On April 1, more than 200 music notables (including Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, 3 Balvin and Jon Bon Jovi) of the Artists Rights Alliance issued an open letter warning against the “predatory use of AI” in the music industry. The letter cites AI’s capability to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights and “destroy the music ecosystem.” The letter further calls on tech companies, AI developers and digital music services to pledge that they won’t develop or use AI-powered technology the undermines songwriters and artists or prevents them from earning compensation for their art. What are your views and/or concerns relative to artificial intelligence and its impact on music and sound?
In my view, although a solution to the potential undermining of the music ecosystem due to AI isn’t totally clear and present at the moment, some tech developments, just as Streaming saved the recording industry, will and happen soon and make AI a pleasant part of the future music delivery and consumptive model. Embrace AI!
How has your role–or that of your business or company–evolved in recent years? What do you like most about that evolution? What do you like least?
My initial role in the industry was that of a music producer, and now, due the evolving music branding landscape, is now that of a music supervisor.
I most like the title’s connectivity to that role in other mediums like Film and TV.
I least like the fact that creatives and brands are leaning too hard into music that exists in culture rather than digging deep into creating original/bespoke/custom music. We are a creative business 🙂
What recent work are you most proud of and why? Or what recent work (advertising or entertainment)–your own or that of others–has struck a responsive chord with you?
I feel that my collective work as the music supervisor for Pizza Hut has been an excellent and solid exploration of modern hip hop for branded content.
A growing number of superstar artists and songwriters have been selling their music rights/catalogs in megabuck deals. What will be the ripple effect of this on music creatively and from a business standpoint relative to the advertising, film, TV and streaming platform markets?
Now we may see Springsteen or Paul Simon’s songs used ad nauseam in ads.
