Music Trend for the Next Decade

I have written many articles about music and A.I. in the past, and I have some new thoughts.

A.I. is now playing an increasingly important role in music search engines, how new artists get discovered, and how artists’ music gets distributed. Content and musicianship are still important, but what we could do to monetise these assets is inevitably linked to terms that have nothing to do with music. Terms such as ‘A.I.’ and ‘SEO’ (search engine optimization) are now used for the analysis that determines the algorithms to discover artists’ music. A.I. has become so powerful in determining an artist’s success that no musician can afford to ignore it.

For example, TikTok is one of the most powerful platforms for ‘adaptive music,’ where users can choose their adaptive themes on the fly in response to other users’ commands and context. Who would ever think that TikTok would become of the most important venues for music distribution?

A.I. is also helping companies to lower costs in finding the right theme for their ads, movies, and TV programs. A&R can use A.I. systems to analyze lyrics, harmony structure, melodic lines, song, and structure of the production of thousands of pieces, which can then be used to make music more searchable and suitable for entertainment and ads. A.I. can also manage works and track royalties, including songs and sound recordings.

As a songwriter, just like many of my peers, one would probably ask, “So, if A.I. is so powerful and able to analyze anything and everything from Bach to Blackpink, then where does the creativity come in if all we need to do is to use AI to ‘search,’ ‘cut,’ and ‘paste’ what we want?” My answer is simple. There is a red line between “consciousness,’ ‘life experience,’ ‘civilization, culture,’ and ‘humanization.’ A.I. is simply a machine that can collect data, analyze a vast pool of information, and come up with suggestions. Humans, on the other hand, are still in the driver’s seat as we continue to innovate. Civilization and human interaction through touch and feeling are still not replaceable by computers. Yes, a machine can write a love letter and recreate music based on data. However, it will never be able to have a ‘real life experience’ and write music based on real human interaction, love, and life experience.

This is all making me sound like the old-school advocate. I do, however, believe A.I. does have an important role in helping artists to be discovered and get their music distributed without losing a huge chunk of their earnings. It helps businesses streamline operations and cut costs.

Human creativity is here to stay—it remains both the foundation and the cornerstone of innovation and progress.