The AI Music Megatron: A Turmoil for Musicians
Shift from Educational Classes to Mass Production: Implications of AI on the Music Industry
Berlin (dpa) - Computer-generated tunes, toons, and melodies are a push-button reality thanks to specialized providers. The rub? These AI models use human artists' work as templates, all without obtaining their consent.
Swinging into streaming service Deezer daily are approximately 20,000 AI-cooked ditties, as per the French provider's April announcement. While these may not match human quality (yet), says German singer Levina to dpa, the issue is the vanishingly slim odds of standing out in today's overloaded streaming spectacle. "And when it's then swamped with AI, it makes it harder," grumbles the reigning artist, navigating bureaucratic waters in her adopted UK.
Revenue Runaround - "That's Just Not Fair"
Most musicians might not vehemently reject AI's use, according to Christopher Annen from the musicians' union Pro Musik. AI can offer creative avenues that can later be tapped by humans. Nevertheless, the concern lies in these songs being "appropriated" by providers, as it's where heart, soul, and personal tales have been poured in, says Annen, of the AnnenMayKantereit ensemble. "And then a company develops an app that rakes in millions and billions - that's just not fair."
The paltry distribution of revenues has long been a vexing problem for musicians. AI is merely accelerating a slow-burning ember, says Matthias Hornschuh from the "Initiative Urheberrecht." On today's prevalent streaming services, considerable revenues have been absent for the musical masses for years. A federally-funded study shows this dishearteningly: in 2023, a mere 0.1 percent of artists grabbed 75 percent of streaming service bucks.
The collecting society Gema fears AI may fan this coals even further. With около 95,000 members in the German music industry, it represents the copyrights of approximately. According to a joint Gema and Sacem study from January 2024, 27 percent of authors' income is at risk. This could result in losses of over 2.7 billion Euros in Germany and France by 2028.
Copyright Clash with AI Powerhouses
Gema is now readying for a legal showdown. Since last year, it's been pursuing litigation against OpenAI, the provider behind chatbot ChatGPT. In January, it also filed a lawsuit against US company Suno, whose AI program has almost perfectly mimicked real songs. Gema has alleged, and proven with popular songs such as "Atemlos durch die Nacht" by Helene Fischer or "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega, that the provider trained their AI with these songs and infringed on the rights of the creators.
Composers and songwriters depend heavily on the moolah Gema doles out, says Hornschuh. AI providers must honor their obligation and pony up royalties, beneficial not only for the companies but also themselves - they're in constant need of fresh, human-crafted material to fuel their AI models. After all, AI's "learned" virtually everything it can from the music that's already out there.
Transparency for AI Music
Musicians agree that more transparency is a necessity. On streaming services, songs generated by AI should be clearly marked, demands Levina. To quell confusion about payments, musicians need more openness about where the money flows, she believes. Consequently, it's critical for musicians to continue battling for their rights, or else a further decline in the music industry "could go even further downhill," says Levina.
However, Annen believes that AI can't replicate one thing: emotions. AI can instill feelings of isolation lessening, for instance, because "another person has experienced that emotion." A song entirely crafted by an machine can't stir those emotions, Annen posits. "The AI hasn't experienced heartbreak."
Enrichment Data:- Use of AI in music creation significantly impacts the revenue and rights of human musicians, raising concerns about fair compensation and potential displacement of jobs within the industry.
- AI-generated music can lead to substantial losses of income for human musicians. Substantial reductions in revenue are especially difficult for the millions of musicians who rely upon their music as their principal source of income.
- The unlicensed use of human-created music by AI models without financial compensation is a major concern for the music industry.
- The impact of AI music on the music industry is in part due to the significant cost savings offered by AI music generation. AI can generate large amounts of music quickly and efficiently, reducing costs associated with hiring human musicians to compose and perform music.
- The unregulated use of AI in music creation risks causing a major rift in the music industry, as musicians and songwriters may no longer be able to earn a living from their creativity.
- There have already been some legal actions taken against AI companies for alleged copyright infringement on the use of human-created music in AI algorithms.
- Advocates and industry officials are calling for copyright laws to be updated and extended to include protection for human musicians in the face of AI-driven music.
- The music industry is responding to AI's impact by advocating for policies and technological measures intended to protect human creativity in the realm of music. This includes ensuring fair compensation for artists and songwriters and clarifying how AI can use existing works legally.
- The use of artificial-intelligence (AI) in music creation is a growing concern for musicians, as AI models often use human artists' work as templates without obtaining their consent, potentially leading to substantial losses of income and a further decline in the music industry.
- Transparency in the labeling of AI-generated music on streaming services is critical, as musicians need more openness about where the money flows, and songs generated by AI should be clearly marked to quell confusion about payments and ensure fair compensation for the human musicians involved.
- AI providers must honor their obligation to pay royalties to human musicians, as they are in constant need of fresh, human-crafted material to fuel their AI models, and composers and songwriters depend heavily on the royalties distributed by collecting societies like Gema.
