It’s arrived. Predictable and disappointing nonetheless.

[Pirate Captain]

on the bright side...I really believe all of this is driving people to seek out real music and real musical instruments. Maybe the "perfection" won't be there, but that won't be what people are after. Pop megastars might have had their last "era"

And for context: I'm a piano technician at a Steinway dealership. We, legit, can't keep acoustic pianos in stock. We sell ten of those for every one (admittedly top of the line) digital hybrid

 

[Bander]

You know, some folks prefer the fake Kraft macaroni and cheese in a box that has no cheese, to a crafted dish of baked cheese and pasta casserole. And some folks prefer the fake banana pudding in a box with imitation banana flavor to a well crafted Southen Living baked banana pudding with meringue like a toasted marshmallow. But, some will not. In other words, im not worried.

 

[turf3]

Well, sadly, pretty much everyone who is creating AI music/art/etc. does think it's a good thing. Because now, they don't need to be good at making music or art, just good at manipulating software. And most of them don't understand, don't get the big deal about why so many people are unhappy about this.

This will all likely become natural in time...just the way it is, and every argument against will be compared with old people yelling at clouds. Oh well, I'll keep on making and listening to original music anyways.

I'm sure a lot of the people at the Velveeta plant think it's a good thing too. And yet there continue to be people who buy Stilton and Double Gloucester.

The bifurcation of American society continues, where the majority of people think that high fructose corn syrup, Velveeta, Wonder bread, are food, that AI generated bro-country is country music, that reality TV expresses the human condition; and where there are other people who cook their own food from scratch, play real musical instruments, and read Dickens and Barth. Each group will be increasingly unable to understand the other.

 

[monsterthompson]

Rick Beato breaks the story down. Basically the chart that this was “Number 1” on was 3,000 units sold on iTunes for $0.99 each.
Rick also talks about how clicking on this stuff just adds to the plays and exposure and even he “shouldn’t" be doing it.

 

[VJP]

As long as he holds his chin in his hand Rick can explain everything.

 

[Neil Folkard]

The bifurcation of American society continues, where the majority of people think that high fructose corn syrup, Velveeta, Wonder bread, are food, that AI generated bro-country is country music, that reality TV expresses the human condition; and where there are other people who cook their own food from scratch, play real musical instruments, and read Dickens and Barth. Each group will be increasingly unable to understand the other.

A sobering and likely true statement.

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

I created this Playlist recently, MIHTL - Music I Hate To Love.

Don't open the link if you don't want to give AI music $0.0001 (or whatever Spotify pays) per play.



It's really f'ing good soul and funk versions of classic and indie rock. It's AI. And I'm embarrassed to admit how much I love these versions of these songs.

And there will be those who say how generic or hollow or soulless it is. And I would challenge anyone who didn't know it was AI to be able to identify it as such.

I hate that AI is making music this good. I hate that it's impacting hard working, trained musicians who already don't get paid enough. I tried to avoid it as long as possible, but alas here I am apologetically loving these tunes. In fact I've been inspired by the bass lines and have been starting to transcribe some of them. They are great studies in a style that I want to study more deeply. I am (and have been) studying originals too.

One of the projects, The Professor Nick Harrison seems to have a real person behind it. Maybe he's even singing on those tracks? I don't know...

Anyhow. Sorry I love it. And I hate that I do.

"I know this stuff is making the world a worse place, but I'm willingly complying because these songs are cute, and there's not enough music out there by real artists." Rhetoric can justify any position.

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

I'm sure a lot of the people at the Velveeta plant think it's a good thing too. And yet there continue to be people who buy Stilton and Double Gloucester.

The bifurcation of American society continues, where the majority of people think that high fructose corn syrup, Velveeta, Wonder bread, are food, that AI generated bro-country is country music, that reality TV expresses the human condition; and where there are other people who cook their own food from scratch, play real musical instruments, and read Dickens and Barth. Each group will be increasingly unable to understand the other.

Incredibly well said.

 

[Neil Folkard]

Commercial music was ensh17ified generations ago. So a computer is being trained on and making more pablum now? Instead of humans? AI is training on what has already happened. Popular human music always does the same thing as well with few exceptions (thank god for the exceptions).

Good points, but I think that a lot of people (maybe, with reason) are concerned that AI will creep its way into all styles of music, not just pop.

A whole AI progressive rock album, in the style of the 70s has now been created. But yeah, AI still can't create something truly unique from the given elements.

 

[monsterthompson]

I just stumbled across a an interview with Brian Eno that looks to touch on the subject of AI in art. I’ll be listening to this later but I’m sharing it now assuming it’ll be of interest to some in the thread.

 

[micguy]

^^^this^^^ If only there was an icon for a double thumbs up.

Ask chat gpt to design one for you.

 

[darev]

American society [...] where the majority of people think that high fructose corn syrup, Velveeta, Wonder bread, are food, that AI generated bro-country is country music, that reality TV expresses the human condition

Yessiree, Bob

I've been kicking against those pricks my whole life

 

[bass12]

The material we know is AI doesn't bother me nearly as much as the idea that in the future no one will know for sure what hasn't been assisted by AI. I mean, how many people are going to incorporate AI into the composition process and not acknowledge it?

 

[FilterFunk]

on the bright side...I really believe all of this is driving people to seek out real music and real musical instruments. Maybe the "perfection" won't be there, but that won't be what people are after. Pop megastars might have had their last "era"

Good point. So much of pop music is so processed and overproduced that it may become indistinguishable from the AI-generated stuff, if it isn't already.

Future pop megastars will probably have to have exceptional charisma and stage presence (which brings us back to live music) in order to draw consumers to them and away from AI-created artists/bands.

 

[Pirate Captain]

Good point. So much of pop music is so processed and overproduced that it may become indistinguishable from the AI-generated stuff, if it isn't already.

Future pop megastars will probably have to have exceptional charisma and stage presence (which brings us back to live music) in order to draw consumers to them and away from AI-created artists/bands.

Exactly...why do you need Taylor Swift misquoting Shakespeare when you can just have AI generate stuff about your actual life and friends?

 

[turf3]

Good point. So much of pop music is so processed and overproduced that it may become indistinguishable from the AI-generated stuff, if it isn't already.

Future pop megastars will probably have to have exceptional charisma and stage presence (which brings us back to live music) in order to draw consumers to them and away from AI-created artists/bands.

Yes, and Taylor Swift is the classic example of that. What she offers (and I respect her as a businesswoman) is unthreatening mall music completely indistinguishable from thousands of other pieces of unthreatening mall music, delivered by a beautiful young woman, backed up by superbly choreographed dancers, none of whom is wearing too much clothing - but just enough clothing to be appealing, not sleazy.

but hey, way back in the 70s we were joking that disco was all being extruded by a big machine somewhere in LA without any human participation. Mass-market pasteurized sound product hasn't gotten any less mechanical formulaic and predictable since then, I assure you. While it may be that AI generated pasteurized sound product is indistinguishable from the same stuff produced with minor marginal human involvement, none of it is what I would actually call MUSIC.

I rather suspect it'll be a long time before you can't tell the difference between AI and, say, Rahsaan Roland Kirk; or Albert Ayler; or Louis Armstrong; or Leslie West, or Charles Mingus.

 

[FilterFunk]

Yes, and Taylor Swift is the classic example of that. What she offers (and I respect her as a businesswoman) is unthreatening mall music completely indistinguishable from thousands of other pieces of unthreatening mall music, delivered by a beautiful young woman, backed up by superbly choreographed dancers, none of whom is wearing too much clothing - but just enough clothing to be appealing, not sleazy.

but hey, way back in the 70s we were joking that disco was all being extruded by a big machine somewhere in LA without any human participation. Mass-market pasteurized sound product hasn't gotten any less mechanical formulaic and predictable since then, I assure you. While it may be that AI generated pasteurized sound product is indistinguishable from the same stuff produced with minor marginal human involvement, none of it is what I would actually call MUSIC.

I rather suspect it'll be a long time before you can't tell the difference between AI and, say, Rahsaan Roland Kirk; or Albert Ayler; or Louis Armstrong; or Leslie West, or Charles Mingus.

"...pasteurized sound product..." - oh, I'm stealing that!

 

[porkynuggets]

It's #1 in downloads... No one downloads. They bought the #1 spot. Who cares?

 

[porkynuggets]

The material we know is AI doesn't bother me nearly as much as the idea that in the future no one will know for sure what hasn't been assisted by AI. I mean, how many people are going to incorporate AI into the composition process and not acknowledge it?

Live humans at live music venues, it's all I want now

 

[bass12]

Live humans at live music venues, it's all I want now

Well, just think of how saturated the world of recorded music will become. People think there’s a lot of junk to sift through now? It’s about to get a whole lot worse.