Will Ai be the next big step in music?

[eassae]

every era thinks it's over, that thry lived through the nest of times, and it's going downhill.
it's not, it's just different than when we were young.
i try to be more encouraging to the local kids bands, go to the local social club if there's a gig on for example. stay positive, there's plenty of musicians out there still, there always will be.
can't say ive heard anything groundbreaking, but that was always a rare thing anyway, most new scenes that took the world by storm, were just new iterations of what had gone before, take grunge, it's rock with punk elements, nothing actually "new".

But at least they were iterative, it felt like something had changed. I get where you're coming from, and I'll make fun of myself all day and say I'm just old so that's why music today sucks. But, I don't actually think todays music sucks, it's just the same as what's been done in the past…for the most part. Globalization = homogenization, in combination with generations brought up where every failure was imprinted on the web forever, in combination with the ultimate goal in life being fame(not that it wasn't before, but I think it's more intense now)…anyway, all those things lead to more people taking well worn paths. I go on r/indieheads every morning and listen to the new new, and 99% is competent and I've heard it before. It just seems we're in a time of stagnation creatively, and maybe A.I. is just the thing to break us out(I hope it's because of a rebellion against it of course)?

[Zeisner]

It just seems we're in a time of stagnation creatively, and maybe A.I. is just the thing to break us out(I hope it's because of a rebellion against it of course)?

There is creativity (and originality and innovation) but it's tricky to find it in the flood of slop.

[jancivil]

The majority seem so content to color within the lines these days.

outside the lines soon tends have the result of no longer belonging to any majority as far as I can determine.

I've not followed popular music really since the mid-80s. haven't generally been in a car with the radio on since 1991. I drove all day, what else do you do.
There's a big whole world of music with... other things in mind than commercial viability

Tune in/turn on/drop out

[eassae]

There is creativity (and originality and innovation) but it's tricky to find it in the flood of slop.

I agree. Just very, very little, and a whole lot of imitation. There is definitely contemporary music that I enjoy in both camps.

[Bunny_boy]

It just seems we're in a time of stagnation creatively, and maybe A.I. is just the thing to break us out(I hope it's because of a rebellion against it of course)?

There is creativity (and originality and innovation) but it's tricky to find it in the flood of slop.

I dunno, I enjoyed plenty of albums last year that were by artists that I had not heard of previously.

[eassae]

I'm not saying there are not plenty of new artists…most, not all, sound like the old artists.

Sometimes I joke that I've heard 5 new songs since 2000. This is obviously hyperbolic, but it demonstrates how I feel.

[Orchidius]

Hello there,

I liked Adam Neely's take on it:



So yes, "AI music" bad imo.

[Bunny_boy]

I'm not saying there are not plenty of new artists…most, not all, sound like the old artists.

Sometimes I joke that I've heard 5 new songs since 2000. This is obviously hyperbolic, but it demonstrates how I feel.

What about genres like Grime, Juke, Qgom? I don't think they were around in, say, the 90s (actually all three are pretty established genres! Can't think of any new ones!). Stuff from last year by Aya, DJ Haram, Djrum sounded pretty fresh to me, but, of course, ymmv

[Constructed Identity]

Through the years music makes strides into new realms with the help of technology. The last big step in more recent years was The Beatles realizing the studio can be sort of an instrument or Fx. Then came the synthesizer and a little later the sequencer and DAW. Now we are looking at Ai. Is this the next Holy Grail? Will someone come along and create a completely new music form with the assistance of Ai? History predicts they will, yes. So now we know.

Everyone seems to be worrying about Ai imitating what we have already created. But lets get real, the true possibilities have not yet been realized. What was Beatles until they came along and changed the way music was written and created. What would Depeche Mode be without synthesis? Who will be the first to blow our minds with the start of a new musical revolution?

I should create a bot to reply to all these

[eassae]

I liked Adam Neely's take on it:

I don't think his take is really too considered. AI doesn't have to just exist in the box. You could say have AI performances, each one completely unique, within a certain genera of course, with accompanying AI visual show that plays off what is going on in the audience. This is just one example off the top of my head, but thousands upon thousands of people will go see DeadMau5 push play on his computer with pre-recorded light show, and there are tons of acts like this, so I think the same people would possibly attend something like above. I'm sure there are many ways people will think of taking AI "performance" in to IRL big and small audience situations.

Also, most recorded audio sounds better than the live performance counter part, and people that are looking for that quality of sound will still gravitate toward recorded music. This excludes orchestral performances, and chamber music, some small intimate settings…but if you want quality sound listening to a cd is better than going to say a rock concert. I realize there are many reasons to go to various concerts but sound quality isn't one of them, for me anyway.

I do think he's right that people working more in the recorded music realm are going to face more challenges than live performers, at least initially, and I agree that trust is already being eroded for recorded mediums. I know it has for me. I find myself listening much more closely now looking for the artifacting and phase issues that are currently part of most AI output.

All this said, I in no way endorse the use of AI in art.

[annode]

...as soon as babies can hold a shaker, you can see how much we love music.

I'd say the baby is using a tool, so as to have an effect on their world. Smart well intentioned people will find new ways to use Ai to enrich our lives. However, like the atomic bomb, it can bring peace as well as disaster.

[bermudagold]

It just seems we're in a time of stagnation creatively, and maybe A.I. is just the thing to break us out(I hope it's because of a rebellion against it of course)?

There is creativity (and originality and innovation) but it's tricky to find it in the flood of slop.

I dunno, I enjoyed plenty of albums last year that were by artists that I had not heard of previously.

You should start a thread to this regard and list them...been a long time since i had a quality album experience

[Grizzellda]

AI is the biggest step BACKWARD in music history. Nothing new or innovative will ever come out of it. It’s de-evolution time for our species, and this is a symptom of a greater malaise.
I blame Karaoke, personally.

Well, I do not see karaoke as a villain here, necessarily... but pretty much agree with this post, or understand what he is saying.

I actually think that AI composition tools could be cool, I will use them too...

But I am really thinking that a band has prolly got to show up and just play live!

Shake that shit!!! Right? AI cannot replace that, and it may become more important as time goes on.

And what about modern "music videos"...can we believe what we see?

If I am in a band, and we show up, with amplifiers and equipment, people will know we are there, for real.

[vurt]

...as soon as babies can hold a shaker, you can see how much we love music.

I'd say the baby is using a tool, so as to have an effect on their world. Smart well intentioned people will find new ways to use Ai to enrich our lives. However, like the atomic bomb, it can bring peace as well as disaster.

at the moment, what we call ai, is just a pimped up google search, it can only return learned information, it can't use the information to innovate something new.
when in the distant future, we have actual ai, things may be different, but looking at the power it takes, we mere mortals may not be able to afford to use it

[zerocrossing]

Through the years music makes strides into new realms with the help of technology. The last big step in more recent years was The Beatles realizing the studio can be sort of an instrument or Fx. Then came the synthesizer and a little later the sequencer and DAW. Now we are looking at Ai. Is this the next Holy Grail? Will someone come along and create a completely new music form with the assistance of Ai? History predicts they will, yes. So now we know.

Everyone seems to be worrying about Ai imitating what we have already created. But lets get real, the true possibilities have not yet been realized. What was Beatles until they came along and changed the way music was written and created. What would Depeche Mode be without synthesis? Who will be the first to blow our minds with the start of a new musical revolution?

BTW, the Beatles, as great as they were, did not "discover the studio can be sort of an instrument or FX." Les Paul was experimenting with studio tape stuff long before them, and I imagine he wasn't really the first either.