AI Is Rattling the Music Industry: Why Some Artists Hate It & Others Embrace It
Welcome to MsMojo, and today well be doing a deep dive into the current state of AI music, looking at how it affects the industry as a whole.
Once upon a time, an AI that could generate music was an entirely science fiction concept. In recent years, its become a reality. Now, anyone able to surf the web can have an AI generate whole songs to entire albums. Of course, many musicians are rattled by these eerie advancements. Countless artists have raised their voices in protest, such as Celine Dion, Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, and loads more. On the other side of the fence, artists like Grimes are eager to implement AI into their creative process. The only thing both sides can agree on is that its a major turning point for the industry. Scientists first researched AI music in the 1950s, but its only recently become commercially available. Tools like Suno AI, which was released in December 2023, allow anyone to make music. You dont need talent or musical proficiency, just an idea. Now, AI music is super common online, but is there any way to tell its AI? Also, who even owns it, the AI itself, the artist being copied, or the person who typed the prompt?
These are the biggest issues with AI music right now. The ethics and legality are still undecided, particularly concerning copyright laws. The UK has recently implemented AI-friendly copyright reforms, which received huge backlash. America so far hasnt copied the UKs decision, but many are worried they will. In America, the first AI legislation came from Tennessee in March 2024. Its called the ELVIS Act, which makes it illegal to recreate a performers voice without permission. Its a huge step forward for protecting artists. Many hope other states will follow, which will comfort many artists scared of being dethroned by AI. Currently, the biggest legal battle is between record labels and the AI tools Suno and Udio. The labels claim theyre using AI to mimic artists without licensing, arguing its a copyright violation. The tools instead claim its fair use. Whoever wins will determine the future of these laws in America. Another notorious case was the Heart on My Sleeve controversy. In 2023, a song featuring an AI version of Drake and The Weeknd became a viral sensation. Loads believed it was a leak, but it was AI all along. Platforms rushed to remove it, considering it copyright infringement.
The core question at the centre of this debate is whether AI makes real artwork. According to the dictionary, art is made to be beautiful or to express feelings and ideas. It also says it can simply be a painting, drawing, sculpture, et cetera. Theres no hard definition, and without one, its still undecided whether AI makes real art. Its a hot topic of debate for philosophers. For example, George Dickie says if its displayed in an art museum, that makes it art. So, regardless of its origin, if the viewer thinks its art, then its art. A fascinating example is the art robot Ai-Da. It was built in 2019, looks like a human, and uses advanced technology to paint. One of their paintings sold for $1.3 million, an incredible sum. The team behind it argues art needs to be new, surprising and of cultural value. Therefore, Ai-Das creations are art. On the other hand, it lacks emotions entirely. Its also not original. Its merging pre-existing images, meaning it cant come up with new ideas. Also, the ethics are still debated, with many believing it could reduce job opportunities.
Quite a few musicians have pushed back against AI music, fearing their jobs are at stake. The most noteworthy pushback came in 2024, when over 200 artists signed an open letter, demanding protection from AI. Theyre worried businesses will no longer need their talents, just a few soundbites of their voice. Then, the AI can do the rest of the work, replicating their voice and jamming it onto an instrumental it generated. Stars that signed this letter include Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, and Nicki Minaj. It was a huge statement, but did it have any effect? Not directly, but it helped raise awareness and prompted discussions. In February 2025, an album titled Is This What We Want? was released, with over 1,000 artists credited as co-writers. These include huge names like Kate Bush and Damon Albarn. Dont get too excited, it consists of 12 tracks, all silent. The song names combine to say The British Government Must Not Legalise Music Theft To Benefit AI Companies. If you cant tell already, it was a protest album. Celine Dion has also recently warned fans to beware of AI songs, which steal her voice and likeness.
Not all musicians oppose AI. Many embrace it. The most prominent among them is Grimes. She supports it so much, shell let anyone make AI music replicating her voice. Not only that, but shell share the profits with them, plus upload it to her official GrimesAI streaming page. At the time of this video, Grimes has over 6 million monthly Spotify listeners, and her AI has only 1% of that figure. So, its not as popular as shed like. Another artist, Taryn Southern, released an album composed by an AI. She wrote the lyrics, but pretty much everything else was the machine. On Spotify, the play counts are fairly small, so it failed to make a big splash. The most controversial use is to recreate the dead. Producer Timbaland created a brand new Biggie Smalls song in 2023, 26 years after his death. As you may expect, many found it disrespectful and unethical.
Its not all doom and gloom. There are ethical applications for AI in music. While bringing back dead voices is contentious, Paul McCartney used AI technology to finish an old John Lennon demo. It was originally an old demo handed over to him by Yoko Ono. Unfortunately, the sound quality was so poor, it was unusable. Thankfully, AI came to save the day, cleaning up the demo and letting them finally finish the song. Venezuelan musician Arca also makes good use of AI. Her music has always been strange, but she uses AI to make it even weirder, letting it create extremely experimental soundscapes. Those who benefit most seem to be the people with certain disabilities. Playing instruments mightve been impossible for them in the past. Thats why the Jess+ robot was developed, helping them compose music and play instruments.
Musicians are terrified of AI stealing their jobs. On the other hand, when musicians embrace AI, its not as lucrative as theyd expect. In the future, as the technology improves, this might not be the case. Hopefully, humans can use it responsibly, but finding this balance isnt easy. Its an ethical and legal minefield. Well only truly know what direction were headed when governments and courts set clearer rules, like the ELVIS Act. Recently, the Universal Music Group revealed its three principles for AI in music. These include embracing AI, but simultaneously protecting artists. In the future, mandatory labelling could become normal, with songs being forced to have an AI-generated tag. Alternatively, music could become a seamless hybrid. If this is the case, it might be impossible for audiences to tell what is and isnt AI. At the end of the day, they may not even care. Given the human passion for music, it would be rather pessimistic to assume AI will ruin the music industry. However, it would be overly optimistic not to expect huge changes because of the technology.
Would you embrace a future where music is AI-generated, or would you hate to live in that world? Let us know in the comments below!
