Artificial intelligence has transformed the music industry, changing the way music is created, produced, and consumed. As one of the most disruptive technologies of today, AI’s impact on music is far-reaching, influencing various aspects of the creative process and the overall music ecosystem.
In recent years, AI has found its way into the hands of independent artists. A study by digital music company Believe and its subsidiary, TuneCore, has found that AI is in an “early and rapid adoption phase” among indie artists.
Believe and TuneCore have conducted a survey of close to 1,600 self-releasing artists from over 10 countries. Among the respondents, 35% identified as Pop artists, 29% as Hip-Hop artists, 29% as Rock artists, and 26% as Electronic artists.
In their study called ‘AI in Music Report’, they found that 50% of respondents are aware and engaged in AI and have a positive view of its benefits and opportunities, while 39% are unaware and apathetic toward AI, and have fears and concerns with the technology.
Moreover, 27% of all respondents have already used AI music tools. And within that group, 57% said they have used AI to create artwork, 37% said they have used it to create promo assets, but only 20% said they have utilized AI to engage with fans.
The survey has also found that artists show strong interest in using AI during the creative process and for marketing and fan engagement purposes.
“Generative AI and AI will open a new age of Creativity and Discovery, and transform in a positive manner every aspect of our partnerships with artists and the way we partner with digital music services.”
Denis Ladegaillerie, Believe
Half of the respondents also expressed willingness to offer their music for machine learning, while placing a strong emphasis on adopting a responsible approach when it comes to AI.
A third of the respondents are willing to grant consent for their music, voice recognition and artwork creation to be used in generative AI.
Back in June, Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer Grimes partnered with TuneCore to launch an AI project in beta called Elf.tech, inviting users to create songs using her voice in exchange for a 50% share of the master recording royalties.
“Generative AI and AI will open a new age of Creativity and Discovery, and transform in a positive manner every aspect of our partnerships with artists and the way we partner with digital music services,” said Denis Ladegaillerie, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Believe.
“This is why it is essential that our strategy as a company is aligned with that of our artists: that of a responsible approach to AI and to the exciting opportunities and future use cases that we will develop as a core part of our mission to serve all artists, at each stage of their career, with respect, fairness, expertise and transparency. These fundamental values have defined the 4 Responsibility principles that we will use to assess each AI and Generative AI opportunity: consent, control, compensation and transparency,” added Ladegaillerie.
The survey concluded that as AI continues to reshape the music industry, indie artists are embracing the new opportunities it presents.
While welcoming AI’s potential, artists remain mindful of the ethical considerations surrounding its implementation. Emphasizing the significance of consent, control, fair compensation, and transparency, they prioritize responsible AI usage throughout the creative process, the survey has found.
“TuneCore’s main priorities lie in the interests of our artists, so the responses to this survey will help us enable them to utilize AI on our platform with consent, control, transparency, and fair monetary compensation.”
Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore
Andreea Gleeson, Chief Executive Officer of TuneCore, said: “As AI continues to be a conversation topic across creative industries, we sought to engage directly with independent artists to determine their awareness of AI and how they’re most interested in engaging with it. TuneCore’s main priorities lie in the interests of our artists, so the responses to this survey will help us enable them to utilize AI on our platform with consent, control, transparency, and fair monetary compensation.”
In May, Believe said it is working to keep music that is fully AI-generated off its platforms.
“We have deployed a number of quality controls in our business and we aim not to distribute any content that is 100% created by AI, whether that’s through Believe or through TuneCore,” Believe co-founder and CEO Denis Ladegaillerie told analysts during an earnings call.
TuneCore serves as Believe’s DIY distribution and services platform that allows artists and labels to upload their music to streaming platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Deezer, among others.
Music Business Worldwide