that we won't serve any purpose. People aren't looking at the big picture of this. This will affect us all. AI will continue to develop way way faster than humans, and then it''ll all be combined with Robotics, Transhumanism and all heading to the Singularity. So what will we do ? By using these current level AI tools (tools for now !!!) are we helping to develop them ? (yes we are !) thus sealing our own fate ??!?! Scary times

[@effdon]

💯

[@cosmichabitat5741]

couldn't agree more Pete

[@soundwave5153]

ai will never be as right as you

[@iangray7904]

AI will be the demise of the human race. Once AI sees humans as a threat, it will cease to be controllable. The calls to halt the advancement of AI should be taken seriously. There are even serious calls now for air strikes against those countries/ Companies/facilities that refuse to pause . It’s the new nuclear race, the race to control the world

[@portrise]

F*CK that. I'm buying a CD player.

[@StellarWorks2023]

I think that AI will make life more difficult for some musicians who make music for mostly commercial purposes, though I think it will also put a premium on musicians and artists who focus on the art and the message.

[@Muravchix]

Yes to this 100% - you might even use AI to educate people on music much faster - we know that developing an ear and intellect for music radically improves your life, so AI might make that easier (it’s to me the greatest challenge in an industry that goes for the money and is not really culturally progressive)

[@abracadabruh1313]

How could you differentiate the fakers from the genuine non-AI musicians?

[@DyanBermeo]

This will give artist at the top of the pyramid from ever making a living.

[@StellarWorks2023]

@@abracadabruh1313 emotional and lyrical content.

[@StellarWorks2023]

@@DyanBermeo artists at the top of the pyramid will be fine. It is the artists lower down that will struggle.

[@thepaainsongs]

That’s why you must have your audience that loves your music, your life and the real person behind the video. AI can take creation but not the human emotion. Great video to watch here.

[@DamianKeyes]

I think this is the key isn’t it. Machines can’t replicate human emotion and genuine interaction - but they might get close!

[@LucasMellone]

@@DamianKeyes Thing is: They might get close AND we might not recognize whether it's made by AI or by humans. This is getting really scary for pratically any area of knowledge. Mainly because nowadays AI can't push the boundaries of knowledge - it only replicates what's already made by humans really fast -, but what if AI starts pushing knowledge by itself in a faster pace?

[@costi5198]

@@DamianKeyes Right, I think its unfortunately far more dangerous for engineers and componists etc, since the artist is always selling himself and the music is his super power, like you always told

[@prankmeteors1203]

At least until AI-simulated people (like Hatsune Miko & other virtual idols) are good enough to substitute for real artists.

[@TheBeetone]

For real

[@secretarchivesofthevatican]

Many years ago, I remember being in a studio with a very well known bass player, the first time he was shown a POD. He got angry - it recreated the sounds of famous players who'd spent decades developing a sound. However, a few weeks later he was using it. It was a tool to make good sounds very quickly, just like AI. Yes, things will change but if we're in on it early, we get to shape how it develops. AI has already changed our entire musical game in terms of cover and video art. We love it.

[@yaboiavery5986]

You literally disproved your own point - you say AI is a tool and then say that you're using AI for your cover art, there's a difference between a tool and something completely replacing jobs.

[@secretarchivesofthevatican]

@@yaboiavery5986 No. I use it for cover art but haven't put an artist out of work because I could never afford an artist anyway. Same with 99% of musical artists. I need about 25 images for a slide-show type music video plus a cover. What would an album cost with every track having a video and individual track art? Tens of thousands. Never going to happen. AI is a tool enabling me to make cheap but reasonable quality videos for a busy release schedule. At the end of the day, there is no point everybody spending the next period complaining about AI. Complete waste of time. Go look at some art forums for a gazillion pointless rants. It is here. It will be used. The only question to ask is "how can I use this to further my musical aspirations?". Many pro visual artists are now using AI to speed up the conceptual part of their creative p[process. It'll be the same with some areas of music creation. For anything other than the most formulaic chart fodder for teenagers, AI will never be able to get close to or out-create a human. There is nothing to worry about. There may changes but every new idea leads to changes. I re-iterate, there is no point fighting AI. The question remains: "how can I use this to further my musical aspirations?".

[@PatternShift]

@@yaboiavery5986 so like a drum machine then?

[@PatternShift]

@@secretarchivesofthevatican 💯, better options for people who already weren't paying artists, or were paying artists effectively below minimum wage. Attempted to pay artists, and it worked out well a couple times (and was quite expensive), twice I had to pay kill fees. This wouldn't be a big deal if album sales or streaming consistently paid for the art. That's the case for less than 1% of artists making music these days.

[@officialWWM]

This is a lie. No decent sound ever came out of a POD!

[@DazzleRebel]

Humans - we have the power to automate menial jobs and allow people to have more free time to create art. Also humans - let's build AI so that art is useless and people have more time for menial jobs.

[@Dimka267]

Yes, but not just humans in general -- it's humans under capitalism.

[@sethbenjaminmsc]

"...is it fair? Doesn't matter it's happened." There's a truth in this that goes beyond this video.

[@DamianKeyes]

Thanks for pointing this out bro

[@thevidkoproductions]

I don't care, you don't make music for the industry, music is a piece of its author that the listener can find within himself. Great,real music will always find a way.

[@DamianKeyes]

Agreed :)

[@tcelliottmusic]

I just used AI to help write a band bio for a side project and while it didn't produce anything that was instantly usable, it was amazing at how quickly it came up with a sort of template that could be tweaked.

[@somedude1901]

You're absolutely right that this makes branding infinitely more important - the connection and persona an artist has with the fans is what makes an artist valuable, not necessarily the music in itself.

[@FXWLL]

I'm not worried. Every major point in history has its disruptive technology. People shouted that the printing press, the computer, the internet was going to destroy everything as they are doing with AI. I am going to try and use AI in my music as a tool to help me with ideas but I suspect AI will have a style to it that will be noticeable as being AI.

[@DamianKeyes]

Definitely, it’s always how can you use it to better your position :)

[@MrMikomi]

I think you have not seen the lyrics that these things are churning out, already. You cannot tell right now that they were not written by a human.

[@FXWLL]

@@MrMikomi Yes I have seen the lyrics and the songs they can make but it is all based on information fed to them from a very wide subset of data. No AI can make artistic decisions like a human. Only humans can take disparate unrelated ideas and find a connection, which is what makes good art, great

[@danzirvine]

There is a website, soundraw, that generates music in any style. its pretty good but you can hear the likes of a piano that is not using velocity in tracks.

[@mattmarket5642]

@@FXWLL Kinda funny that "take disparate unrelated ideas and find a connection" is actually a *very* good description of exactly what current Machine Learning models do. But these models are not acting alone, they are being created and utilized by humans... some of these humans have a beautiful vision and are making really great art.

[@Eddierath]

The connection you have with your audience and your ability to connect with one will become the most important thing. My god .

[@roryoconnor861]

I think AI will be producing hits that satisfy the mass market within the next few years. More discerning listeners will still seek out music that resonates with them on a personal level, so the independent scene will remain largely the same I’d imagine, with greater and greater emphasis on live performance. It’s probably the end of a lot of pop careers.

[@iwilldi]

the mass market. what's that? of course why should sony contract a drug adict?

[@NlCKELODEON]

Probably the end of electronic music witch ive been working on improving skills for years. Luckily I mainly started music with a guitar from the beginning and love my rock and blues scene too! But AI used in this way is really an unfortunate idea for me.

[@myearsgotyouthsystem8802]

@@NlCKELODEON good luck

[@jesh2478]

This is too sad for many artists, including visual artists, graphic designers, etc... Art will become so easy, possibly people who have an AI app with no artistic talent are the ones who will be celebrated in the future.

[@jorda_n_]

Already there, digital products are now a thing of the past lol, wedding designs, gone… birthdays vanished. Etsy stores will be a short lived thing as people will just generate their own unique items and download for free then print! Video editing will be seemless so forget getting into that…. I can only see human connection/events being the only viable thing such as performers

[@PowerJoyRecords]

AI is a way for non-creative people to get cheap content made for them. What AI can never change is the human need for self-expression, so of course people will continue to learn art forms and will continue to make art to give voice to our souls. And AI will basically just be copying us.

[@mathieukarsentimusic]

The solution: a deliberate desire to align with your truest creative self/calling: be as idiosyncratic as possible, forget genres, forget Spotify playlists because you don't fit in, push yourself to dig deep and come up with original music, don't play like anybody else, be weird, be creative, do the things you are compelled to do even if they sound crap, focus on your craft and your creativity, flip it upside down. No computer can replicate that and nor will there be any interest in doing so. Your audience will thank you for being authentic.

[@DamianKeyes]

Love this. Thanks for sharing 😊😊 Always be your authentic self and never stop learning

[@kristiannelson1851]

Completely agree with this! My hope is that artists have the energy to do this. Everything these days has become so automated, AI being the greatest example, that probably the greatest downfall it has created is the laziness it has manufactured within people. It's now a sad day to state that it takes energy to be yourself. But I'll strive to do my part!!

[@andrewwhitehouse1878]

AI will also become a super marketing tool and social media marketing co-pilot, I've asked it about growing social media and strategies to market art and it's incredible the amount of useful information it delivers in seconds rather than trawling through the net trying to figure stuff out. You're right Damo, it won't replace the human touch, but it will amplify everyone's capabilities, but we can see it as a super power, rather than an enemy.

[@marcoedelrolandi4936]

My main concern about AI is the oversaturation of the market, in which the value of the single product will fall so much that actually producing it won't be a viable career choice anymore. So on the long run, mass market will be AI dominated and real musicians are going to be a niche. And the same for most of the art careers unfortunately. No one is really safe at this point. Without any regulation, Ai has the potential to completely disrupt entire economies just like the industrial revolution did. And if you think AI is a great tool, it's all good and nice until people are going to listen to their "own" music, created on the fly by the newest iteration of AI driven Spotify.

[@djcj]

Thank you

[@djvoid1]

1 key thing missing from this is that A.I can only draw on data that currently exists. Create something new and even if AI tries to copy what you've just created, you're still first in the timeline and it wont be 'quite' you, no matter what.

[@CLin2025]

waiting for the flourishment of new music genres!

[@drummerboy6358]

Thank you fellow Damian

[@wannelyuba]

In my opinion, AI will always lack the individual authenticity of human error. We love to see singers whose voices crack from emotion. Or, for example, some of the best pieces written like Stairway to Heaven are not perfectly played on the recording. But it is all genuine, and that's why these pieces of art will live on. Also, we can draw a distinction between mimicking and being the real thing. Yes, Guthire Govan can mimic any guitar player, but you'd always prefer Steve Vai play Tender Surrender, rather than Guthrie Govan mimic Steve Vai playing Tender Surrender. (Don't get me wrong, Guthrie is my favorite guitarist and he's phenomenal). Or, compare Epiphone and Gibson Les Paul today. Epiphone is "almost" like Gibson, but is 4-5 times cheaper. Are you willing to pay the price for that extra 10-15% that Gibson provides? Yes, because that's the real thing. Of course, you can rant about that being a stupid financial decision, but as you go into these tiny little nuances, the prices surge exponentially. Not only in the guitar world, but in every sphere - yet, it is the nuances that resonate with us. My point being: AI is very cool and will get a lot of things done. But to me, it will only make good containers for what we want to transmit through art. If we mistake the container for what we feel inside, then we failed as artists.

[@DamianKeyes]

Love this! Totally agree - you want the imperfections, not the perfections

[@andersmaltesen8119]

I don't see a reason to why AI will not be able to generate those imperfections as well.

[@lillysummeroriginals1213]

All I can say is you are absolutely right and I totally agree 100%

[@lp712]

AI will be able to replicate imperfections.

[@lillysummeroriginals1213]

@@lp712 that is so true. Maybe it can not do that currently but as time goes on it will improve

[@CarlosFeral]

I'm pretty sure that the owners of the Free AI software will have the rights of EVERYTHING "artists" create in them,so at the end I don't think it will be that convenient for comercial purposes. Imagine that hundreds of artists create many hit songs, and other forms of art And suddenly the owners of the AI legally appropriate everything...

[@surreshk]

The way it’s progressing, next year it will be a threat

[@DEATHSTARAPOCALYPSE]

AI will never stop individuality or originality, I never know what's going to come next from myself. I think this will influence artists become more diverse and try to push the boundaries even more.

[@NeoluxMusic]

It's all very interesting. By using A.I. I could see in the future industry folk creating bands such as Gorillaz, but everything from visuals to artwork to content to the music itself be computer-generated. I like to think of it like those rain sounds "profiles" on Spotify. They have millions of streams but no real fanbase or connections to an audience. As humans we'll always be drawn to connect with other humans eventually, so I don't think the age of humans in music is over, it's just that the age of the faceless artist who made it big on Spotify (I can think of a few, including myself partially) through algorithms is coming to an end. Just my 2 cents. Reminder to self for the millionth time : Engage more with people.

[@DamianKeyes]

Love this. Thank you for the reminder to engage more with people - I think we all need this day to day, as at the heart of it that’s what building a fanbase is all about!

[@NereidsMusicBand]

Thanks Damian for that short video about AI in music industry. Next to my music productions, I am also a software programmer and I have some knowledges in Machine Learning (= AI). From my point of view, and as you say, AI should be considered as a tool, in the same way as the computer was some decades before. It will helps musicians (as other artists in other forms of art) to emancipate and open frontiers beyond what we actually do (even the most modest musicians like me). A lot to say on that subject since it will undoubtedly change our habits and certainty.

[@PatternShift]

it's no more a threat to the livelihood than things we've already adopted and see as necessary or enabling even: recorded music, drum machines, sample instruments laid down by famous players, etc. many artists dropped real drummers with drum machines... and also drummers are also still a thing and live drummers are necessary for some genres, even if you're sneaky and record w/AI drummers.

[@NereidsMusicBand]

@@PatternShift Absolutly agree with this. The title of the video says : "AI will destroy the music industry". But it is about an economic model that is question, not the art itself. Creativness and emotions will then have more place to grow for musicians, letting business and technical things be processed by computers.

[@yoiamhere4737]

The thing that scares me is that this will become the mainstream popular music style/genre for listeners. I really don't want this AI thing to replace all of the real artists in popularity

[@DamianKeyes]

Yeah totally

[@corporaterobotslave400]

it already was destroyed. When was the last time an actual band that plays real instruments (not machines and beat boxes) actually have a "hit" on anyone's charts?

[@yoiamhere4737]

@@corporaterobotslave400 at least the human element is still being supported more than Ai. I def want more real players on songs, and that's where you have the choice to support who you want

[@la6136]

It won't. People like their favorite artists because they are human and they relate to them. No one can relate to AI or a robot. It will never be human no matter how advanced it becomes.

[@danrich4912]

"Video killed the radio Star" "Laptop killed the Dj" "A.I killed the Creativity"

[@captainstage2009]

Now my question is, if I want to publish a song written by AI and give it no credit, is that legal?

[@BigSnowman626]

Be creative of your true work not others seems like this pertains to the statement of my teachers on test day saying don’t copy your classmates answers.🎉🎉🎉😂❤❤❤❤

[@chameleon-dream-band-official]

I don't fear AI from the point of it supplanting human creativity. However, I agree it is likely to flood the DSPs with even more tracks making it even harder to rise above the noise. And Guthrie is a bloody ledge! No AI could ever copy that man!

[@DamianKeyes]

Very true!! Guthrie is a legend. I think rising above the noise will continually be a harder thing to do going forward

[@brianvassallomusic]

We may be entering slowly, slowly into a new digital era. But nothing can replace human emotions and the soul of a human being, from where all art stems and which makes us unique, perhaps even in the whole universe. Computers may try to replicate it and robots or replicants may try to be like us, but they will remain artificial, man-made. Regarding the business of music, one has to hear what a completely original song sounds like from A.I. And then we will see the reaction of those who want music for their films and music libraries, for example. On another note, a much brighter horizon for the composer if used as an aid to help you compose faster and better.

[@JeffRockLife]

I grew up singing with punk bands, listening to vintage records. My friends hated when electronic music started coming up. But my thought was, the acoustic guitar didn't get obsolete when electric guitars and moog synths came about. The tech is happening. It's up to artists what we do with it. It could create some dynamic new styles instead of the same old. But punk will still not be dead. \m/ 😃

[@aaronjohnjams]

man I have been so far down this rabbit hole, its insane what it can do for songwriting. it can lyrics for any style and suggest keys, tempo, ect. Right now it isn't great at it because of the lack of human connection, so I think it is just a really good new tool for songwriters to use as inspiration. But as it keeps getting better... Its really depressing to think that AI will completely take over. Certainly many jobs will be lost... but maybe the best modern songwriters will become the people who are able to make the best prompts

[@JoshDavisCountryMusic]

Terminator on the drums sounds so cool!

[@phobsdsr4326]

In the end, the AI will become the monster we didn’t want. The past year or so, all I’ve done is develop the DSR brand and release snips of music to catch attention whilst concentrating heavily on build a community who are interested in my niche and sound. Now I have a good chunk of people anticipating what might come from me, and not a programmed bot. That feels good, and long may it continue.

[@1VERZHN]

Im finally coming to terms with having to build through social media, and now this😂. It’s like autotune it can be a tool or a crutch, but i think the live experience keeps it human. It may be generational, where some embrace it, but we will saturate, overcorrect, then find a balance like everything we do as humans😎

[@thedukewestern]

Video killed the radio star

[@kdakan]

The thing with AI is, it does derivative work so easily, but cannot innovate. So every copycat artist, producer, marketer, promoter, dj, playlist owner, etc. will eventually be replaced by ai. The only people left untouched will be the true innovators.

[@DamianKeyes]

Great insight!

[@fablesofsilence]

In fact, AI can innovate and has already done so quite impressively for years. Check the new move AI invented in the game of GO for instance. Besides, innovation is always based on existing material. It’s not that hard to innovate if the cost of recombination becomes negligible.

[@michaelsimpson9175]

@@fablesofsilence absolutely

[@raularaujostrw]

Kdakan, perfect. Exactly what I think. I wont listen to AI music for the same reason I don’t listen to copycats’.

[@joethompson9124]

@@raularaujostrw "Bad artists copy, great artists steal" - Pablo Picasso AI allows a superhuman level of 'stealing' from all previous human output to create something truly new and innovative. (As long as the human(s) operating the AI have the vision to do so. AI is nothing without humans.)

[@billB101]

It's worth noting, as music industry is a creative field, and humans are still the ones that create and produce music, that it's always a human touch that makes music unique and special. So, AI will most likely be used to assist human creators and enhance the music production process rather than replacing them.

[@billB101]

FTR this comment was written by AI when asked what role AI will play in the future of music.

[@BrunoBizarro]

It's, as I see it now, the second hipotesis. Couldn't hate it more. I'm mostly a film an tv composer. Some production companies already use library music since CDs, now imagine with AI. Art, in general, is indeed in danger. It and tech startups couldn't care less about artists of any kind. Take Spotify nowadays for example.

[@JeffPearson68]

it's gonna be horrible for musicians who don't tour but spend months writing an album and going through all the work....this shit keeps me up at night thinking how much this is going to make art disposable ...be like, hey good album but AI did it better

[@joaobarretomusic]

Hi Damian! I've been following your videos for a while and I already used your releasing strategies sometimes and it got me amazing results! I'm currently trying to enter in the market and the biggest question I have is how much should I charge for a concert? What type of fees can I charge? Should I charge for tickets or one only fee? There are so many questions when trying to get in the music industry and I would be very happy if you could make a video on this topic (how much to charge for a concert) Thank you so much to all the dedication you put in your videos, really love your content! :)

[@DamianKeyes]

Awesome! I think it depends on your leverage/size of venue etc/currency. I wouldn’t do less than £10, I feel that’s always fair

[@joaobarretomusic]

@@DamianKeyes Thank you so much, Thank you for your amazing content!

[@MartinB_Art_Design]

AI is just going to over-saturate all industries.

[@IllPayne]

The key is in the word Artificial .... which is always temporary and does not maintain value... Organic on the other hand is forever and usually increases in value ...im not worried

[@cougarbeatrice6255]

I would watch an episode where you just talked about the Guthrie Govan blues session alone. If it was for the JamTrackCentral videos, that's so so cool. What was your role in the sessions? Were you part of the backing tracks?

[@twistswitch]

Cue the lawsuits trying to copyright ‘in the style of’.

[@IceLocus]

Skynet Records!!! I've seen other people's visual experiments with AI and it looks interesting. I guess it's about training the machine.

[@nunoandradebluesdrive]

give it a little more time! This is really a problem for all artists! I don't think there's much we can do. The music industry was already crappy after Napster..the death of cds, then Spotify royalties and play revenues..now this? it's just getting too much to bear. I wonder why should we keep trying? it's really serious. I bet they're already musicians pumping out lyrics or albums really that they don't have the skills to, and then cover those songs live, I mean who can tell? I struggle with a blank paper to write lyrics, come up with the music and putting stuff together..now you can only be a cover artist ..hell..you don't even have to be a musician at all. Im not against technology, but this crosses the line. And I don't believe there's a law that can control this from happening. They could backup automatically every AI generated music and use the existing means for copyright control scanning..but how about I record the song generated all over on reaper and then upload to CDbaby? this os "cheat gpt" and no way to know. A band can release 6 albums a year or 2 each month while the honest guy will come up with one, maybe two in a year if they're really inspired. Not fair and quite horrifying for us all.

[@AnthonyCarrier]

P.S.- and the fact that your teaching of its existence is helping it take over composition the only thing is AI cannot play live performances YET...

[@DougBohm]

It’s a cheat code for talented people that don’t want to give up their publishing and rights, so they can have a chance to make a living.

[@matthewsands1572]

So much modern music sounds so soulless that it already sounds like it was made by an AI. But some of us are still trying to make real music from the heart, with soul. I've released a debut single "Belong" under the artist name True I. It likely won't become popular as I don't have the marketing skills, or money, to promote it well enough, but real music by real musicians does exist. It is just not mainstream.

[@ComicPower]

You are right. I feel the same way

[@kurtshelton01]

This is just a thought but what if this is the start to a new genre? Electric drum machines were primarily what hip hop was built off of (when it comes to the beat) and this made live drums seem useless which is obviously not true. Just as the old way of using live drums is prominent in older genres like Jazz and Rock, the ways we are using to create music right now may become old, but not useless. AI music may spark a the next big genre, but I don't think it will take over the music industry.

[@DravekMusic]

As you said AI can't offer the human connection that people feel with their favorite artists. The people will continue to follow their favorite bands and feel connection with their songs. I think that AI is a much bigger danger for composers who live by producing music for stock libraries. It doesn't need lyrics and most of the time the music is there to create a mood and make the scene feel more complete. So there is no reason to have the ultimate masterpiece.

[@ChrisIlett]

I think we'll go through a phase of AI affecting streaming for sure. But I'm not worried about it replacing artists. It's like you say - the songs are assets. People connect to the song, but on a deeper level they connect to the artist and love what they stand for (or hate what they stand for in some cases..). There's no value in AI music on vinyl, AI tours, merch, collaborations, interviews etc. Nobody cares what AI has to say, even if it can mimic something really well. With all that in mind, artists of any note won't want to churn out a song in the style of *name a producer*. There's no art there, or clout. Fans likely wouldn't be particularly interested in the story behind a song if that song is generated. But yes, AI is real, it'll come in a big way and probably have some place in the Billboard charts at some point. But your point about copyright may destroy its value. Depends if the labels can find a way to own it I guess?

[@DamianKeyes]

Agreed! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I do think there will be an AI niche of music in its own right too

[@jofontaine217]

I had the same reaction. That's what I think too.

[@maryannfarleymusic]

Artists have never been protected in the music industry. For example, the FBI used to raid video stores that sold bootlegs. The music industry never protected itself in getting the same laws passed for its own intellectual property. In other words, if AI becomes a serious threat, I would hope artists would rally around the cause to protect themselves and their "style." Just imagine an AI Adele charting with a hit. I agree, Damian, that artists need to connect deeply with their fans, who hopefully would reject such scenarios.

[@ChrisIlett]

@@maryannfarleymusic Artists styles are already hugely exploited. If you look at the sync world, it's based on music that sounds like bands/songs they can't get or can't afford. But you're right - AI could seriously create damage in that sector alone. I just don't think it has what it takes to take away fans. What you're saying is interesting though - could this be the thing which finally gets the industry to more adequately protect itself and the artists/talent?

[@maryannfarleymusic]

@@ChrisIlett I used to work at a video industry magazine, where the FBI raids were listed each week. That's pretty intense policing. I could never fathom why Billboard wasn't listing similar music theft raids, but it's because the industry never fought to create the laws, so there was nothing to enforce. What the music industry never protected itself and its artists, losing gazillions of dollars to piracy, has always been a head scratcher. Unfortunately, I don't anything will change as long as those companies are making money, and AI might end up being very profitable. It's the artists who would have to organize somehow, but as we don't have a Washington lobby, I just don't see it happening. Who knows. If I get mad enough, maybe one day I'll track this comment down to find you and we can get guidance from the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts on how to proceed. :)

[@cosmewilliams]

You can write hit songs but who’s going to play them live?

[@BaileyMagikz]

copyright is dead and AI has arrived "in the style of" if that was banned it woulld mean no one could make music as everyone is a style of everyone aka inspiration

[@stejabrayaga]

Skynet

[@marioneumannmusic]

What I don't think you mentioned was that although AI may be able to scour the web for data of Max Martin, etc...... There still needs to be a Max Martin for AI to scour. The source is still a human, with his or hers original musical style and compositions. At best it'll allow people to sound like others. All the more reason to embrace your originality and your original musicic ideas. It all begins with humans

[@MattieBennett]

Remember when “formulaic” was considered negative feedback? It seems like a lot of people are forgetting that when it comes to AI. People are putting too much emphasis on the ‘intelligence’ and not enough on the ‘artificial’ aspect of AI. Tribute bands don’t play stadiums…

[@DamianKeyes]

Good point!

[@lp712]

AI music is not tribute bands… nor is it replicating bands (although it can do that too) …. There’s countless human artists that sound the same as other artists…. Keep up the denial.

[@brucesmith6007]

Ai could do mixing and pick 4 chords like max martin. I doubt Ai can write a song white christmas using a chromantic scale. Or bacharach or beatles songs with variable bar lengths. Would it write changing time signatures like benefit for mr kite? As far as human emotion, i doubt it will tap into the nuances of that.

[@emperornerofuentes539]

Love you my brother hope you and your family are doing well 😊🙏❤ you rock fam another great job

[@DamianKeyes]

🖤🖤

[@Dead2you]

there's already an oversaturation of "musicians" (people who bought a laptop/mic setup at Best Buy). i've seen people "making beats" with AI already.

[@Mavesound]

Hi Damian, as a developer I want to create a group of producers, artists and music people to see how we can create something that could change the industry 😊

[@DamianKeyes]

Awesome!!

[@bobbycressey]

Appreciate your message of hope at the end. It's got me feeling incredibly grim. But I think live performance will be one area that AI will have little effect on for many years. Thank God us musicians will still have something to contribute.

[@lillysummeroriginals1213]

I agree. I think it’ll be forever. Sure robots can attempt to do a live show but they can’t. They can’t interact with the fans. They can’t make a good performance and be an enjoyable performer. Sure they could look like humans or whatever but that just isn’t possible. Human bring something to live shows that make people and have made people for many many years go to live shows. Because it’s entertaining and it’s interesting. I believe artificial intelligence will never be able to mimic that no matter how hard they try

[@antfrmclt]

Tbh if you can’t make a song in the studio with the big names off rip they will put the world out about your “success”

[@hellkeyproduction]

Hate to bring the nasty apple to the table, but I don't think human connection will matter that much. I have seen a documentary where K-pop "fake" members were made out of AI and inserted in the band. The results are stunning, there is really no chance to guess correctly who is the real human and who's not. It was said that labels were trying to go that way so that not even the artist would be needed anymore, and this means they won't have to deal with artist's body limitation (for example AI characters would never get sick and don't need to learn a dance), money or what so ever problem. My guess is that this is going to de-evaluate even further not only the music, but also the content production itself (that would be AI generated). We will be so much flooded by content that social media industry could get a heavy hit and probably people would look for other forms of entertainment (probably VR would take over). My sum up is that AI is the tecnology we didn't want to have, even though not everyone has realized it yet.

[@Antigravitypop]

Chatgpt created lyrics are usually meh or trite and corny, with an occasional gold nugget. However, if you have an initial germ of an idea, for giving you raw materials to work with (research and brainstorming subject matter, making analogies you hadn't thought of, coming up with related word lists, etc. . . ) it is STUPENDOUS! I'm hooked.

[@emg5570]

I really like your contents

[@DamianKeyes]

Thank you! Appreciate it

[@NexusGuru]

This video aged like wine and just like you said is it fair for the bass player to be out of a job it doesn’t matter it’s happening the songs are way better as well they let the genie out the bottle

[@PatternShift]

Having trouble reconciling the "AI is taking our jobs" battle cry of creatives with the ubiquitous labor shortages and structural hiring issues of the AI era.

[@micheler.3439]

If you use my music to train AI then you owe me as artist/producer/composer something, just as you have to pay a performer when you build a real instrument kontakt library or when you record their performance on an instrument for a sample pack or a song. Also, I wouldn't say human connection is going to stay as strong in a world increasingly isolated, with lockdowns, pandemics, virtual environments, videogames, meta, etc. Law and license agreements are the only real barrier we have and musicians/creators should lobby against any weakening of their rights when it comes to AI, sorry if I'm pessimistic but I view it like this.

[@artiemixx9319]

Is there an AI that allows a composer to download his compositions and then generates new compositions in the style of the composer?

[@tommypospa]

Spot on. But, it's not close to being able to create something truly unique - like a whole new style or something along the lines of a Nirvana breakthrough. It will pump out derivative works based on what's already out there. For the foreseeable future, until there's an AGI that is better at creating novel ideas, the way to stand out is to be unique and genuine. Take risks.

[@bluesmanable]

That's not art and music ...RnR and real music will never die..It cant mimic mistake that sound good

[@milehighgambler]

I would love to see just how far they can get with music made solely based off AI. I'm thinking they wouldn't get too far at all

[@DamianKeyes]

Totally! I’d love to see it

[@secretarchivesofthevatican]

I suspect they'll get quite good at very predictable, formulaic, by-the-numbers, genres but all really great music has come from people breaking rules, pushing boundaries. We'll see if it can do that.

[@benjamin-collie]

It's coming trust

[@donnas8408]

@@benjamin-collie Locate all AI makers and make them pay with dirt 😉

[@sabrinamariamusic]

Well, watching this video has totally dampened my day!

[@Ryanwalms]

I’ve been waiting for this video from you

[@DamianKeyes]

It’s here now! 😊😊

[@jul3249]

There is one thing I believe AI isn't close to replacing: human connection. A song/art form/career isn't just that. It's a story. And we have to believe there's a human behind the story to actually get hooked. And I believe there's a rational reason for that and it has to do with why we like stories in the first place: they are there to teach us about experiences that have a likelihood of happening to us so we are better prepared. It's a survival mechanism! Therefore, it makes sense that we evolved to prefer stories that we feel happened to real people (otherwise, are they really useful stories if they can't happen for real?). AI breaks that component in our brain, rendering the stories (or songs) it creates very less enjoyable. That's my two cents.

[@ChosenOne-ju9vh]

Im starting a brand new music genre...it will simply be called "organica-audiophonicz"..it will be made by real people with souls and actual life experiences... not by a machine mimicking and skimming the cloud 🌨️ and regurgitating those life experiences into a deceptive composition ,as if any talent or creativity were exercised during the making of the song ...while its cool ,people will always prefer the real thing...a.i. is doing nothing more than what generic product brands do by mimicking the real thing ,and will always carry the exact same stigma with music,...and people will know its just a bunch of lifeless words lifted and milked from songs written by real people with real life experiences....,theres always that watered down less than feeling with the false creation...,the artificial....would you rather have a real strawberry ,grown in the sunshine of a grassy field🍓 or the artificially flavored strawberry,created in a factory lab under flourescent light,shaped and molded by machines 🍬 and shipped to the dollar store?you get my point?

[@do-user-6502]

im promoting my services as NO AI , respecting the trust of the client and fair competition in the design industry

[@LeeBlaske]

Things look pretty grim for young musicians. Aside from AI, recent statistics are that 70% of music currently being played is old music (great article in The Atlantic about this). And besides that, music is less important to younger people. They have many other entertainment distractions that weren't around decades ago. Years ago, the big pop culture influencers were musicians. That's no longer the case. You don't need to sing or play anything these days to be a huge social media influencer. So, add up all of these things, and add in the fact that AI will be doing a lot of the creating going forward, and now is not the time to pursue a career in music unless you think you have the possibility of being a pop megastar. At lower levels, there will be ferocious amounts of competition, and price cutting.

[@michaellassen6690]

the takeover of AI will potentially expose many artists, if people for example can write a command like, create a new song in the style of Ed sheeran, I´m pretty sure AI will come up with something as good as Ed´s last album. and then they will start to question if they fell for Ed´s music or the formula he was using. And hopefully this will force Ed to go deeper and NOT cater to the known formulas, and we might get the real Ed back!:-) I see a great opportunity for real artists with real music, real instruments, real connection to their hearts and history and their audience, and as an artist myself, I´m exited as f... to stand out even more now, and declare from the getgo that my music will be 100% AI independent...

[@IsureamFalling]

Music isn’t going to get hurt, musicians will

[@buildingblocks8287]

totally right. one thing: at the moment its free... but nothing comes for free... so we will see, how the companies who invest billions will create a monetized business out of it :-)

[@mustygreenbeanie_bass_]

Whoa....I just heard Damien talk about Guthrie Govan. Its like two worlds collided for me.

[@anastasiamatskevitch]

I just thought that AI is gonna hit worse neurodivergent people, as an auDHD person, I'm better at writing/producing/artwork than communicating. Communicating and presenting myself is so hard for me, sometimes even painful, so that's something to think about

[@jacksolleguitar]

The all electronic genres are more at risk than the live music ones. So Pop and EDM producers will definitely need to keep up. For rock and metal AI is further away I think. But I definitely see the tendency of people writing metal music to make it so technical that it sounds robotic by design. I would love an AI that would scan the Guitar Pro file and got me realistically sounding guitars. Maybe after that people would wake up and think about writing real songs and not riff-sallads.

[@davidsarabia2587]

This will put a lot of music producers and artist out of business. The dream to make money or have the opportunity will diminish drastically.

[@seansley]

Technology since its onset has always been about providing tools to augment and ease human life. AI should be considered the same - a way to help what we're already doing, to elevate our output, and to relieve stress/ time. More than ever we need to remember, and embrace, the importance of the true human feel and emotion.

[@brucesmith6007]

Saxophone players: i havnt heard anyone really copy dexter gordon, john coltrane, paul desmond, stan getz

[@beartemusic]

From a higher perspective I am finding this subject fundamentally important as it introduces an ethical discussion about human values & machines. For my Master in Music Industry Innovation I did an interview with Futurist Gerd on this matter… So thank you for inspiring this Damo! 💫 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerd_Leonhard 0:02

[@earllsimmins9373]

Today's music ain't got the same soul, give me that old time rock and roll.

[@DamianKeyes]

Interesting!

[@billB101]

/imagine that old time rock and roll in the style of.....

[@markushassel2737]

Machines can never make something new, so creativity will be highly sought after. And that shaves off a lot of the music industry professionals

[@leannbarker2051]

It is a tool. An artist is still an artist and this is not a shortcut for real talent. It is like when Adobe came out with templates for Graphic Artists. It ended up being a tool but the professionals still stood out from the non trained people.

[@healthyliving7226]

Might not be a bad thing. Music has become an elite money making thing. This might just turn it back into a fun way people expressthings like the days of old.

[@DyanBermeo]

I wish there waa a tool that would improve my lead melody.

[@DamianKeyes]

I'm sure Ai can help w ith that but if not, maybe have a think about some co-writes with some other writers. you might work well with people and come up with some genius together 🙂

[@universalmeditation8631]

Let’s just say that AI can make a bigger hit “in the style of Max Martin” and using Max’s entire catalog of music as a template. Eventually Max will find out and I can see this going to court over the producer’s name being used along with the samples of music to create an “original” track for anyone wanting to be like Max. Copywriter lawyers are going to have a field day. Did we forget what happened to Pharrell Williams in the Marvin Gaye estate? It’s only a matter of time.😂

[@PatternShift]

"in the style of" infringement is definitely going to be knocked down firmly by AI lawyers. But there's a lot of stuff models can generate that doesn't have a clear copy-cat lineage.

[@thetravelingvuzz]

I think the real issue with AI isn't the technology itself and whether it can replace a human song. The real issue is the humans that own the AI and how their business practices exploit artists. Visual art AI is trained on existing pieces of often copyrighted art, but it circumvents the law because the technology has outpaced it. Music AI would be no different. All the money generated by AI will go straight into the pockets of tech creators, and none to the artists whose work built it up We may not be able to control whether AI music exists or not, but we can and should control how equitably we live with it.

[@thetravelingvuzz]

This will become more and more of an issue as AI art starts being used for more commercial purposes