From drum machines to AI: How musicians can lead the way for labels

Musicians are using AI technology to enhance their creativity and shape the future of music. Keep reading to discover how labels can learn from these innovative artists.

by Michael Nevins, VP of Marketing and Comms at Music.AI

Composers, musicians and producers have been tech-forward from the beginning. George Martin was a pioneer in bending technology to create never-before-heard sounds for The Beatles in the ‘60s. Without producers embracing nascent technologies such as the drum machine, sampler and sequencer in the ‘80s, genres like electronic and hip hop would not have emerged. 

In those days, labels did find and develop new talent but were largely in the business of manufacturing and distributing music, while musicians and musical instrument manufacturers were on the frontlines, collaborating to push boundaries through experimentation and exploration of new technologies. Les Paul and Gibson, Bob Moog and Wendy Carlos, Stevie Wonder – the list goes on.

“music makers have pulled up their own seat at the table”

This remains true today. While the labels and AI companies thrash it out in the courtroom, music makers have pulled up their own seat at the table and have been engaging with AI tools in creative and harmonious ways. 

Musicians have always been the ones to push forward long before labels and embrace technology. It is this collaboration between artists and technologists that helps the evolution of the art form: as history has shown, their tendency to innovate has advanced music creation in unexpected and delightful ways.

So what lessons can labels learn from the musicians and creators who are the ones that are actually using these emergent technologies?

• Technology and human artistry can live in harmony – when the drum machine was invented, people said drummers would go out of business. Just because technology can replace humans, it doesn’t mean it will. 
• The best use of AI in music is assistive – separating stems, isolating vocals. AI is most effective when it feeds into human creativity. Not the other way around. 
• Artists are viewing AI as another tool in a whole suite of tools, such as sampled instruments, chord progressions – all pre-AI software that musicians have been using for decades.
• AI hugely broadens the scope of who can create music. Centuries ago, you needed a patron’s support to create art. 50 years ago, you needed access to a studio. The barrier to entry for creating music is now at its lowest, meaning we are in an age of thriving subculture, born out of the diversification of music creation.
• Music creation is becoming increasingly democratized, creating new opportunities for a diverse set of creators to serve a diverse audience. This is a good trend, and with AI, it is accelerating.
• While voice timbre modeling (sometimes referred to as voice cloning) is seen as a threat, it’s creating new opportunities and efficiencies for producers and vocalists to collaborate in new ways, often generating new revenue streams for singers.

Ultimately, the integration of AI in music offers an unprecedented opportunity for innovation and creativity. By learning from musicians who are adept at harnessing new technologies, labels can better navigate the evolving landscape of the music industry, ensuring that both artistry and technology continue to drive the future of music forward.