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Artificial intelligence is writing ever better pop songs at the push of a button. Artists see their income plummet.
With the support of artificial intelligence, songwriting becomes child’s play. One of the newest digital music generators is Suno.Ai. You can use it to create potential hits at the push of a button: enter the desired text, select the musical style, press “create” – and after 30 seconds the software suggests two song variants.
It’s surprisingly close to something made by humans
«Crazy! “It comes surprisingly close to something made by people,” says SRF music consultant and musician James Varghese during a self-experiment. The software spits out catchy melodies. The lyrics also make sense, even if they sometimes contain errors and the sound quality doesn’t always convince the musician.
But such new tools could pose a threat to the industry.
Legend: Artificial intelligence writes ever better pop songs at the push of a button. Getty Images/Xia Yuan
Music creators’ income could disappear
The Swiss musician Marc Sway does not see himself as directly threatened by music AI, but he speaks for those who are less in the spotlight and write lyrics or music in the background: “In the future, they will have to make a living from their craft and be paid for it ».
In the future, musicians will have to make a living from their craft and be paid for it.
Sway fears that this may soon no longer be the case.
The German and French music collecting societies share this fear. 71 percent of its members see their existence threatened, like one Study shows. In the next five years, 27 percent of music creators’ income could disappear.
This would be the case if the composers and rights holders did not share in the proceeds from AI music. The industry sees around 950 million euros in copyright royalties at risk in Germany and France alone.
This probably also applies to Switzerland, says Andreaswegelin, managing director of Suisa, which represents copyright in this country. Initially, less complex music is primarily affected – producers of so-called lift music – which AI can produce practically for free.
Legend: Will.i.am warns of unregulated AI in the music industry SRF
Protest from Billie Eilish and Stevie Wonder
Given the rapid technological progress of AI music, US world stars are also fighting back. 200 signatories, including Billie Eilish and Stevie Wonder in one, demand this in an open letter open letterthat AI developers and music platforms should not develop technologies that undermine or even replace the performance of female artists.
Although AI offers great creative potential, some platforms disregard the rights of music creators.
Megastar Will.i.am told SRF at the WEF that the technology holds many opportunities. But: “I’m worried about greed and opaque business practices.”
Greed and opaque business practices concern me.
The tools are “fed” with millions of real songs, but there is hardly any transparency about this. It is also unclear who owns the rights to the AI music pieces.
Suisa therefore demands that music creators have a say in whether their works can be used by AI tools. Not an easy matter. The AI music entrepreneurs operate worldwide.
Soon to be a number 1 hit from KI?
Marc Sway believes it is possible that artificial intelligence will soon compose a number 1 hit, but only thanks to “feeding” it with original songs.
He hopes that human creativity will continue to be in demand. “But there is a danger that AI music will flood the market and it will become increasingly difficult to stand out with your own art and passion.”
There is a danger that AI music will flood the market and it will become increasingly difficult to stand out with your own art and passion.”
Man versus machine. The outcome of the race is uncertain.