AI alarm shaking up the music market

From the 1970s-influenced rock of Velvet Sundown to the country music of Aventhis and The Devil Inside, AI bands are racking up millions of streams on Spotify.

AI-generated band Velvet Sundown

Bands created entirely by artificial intelligence (AI) are taking music streaming platforms by storm, heralding a new era where work for musicians is scarcer than ever.

From the 1970s-influenced rock of Velvet Sundown to the country music of Aventhis and The Devil Inside, AI bands are racking up millions of streams on Spotify – even though it’s unclear who’s behind the tracks. No major streaming platform – save France’s Deezer – has publicly labeled songs created entirely with AI.

“We are feeling it, though no one has said it outright, that a huge amount of music will be created without knowing who created it and how,” says Oscar-winning artist and music producer Leo Sidran. The rise of AI, he says, may reflect the clichés and formulaicism of much modern music.

In the podcast Imagine AI Live, producer and musician Yung Spielburg argues that human-made music will still win if audiences truly listen and care about the artist's message and emotions.

However, in a context where many people only listen to music “for the sake of it” – like when cooking or doing housework – AI will gradually take over, because these products are convenient, cheap and do not require paying royalties. Mr. Yung Spielburg warned: “Music companies and music streaming platforms have a clear incentive to choose AI bands, because AI does not require anything.”

Meanwhile, Professor Dennis DeSantis of the University of Rochester said that digital music platforms are quietly filling playlists with AI-generated “mood music” and labeling artists whose information no one can find. At the same time, AI-generated background music is increasingly used in movies, commercials, shopping malls, and elevators – where humans are gradually being replaced.

Sharing the same view, Professor Mathieu Gendreau of Rowan University (New Jersey) said: "AI is entering the music industry and will not disappear. That makes it harder for artists to make a living from their profession." Artist Sidran himself also admitted that he and many others in the profession have witnessed a clear decrease in the amount of work since the end of last year, possibly due to the explosion of AI.

In fact, technology has helped the music industry flourish - from electric guitars to synthesizers to autotune - but according to Professor George Howard of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, AI is "a completely different challenge" that could "wipe out the chances of survival for most artists".

He likens AI to a "lose or win" game and hopes courts will side with artists in lawsuits against AI models that learn their style or voice.

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VNA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bao-dong-ai-khuynh-dao-thi-truong-am-nhac-20250729164803668.htm