Grimes is Leading the AI Music Revolution

Welcome to my latest newsletter What ladidai Has to Say, where I discuss tunes, tech, and trends that interest me. I’m ladi and I’m happy to have you! Today’s second edition is all about 2023’s hottest topic—artificial intelligence—and how it will revolutionize the music industry as we know it.

Let’s dive in.

AI Drake vs. The Music Industry

In recent months, the use of AI-generated music has been gaining popularity, with "AI Drake" being the most notable example to date.

The music industry was recently rocked by the release of a viral track that sounded like it was performed by Drake featuring The Weeknd and produced by Metro Boomin, but was actually created using AI. The track “heart on my sleeve” by Ghostwriter amassed over 1 million streams across DSPs, leaving many in the industry to wonder about the implications of this emerging technology on the music business.

Ghostwriter's use of AI technology to create a track that emulated Drake's signature sound was both impressive and controversial. While some in the industry were impressed by the technology's ability to replicate a popular artist’s style, others were concerned about the impact it could have on the creative process and authenticity in music. Universal Music Group, the home of Drake, The Weeknd, and Metro Boomin, ultimately had the track removed across platforms, citing copyright infringement.

Despite the controversy, the success of Ghostwriter's track has sparked conversation about the potential uses of AI technology in music creation, and how the industry can adapt to these new developments. Many are questioning the legality and ethics of using AI to replicate a musician's voice. Nonetheless, as technology continues to advance, it's important for the industry to remain proactive and find ways to embrace and incorporate these emerging technologies, rather than simply reacting to them after the fact.

The Grimes AI Experiment

Musician and tech enthusiast Grimes has taken a different approach. In a recent tweet, she launched a unique experiment in music creation by inviting music artists to create AI-generated music using her voice, acknowledging the role of technology in the creative process and the potential benefits of collaboration between humans and machines. This move could potentially set a new standard for how the music industry deals with AI-generated music in the future.

This project has sparked a discussion about the role of AI in the music industry and how it can be incorporated into the creative process. In this context, the music industry can explore ways to monetize AI-generated music, establish legal frameworks for ownership and distribution, and educate both creatives and executives on the benefits and limitations of this technology.

Why Grimes

Grimes is the perfect artist to pioneer this venture into the world of AI music collaboration. She has a reputation for experimenting with different sounds, themes, and genres, and has often pushed the boundaries of what is considered "traditional" music. Grimes’ “post Internet” sound is characterized by its eclectic blend of genres, experimental soundscapes, and unconventional approaches to songwriting and production.

Her willingness to embrace emerging technologies has been a key feature of her artistic vision. In 2021, Grimes auctioned off an exclusive collection of digital artworks as NFTs, amassing $6 million in sales. As a consistent early adopter, it’s no surprise that she’s the first artist of her caliber to explore how to both systematically and ethically incorporate this novel technology into music creation and collaboration.

Why AI

The music industry should embrace AI technology because it has the potential to revolutionize the way music is created, distributed, and consumed. AI algorithms can assist artists in generating new sounds, melodies, and rhythms that they wouldn’t have necessarily formulated themselves or through traditional collaborative means. This can lead to a more diverse and innovative musical landscape, where artists can experiment with new sounds and genres.

Additionally, AI-generated music can provide new revenue streams for artists and the music industry at large, as the music can be licensed for a number of commercial purposes. AI can help to further democratize the music industry by enabling emerging artists to collaborate with more established artists, like the Grimes and Drakes of the world. Rising musicians might not be able to afford an official feature, but if the infrastructure is put in place for the vocal likenesses of superstars to be utilized legally, that can be game changing for all parties involved.

Given the rapid success of “heart on my sleeve” and other AI songs that have gone viral on TikTok, it’s evident there exists a demand for it by traditional music consumers.

@blizziboitv

Replying to @trey_.pitts the whole industry need to go ahead and let me 📝 . #ai #aidrake #drakeai #aimusic #airap #chatgpt #songwriter #ly... See more

How AI

This process may not be easy or swift, and varying degrees of nuance are necessary, but here are the five simplest steps that the music industry needs to take to incorporate AI into the mainstream:

1. Develop AI-assisted music creation tools: The music industry should invest in developing AI-assisted music creation tools that enable artists to create music using AI algorithms. These tools can help artists generate new sounds, melodies, and rhythms, which they can then incorporate into their music. Ideally, there would also be a database of vocals with the metadata as well as the ability to operate new AI training models.

2. Establish legal frameworks for AI-generated music: As AI-generated music becomes more prevalent, it is essential to establish legal frameworks that govern the ownership and distribution of this music. Entertainment attorneys, IP attorneys, and other legal experts need to create clear guidelines for copyright and licensing of AI-generated music. Beyond this, legislative changes need to be put into effect to expand the current definitions as well create new regulations of what is allowable within legal bounds.

3. Educate artists and executives on AI-generated music: Understandably, both creatives and executives alike have been reticent to embrace AI. It’s imperative that all music professionals are educated on the benefits and limitations of AI-generated music. By educating artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, music supervisors, etc., a more inclusive and innovative musical landscape will be fostered.

4. Foster collaboration between artists and AI: The music industry can encourage collaboration between artists and AI by creating platforms and opportunities that allow artists to experiment with AI-generated music and each other. Grimes’ recent announcement (with the help of her manager, Daouda Leonard) is an excellent example of how this collaboration can work.

5. Monetize AI-generated music: The music industry can explore different ways to monetize AI-generated music. What does licensing look like? What are fair splits? By monetizing AI-generated music, artists and rights holders can earn additional revenue streams. So it’s important to determine what those best practices can look like and to continue experimenting along the way.

Several of these steps are iterative and occur concurrently, but this is the basic oversimplified outline. It’s important to note that from the onset (so, like yesterday) creatives and executives alike need to be involved, or the tone will be set and solidified by tech founders and VCs who have little to no understanding of music creation or the music business.

The Case for Web3

What does web3 have to do with AI?

Music industry professionals, such as Rob Abelow and Benjamin James, have already recognized and expounded upon the connection between blockchain technology and artificial intelligence as it pertains to mass adoption in the music industry. In a recent tweet, Ben stated that blockchain-based solutions can help "empower the creators, and reduce the middlemen and inefficiencies that plague the industry."

A lot of the focus on blockchain is related to payments, but at its core, blockchain is utilized for verifying authenticity. With the introduction of any new technology, there will always be bad actors, so it’s important to have ways to mitigate fraudulent behavior as much as possible from the beginning.

Grimes also recognizes the potential of blockchain technology, in the monetary sense, as evidenced by her recent tweet in which she explained to her followers that smart contracts would be used to pay out AI collaborators. Smart contracts are self-executing agreements that are stored on a blockchain, allowing for automatic verification and execution of contractual terms. This could be a game-changer for AI collaborated music, as it could provide a secure, quick, and transparent system for verifying ownership and distributing payments to collaborators. For those who are familiar with the web3 music space, these have long been in effect, but in this particular use case the focus isn’t on NFTs.

Overall, the use of blockchain technology could provide a much-needed solution to the challenges of authentication and payments in the music industry. The integration of blockchain technology with AI music creation tools could create a more efficient and equitable system for creating, distributing, and monetizing music.

Why Now

The music industry has a history of being left behind when it comes to embracing emerging technologies. When Napster arrived on the scene in the late 1990s, the music industry was slow to react, and as a result, lost a significant amount of revenue due to widespread piracy. Similarly, the advent of streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL caught the industry off guard, and many artists and labels were left with little bargaining power.

Now, the industry is at risk of being left behind yet again. The rise of blockchain technology and AI, in particular, could revolutionize the way music is distributed and consumed, but the industry has been slow to embrace these innovations.

The music industry must take action now. By embracing AI, blockchain, and other emerging technologies in tandem, the music industry can create new systems and enhance old systems to better suit the needs of both artists and consumers. It is crucial that the industry be proactive rather than reactive, in order to stay ahead of the curve and maintain its relevance in an ever-changing landscape.

Music industry, the ball is in your court. Let’s play.

ladidai is a web2.5 music tech professional with a passion for music, emerging technology, pop culture, social media, and the creator economy. Learn more here. If you enjoyed, please share! Send all inquiries to [email protected]