I'm Trying To Make Sense Of It All

[@touchthemusic9618]

I'v been a musician, composer , producer for several decades . I've mostly embraced new technologies and how those technologies impact the way music is composed , produced and experienced . I remember working with tape before DAWS . I 've noticed over the past two decades how there's so more and more music that sounds like other music . auto tune, auto edit , auto mix and auto master . I'm challenging myself now as a producer to help create music that is identifiably human as much as possible in the current time and space . I agree also there is a resurgence in organic and live music . The artists that stand out in any genres are the ones that communicate and resonate humanity . Fred Again is great example . Lana Del Rey . While I am fascinated with the capabilities of AI and the possibilities . I think it still remains that the art that rises above the generic and predictable and automated is still the art that somehow impacts at a level beyond mere entertainment .

[@Steven_Beddall]

Great comment and agree with you 100%

[@mansij_cycling]

Really good content Steve! I think AI is getting quite advanced everyday, but I feel if we have a very strong identity as composers, and a unique sound, people might still be interested in getting that sound from us, or becoming real fans. So these days, I am focusing even more in getting my sound out there. and staying true to my artistic identity rather than thinking about being versatile. But yes, AI is progressing quite fast.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Cheers Mansij! I'm with you on that!

[@davidmcpoland5286]

I've got to admit, this last 2 weeks I've heard people generating pretty amazing tracks in all genres and I find it quite depressing. I thought ai would eliminate the low effort composers who drag and drop loops together, and that's what it was for a short while, but the last few weeks something has changed. Now those same low effort composers are getting even better results using even less effort.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Hey David, thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts!

[@bettylaselli2048]

​@@Steven_Beddallthanks to you! For sharing your great work. ❤

[@RickyMontijo]

Yeah i agree and feel the same way… not sure if im just doom scrolling or if this is as big of a deal as I think it is…

[@osynthwrfmusic]

Hey Steve, nice video as always :) For me, I'm so much focus on trying to grow better as musician and composer that I really don't look at AI. While we can't deny the impact it will have on the markets we are working on , while it will impact our job, I just don't manage to feel afraid. The real matter for me is ME, my work, my opportunities. I take me too much time to dig about AI, it take too much of my brain. It's already there, we won't be able to fight it, we will probably able to work with it, be replaced maybe ? Right now, I don't care, my music and evolution first. Diversification is probably the best key. No need to go in full organic stuff or anything like that, just try to find another market, another way to use our talent and skills. I think more and more about producing some instrumentals track, pop genre, for singers. AI will be able to do this as well, fine. But there will be many people who will enjoy the human interaction !

[@arko_s]

I think, US came up with a law about making those music used for training public recently but it's still interesting! I think AI would be a tool after all.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Cheers Arko

[@TheChocDonk2000]

Best I've heard it put is - AI was meant to help creatives with the tedious but instead, it helps the tedious with the creative.

[@thejawshop-AdventureRecording]

I am in an AI paradox, much like the next guy. I too bailed from the road, and started a project called Adventure Recording. The odd field recordings that I capture are unique to their environment and performance on the day, and part of their fate will only feed the AI machine. But like Steve, I can't help but keep going. I am not going to let the machine kill the spirit.

[@brainrussell6811]

Forget the copyright angle... no real avenue for recourse. Everybody copies everybody in every artistic endeavor. I came to terms with this reality and have moved on from the fear angle. Kubrick/Spielberg's A.I.becomes more and more prescient with each passing year.

[@MarcoPolux]

Stevie B, you are a good man; although very mad about this theme, you are composed and polite. Let's ride the wave and share this thoughts as you have to, at least, help each other to stir our surfboard to the best outcome into inevitability. You've been a good guide on my way to produce for SML.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Thanks for listening! 🏄‍♂

[@Evoke-Chaos]

i'm just getting started and so far made on only a single sale on p5 lol and now AI is already taking my job?

[@johnnygorillas]

great video, Stevie! It is concerning and your thoughts about going "back to the artist path" or playing live are something that came to my mind as well.

[@matthewstewart317]

I have spent the past 4 years learning, educating, practicing, late nights, pushing myself to become a better composer. My friends yesterday sent me AI tracks and said "look what I wrote". It wasn't terrible, and it made me feel a bit defeated. Because it diminishes the effort I have put in and diminishes the point of learning how to write, listen and produce. In saying that it's OK. Because I am going to keep writing, composing producing the way I have been and still trying to get better

[@Steven_Beddall]

Appreciate the comment! Thanks for listening.

[@matthewstewart317]

@@Steven_Beddall thank you! You have really inspired me after discovering you a few weeks ago. Love your content!

[@Steven_Beddall]

Thanks so much @@matthewstewart317

[@monksee]

But the thing is the tracks that your friends sent you aren't copyrightable. So they could never release it or claim ownership of it. They could never register AI generated material with a PRO etc. Whereas your original music IS copyrightable and you own it. That's the difference. :)

[@mikehurley2349]

@@monksee The Problem is that theres no way to regulate that. Whats to stop someone from generating an AI song and lying about it? Especially as the tech. gets better and better it will be completely indistinguishable from human made music.

[@EBMZEQUENZER]

Fist victim will be a score composer were there's minimal use of vocals if any at all : and commercial market will be the first to take advantage of it, music for commercials absolutely free so you see where this is going : this will not eliminate musicians but it will have devastating impact on music industry if they will manage to survive : this will eventually lead to Butlerian Jihad (some will get it) 😁😁 The question remains can we adopt or do we lose this completely ?

[@Steven_Beddall]

The Great Revolt! hehe 😉

[@cedricsimonakafrozenjazz]

Hi Steve, yes, I was shocked by Udio, just listened to a jazz-rock track, with guitar and sax improv' and many chord changes... Could not tell it was AI. Bad timing for me as I am just starting in this business... I guess we have to beat the machine by being more human, and maybe do more "tailor" music, where the customer really wants precise things and is happy to exchange with you, the producer, about details on the track you are composing.

[@TRXST.ISSUES]

The one edge we have is a real human relationship with an audience. “Human Specialness” will take a hit from an egoic perspective, but art remains art regardless of the surrounding tech. Whether it’s 2024 or 2400. We have to embrace the tech and not fight it, use our creative edges to surpass the uncommitted.

[@redwithblackstripes]

We embraced the tech of led in gasoline until we didn't, there is no fatality or way the things are here this is 100% down to what society will choose for itself.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Appreciate the comment, thanks for listening!

[@_caseyjames]

complete bullshit.

[@TRXST.ISSUES]

@@_caseyjames explain it completely.

[@_caseyjames]

@@TRXST.ISSUES we don’t embrace every piece of ‘tech’ just because it exists. This shit is an abomination

[@jimrogers7425]

We already have AI in products like Scaler 2, etc, so in short, AI is a tool to be used among many tools in the musician's toolkit. However, this also reminds me of the phrase, 'just because you can doesn't mean you should' which is much more applicable to those developing AI than those using it. However, when applied in a responsible manner, AI can be a very useful tool. The real problem is that those with no talent will be able to create tracks that will make them appear to have talent... so with all that said, I hope that (as Elon Musk says), even though AI will displace some career paths, it will create even more jobs and career paths. Time will tell us much more... but remember, as Michael Crichton said in his novel, Jurassic Park, 'just because you can doesn't mean you should.' Cheers to you Stevie! Nice video!

[@Steven_Beddall]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jim!

[@JedDemlowProductions]

Good talk Steve. I agree with you and hope you are right that people are always going to want to enjoy experiencing a real live performance from a human being. I fully believe that Artists will continue to come to Nashville to work with real live human producers and musicians for a very long time. I don't think we will be replaced by AI or robots any time soon... HaHa. Keep doing your thing man!

[@davidroberts1187]

100 years ago there were millions of blacksmiths but technology put them out of work. I think it's the march of progress. But I believe everyday life for most is far better today than a century ago.

[@TeslaOsiris]

My first thought when I saw examples from Suno and Udio was: “Sync licensing as a professional is completely f***ed!” The capitalist machine will embrace this tech by whatever means saves them the most money, irrespective of the theft of labor of the “sweat of the brow” from musicians who truly believe and care for the art they make. I truly do not see a path forward for the sync and stock music composers, sadly.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@BrofUJu]

I'm trying not to think this. I'm glad that I work with a pretty boutique library that really specializes in customized stuff. But maybe that will go out the window too.

[@TeslaOsiris]

@@BrofUJu Pawel over at Folia said it as frank as it should be: They will steal your material and not give the slightest fuck over it.

[@BrofUJu]

@@TeslaOsiris there's legislation in the USA right now under work that will basically force AI companies to show where their models are learning from. Like Stevie said, it's very obvious who the models are ripping off

[@redwithblackstripes]

@@BrofUJu And there is the single biggest industry in the United States lobbying against it. The legislation will very likely be watered down by something like an "opt out" policy instead of an "opt in" like in the EU

[@oliverkeenanlyu]

It seems a lot of these new"AI" amateur sites cropping up offering AI generated music is just using midi, and the trained "AI" model to find a perfect match from various samples, loops and synth libraries. It's technically just using already made sounds and loops and just spitting it out as a mp3 or wav. As for the vocals, we've already started seeing plugins and DAWs implement the vocal generator with many voices. So it's actually quite transparent what these so called "AI" sites are doing. Just using buzz words and feeding their model with tons of samples and loops to cause a rumble in the community. While it's always in the back of my head, i'm not scared of this stuff. It sounds like shit and anyone with integrity can tell if they are listening to "AI" music. I'm A library composer as well and as you quite rightly mentioned Stevie in your video, the big libraries, publishers and any other huge company with integrity isn't going to touch this stuff. They certainly don't want these big artists knocking at their door in 10 years with law suits when it turns out that these "AI" models have been ripping them off.

[@НикаК-ъ4ф]

You’re probably right. KZbin and Steam already demand to disclose if there was AI-generated content in your videos/games. And actually from the rumble around Palworld (rumors that they allegedly used AI to create characters models) shows that society isn’t really keen on consuming AI-generated art.

[@storiesreadaloud5635]

It's not just the training data. Nobody is asking the simple question: how is this generating the sounds? on a note by note basis? There is no sample library that comes remotely close to this. It's not generating these sounds, it's literally ripping stems from copyrighted tracks and combining and recombining them lol

[@monksee]

This is exactly my point of view too. There are a lot of copyright issues. It takes tonnes of sound recordings in order to generate a new sound recording. However are the people who own the original sound recordings being paid? It's the same with the AI image generation programs. You can type in anything like "Green Monkey wearing sunglasses" and it takes images from all over the internet in order to generate a new image. But that's an infringement of copyright. Apparently under copyright law anything generated with AI cannot be copyrighted, so I won't be using it myself lol..

[@MCOlangotang]

They aren't stems. The model "learns" how a certain artist / song / genre works and it remembers it for when you call upon it to inference.

[@storiesreadaloud5635]

@@MCOlangotang That makes no sense. How is it generating the sounds? People have been parsing drum beats etc. and they are the exact same as existing tracks, but all mixed up from whatever genre is specified. It is simply the world's most advanced sampler, and that is completely illegal.

[@monksee]

@@MCOlangotang But what is it learning from? It's learning from various different sound recordings and copying the qualities etc and recreating something. Which is an infringement. :/

[@НикаК-ъ4ф]

I believe it use royalty free loops and melodies from splice and stuff, and from stock libraries as well (there are some people who claimed that their tracks were licensed by AI). At least that’s how it sounds like, like it was made by pitching and slicing loops like some advanced beatmakers do.

[@RickyMontijo]

In the next two years i predict we will see the first few viral/charting AI pop. Next 5 years half of the charting songs will be AI ‘Artists’

[@samthesomniator]

shure Pop-Music made by humans is already generic af. 🤷‍♂

[@JeffyG]

Who makes money from A.I. music? The future will be determined by a business model and currently there is no model for profits. The leading A.I. generative music sites aren’t making any money… consumers and end-users will not pay more than $10-$20/month. At those rates, it’s impossible to make money. Will they last? I don’t think so. The only want to make money is to sell AI tools and software to creators, musicians and producers IMO.

[@machineagevoodoo2106]

Of course they want to sell the generative music tools to the biggest publishers

[@bobloomis246]

AI worries me as it does, I think, all of us to some extent or another. It's not about what it is today but what it could be 1 year, 3 years or 5 years down the road. And it's not just the possible threat to my music endeavors, but art and design as well. In addition to being a musician/producer I create wall art, posters and original designs. Even though it's more less hit or miss today, I've used AI to create some hysterically good but nowhere near perfect illustrations. Work that would have taken me weeks to create. I hope we are not seeing the elimination of the Creative class but instead a movement for us creatives to become even more authentic, genuine and heartfelt in our own desires.

[@jonhickmanmusic]

I love your take on this, humble and thoughtful as always Stevie. However, I have a bad feeling that we are kiding ourselves when we think "AI will never sound as good as.....". Personally I think it's a matter of 'when', not 'if'. Art will always exist, but the 'commenrical' side of music (where people don't care who made it) - I can't see how AI doesn't hoover this up eventually.

[@НикаК-ъ4ф]

AI networks aren’t sentient :) they are tools for people to use. And you need to learn how to use it. Those who have money want results, not to learn how to use software that costs money to generate content. If you’ve ever worked with clients, you know that 99% of them can’t explain what they want to a human being even in an hour-long meeting. There’s no way they would be capable to get what they want with a shot prompt for AI...

[@jonhickmanmusic]

@@НикаК-ъ4ф There is truth to that, however you havent considered the very likely scenario of stock libraries getting a few experts to generate thousands of tracks for them, without the need to share profits with a composer. And dont say they won't their track record suggestst that they will do exactly that.

[@samthesomniator]

Its less about if ppl want to use it for YT. They have to. Because YT strikes or copyright-claims and demonetizes everything that is used twice. So its for nearly EVERY stock music even the stuff from KZbins own music-library (lol). And it takes up to days till issues are resolved. After that most content is too late to the party. KZbinrs won't take this any longer. So its either becoming a musician for all content creators of video or using AI music. 🤷‍♂

[@PETSWORLD_]

Does it ever get lonely being a full-time producer? In your studio alone most of the time..staring at a screen all day..Isolation is a killer man. Can you talk about this?

[@Steven_Beddall]

Yeah for sure, great subject to explore in a future vid

[@WillyJunior]

You have to make time for social interaction/friends/partner. Sitting alone all day and being along in the evening definitely is not healthy.

[@KevKlopper]

If its anything similar to stock photography than it will go like this. The new kids on the block that go viral will try to go it alone without having a middle man (the agency) and the established agencies can only get subpar AI generators and therefore are not really appealing to the customer. Thats the only thing keeping stock photography alive for the moment.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing

[@52Cues]

Pond5 didn't release their own model because they sold their learning data to the AI companies. That's how they're hedging their bets.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Right, I guess I meant Shutterstock, not P5. Maybe they’re the ones working on releasing a model?

[@jenssieckmann]

Is AI trained with copyright protected material? I I "train" myself with copyright protected material (when streaming it) to get inspired.

[@suite6creative]

you gotta love it when those who can't make music say ... it's a tool ... complete BS !!! ... if you go to home depot and buy a hammer ... it doesn't build the house ... AI is welfare for those who who lack in creativity and the passion to work at something to succeed and excel ... it's a hand out .... it's Jello ... the poor mans dessert ... a sticker book ... connect the dots art .... in fact the very sales pitch is ... " you don't have to know anything about music" ... "unleash your creativity" ... had I known the future of music was going to be typed, I would taken typing more seriously in HS ... but hey ... far as I am concerned 98% of the last 10 years of music has been AI ... templates, presets and plugins ... 98% of today's producers only witness the music being made ... but they are far far far from creating it ... it's assembled ... times have changed ... not looking too promising for anything these days ... still waiting for arnold to show up and ask for sarah connor ... my 2¢

[@JonasDenolf]

A.I is scary af

[@bjornark]

Well said, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Currently I am in a "wait and see" mode, but I do not like the AI space at all even if the tech is really cool. I think AI as a concept will be detrimental to the human race. This is the technology-side of me talking. I have seen the technological development since we used dial-up to connect to the Internet. Have always been interested in technology, often I was the first one getting that new cool gadget and I have always been like this. However on this particular tech I think we need to push the brake. Not only because of music, but everything else it can do. I am still going to produce music, and focus on my artist-brand. That is what gives me the most enjoyment and I will probably not stop doing that. I am grateful for not being financially dependent on music production though.

[@Steven_Beddall]

Cheers Bjornar, wishing you well and thanks for the thoughtful comment!

[@machineagevoodoo2106]

If the discussion would be less about a sort of fantastical "AI" and more about the people and companies that use generative programs to automate new versions of existing music its been trained on, the debate would be settled long ago and the copyright slam would be instantaneous. But no, the debate must be of some intangible technology that lives on its own that is here to shape future culture. No, it isn't, its just a profit greedy business idea made by people. Edit: With the LLM's, its different. Because you can't really speak of intellectual property when it comes to language and editing sentences. That's fair and a basically very inventive and beneficial productivity booster IMHO, but image and sound (or in the future, physical products) automation based on previously published content or products is very different, and in my opinion illegal.

[@andreasfranzmann9634]

Hey Steve, always good to have your opinion so no worries about "another AI video". 🙂 I have pretty similar thoughts right now and honestly my feelings about the future of production music aren't the best. This might reach a point where going back to live music and teaching will be the last financially reliable resorts in music. Which is where I wanted to shift away from in favor of production music, ha, ha. But let's see how mankind will react once the consequences - not only in music - will be figured out. Fingers crossed. Thank you for the video and your thoughts Steve!

[@Steven_Beddall]

Ya I hear you Andy, I don’t want to go back to teaching guitar haha, but I will if I have to!

[@audiomixexpert3175]

How about we take on a PMA challenge to write a comedy song with the help of AI? Just picture it going viral and racking up a million views-what a laugh that would be! Oh btw I used AI to write this comment too 🤣🤣

[@Steven_Beddall]

Thanks for sharing James (written by AI) 😂

[@Grumpyoldgeezer]

AI is the future and will displace pretty much all mainstream music. The listeners won't care. The music makers ony option is to actually do something other than doing the same rigid format structure that has been the only allowable structure.

[@НикаК-ъ4ф]

If the listeners won’t care, then why people cared about rumors that Palworld allegedly used AI to create their characters models? Why KZbin and Steam demand to disclose if there is AI-generated content in your videos/games?

[@JJShalashaska]

ok Stevie, problem is the majority of music we hear on radio and tv already "sucks", meaning that mainstream music is already at AI level. So listeners will not be able to hear the difference between human music and AI music, because listeners are already VERY IGNORANT in music. This thing will push a person with no musical skill to think "I'm gonna make money with AI music without being a musician", and many people and companies will get tricked by this technology. The upside is that AI can actually be helpful for artists about brainstorming ideas. Every artist takes inspiration by some other artists, getting influences and so on. AI models are SURELY trained on copyrighted music...where else they should have been trained? But after all, musicians are already so much exploited, classical music business is already dead since a decade. I didn't even have the time to approach music sync libraries that AI have already taken place! But again, problem is not the AI in itself, problem are listeners, consumers of music who can't even distinguish between AI and human

[@Steven_Beddall]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it!

[@НикаК-ъ4ф]

And yet classical musicians still make a living from music. Nothing is “dead”, it’s just lose its dominating positions at some point. Like radio, television, books and stuff.

[@mooseymoose]

I can see it makes no sense at all.

[@mooseymoose]

Is it cool if I go to sleep on the floor?

[@_R8x_]

Here is the simple truth: Jobs in the creative field, not just music, are becoming extinct in the next decade. Not all of them but many. You have to plan accordingly. The days of the unknown financially successful producer are over. You can find solace in the fact that programmers, who are responsible, are becoming extinct as well.

[@НикаК-ъ4ф]

The more of you give up, the better for those who won’t. So keep going, doomers.