MUSICO, which stands for “COmbinatorial MUSIC”, is a start-up that offers automatic music services. Through the utilisation of various artificial intelligence techniques, it delivers adaptive, rights-free music. MUSICO is able to instantly react to inputs. In fact, as soon as data arrives, the software makes compositional decisions and the music automatically change. All this happens without any human activity. Data come from:
– users directly (e.g. commands)
– physical environment (e.g. sensors that detect temperature)
– virtual environment (e.g. data from other apps)
– biometrics (e.g. heartrate).
In January MUSICO launched a new app: MUSICFIT. It generates music based on the pace of your movements, which are biometrics measured by sensors on your smartphone; if you are running, the music you will listen to will be faster for instance. Due to always more similar public taste and preferences, music production is currently becoming more and more convergent. This creates a lot of limitations in an artist’s style and expression. The start-up aims at creating new music. They claim to provide a significant improvement in the music language and a completely new point of view for the music distribution industry. MUSICO is also conceived as a supporter for artists in developing their skills and broadening their horizons.
Even though I personally find this idea very interesting and as a beautiful example of how AI can be employed, I also find very sad that in a field like music where feelings, emotions and sensations are everything no human activities are necessary. I personally believe that music is a language, is art and a communication mean and find difficult to accept that it can be created only by a software and some data. Do we really need this? Do we really need technology to substitute people also in this field? I really hope not.
MUSICO
14
October
2018
