I have always had a passion for music. I started learning the trumpet and guitar at a young age, and still play until this day. Last year, I decided that I would try to get into music production, and give a go at creating my own song(s).
Therefore, I downloaded all required softwares, bought some gear, and ended up at my desk starring at an empty Ableton Live project, not knowing where or how to begin. It took me a very long time to get to know the software, come up with creative musical ideas and let alone assemble all of them into a backtrack that sounded good, and fit together. It got to the point where I pretty much ‘gave up’ for a week at some point, before coming back to it.
This year, with Generative AI taking over the way we do things, I heard about a new one by the name of SOUNDRAW. SOUNDRAW is an AI Music Generator which allows you to create your own music with the help of AI. You are presented multiple different “beats” or “soundtracks”, and can play around by increasing the tempo, and changing the “energy” of each segment. I am currently only able to access the free version, but the pro version also allows you to edit the tempo, length, structure, etc… You are also able to “create similar music” to a track you heard.
All in all, with SOUNDRAW, you are given a pre-made song soundtrack with which you can play around. This completely changes the game for music producers, who could now end up competing in the charts with artists who do not produce their own music, or use AI-generated soundtracks. This also rases a question in my head: Can someone who uses SOUNDRAW, or a similar AI Music Generator tool, get credit for producing music? What if an artist with a song in the top 10 global charts is found to have used AI Music Generator tools? Would it be a bad outlook on the music industry, or is it going to revolutionize the way people make music?
Personally, I have yet to make my own opinion as I believe that a successful music artist has worked hard to come up with creative ideas in a studio. However, it is also the case that some artists use “ghost writers”, or have producers produce beats/soundtracks for them. As a matter of fact, “Almost every major hit was written by two or more songwriters. In the 2020s, there has yet to be a single #1 hit written by a solo songwriter” (Pack, 2023). In the end, I think it would be the talent that artists have to write music that would be put at risk. It is just like asking ChatGPT to write a novel, and then publish it. It takes away the creative and hard work of other artists who do not use such AI tools.
If you are interested by SOUNDRAW, here is the link to their website: https://soundraw.io/. However, there are also plenty other AI Music Generator tools.
Pack, B. (2023, September 4). What Is A Ghost Producer? (And How to Become One). Mastering The Mix. https://www.masteringthemix.com/blogs/learn/what-is-a-ghost-producer-and-how-to-become-one
I can definitely see both sides of the argument when it comes to AI-generated music. It’s a great topic for discussion, given the rapid development of AI Music Generation tools. On one hand, it opens up exciting possibilities for creativity and accessibility in music production. On the other hand, it raises questions about the authenticity, skills, hard work and the efforts that go into creating music my humans. It’s a very timely conversation, and I think it’s essential to continue discussing how AI impacts the music industry while respecting the talents and efforts of artists who choose different paths. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and introducing us to SOUNDRAW!
I think that you have touched upon a very interesting topic. On the one hand I think that the advancement in GenAI music generators allows for a broadening of artists perspectives and gives new insights and inspiration for music. I like the anecdote where you have mentioned that you ‘gave up’ before coming back and I think that tools such as SOUNDRAW will actually prevent artists from going through such a process. I believe that such processes help artist creativity and stimulate them to enjoy and continue producing music. This makes me wonder whether AI-enhanced music generators will actually limit the creativity of artists. Do you believe that AI can truly capture human expression or does it lack the depth of human-generated music? Maybe it is just a matter of time before such tools can fully capture this. Also, you made a valid point with regards to the ghost writer and I believe that there is no harm in using AI-generated music as a resource as long as this is acknowledges. What are your thoughts on this? I think that for now we are in the early stages of using AI music generators, but I believe that this is the calm before and we need to think about proper regulation and enforcement in order protect artist creativity and authenticity. Thanks for sharing you thoughts on this interesting topic!
Thank you for looking into this topic. Music and generative AI is something that has been intriguing to me and I have explored in the past as well! You raised multiple compelling questions about the implications of this emerging technology regarding credits and ethics. These questions have become increasingly interesting to discuss as the technology grows. I would like to hear more about the major differences you experienced between Ableton Live and Soundraw in aspects such as workflow and music quality.