Where does Songbay stand on AI in music?
“To AI or not to AI? that is the question!”
Its fair to say that the thin end of the ‘AI’ music wedge has been getting ‘thinner’ for many years.
AI first appeared over two decades ago with the introduction of the digital recording desk. For the first time in recording history, it was possible for multiple overdubs to be used in the studio. This made it much easier for musicians to get the perfect take without having to record everything in one go- there was no need for the perfect ‘one take’. The track could even be slowed down to make it easier to record complex parts.
Then came auto-tune, which made it possible for even the worst vocalists to sing respectably in tune (no names mentioned)!
With the expansion of the home DAW market came pre-made sampled instrument sounds and loops. All of these made it possible to create backing tracks or ‘beats’ at the push of a button.
Modern-day production plugins are full of auto-generated chord sequences; the producer or composer does not need to have much music theory knowledge—just knowledge of the software they are using- enter a style or genre of music, and the software will automatically generate the correct chord sequence!
There have been countless such plugins available, and some have even been integrated automatically into DAWS over the last few years. Then we see some very clever music software on the market such as the well-established ‘Band in a Box’. This is an almost entirely AI music generation programme; again a virtually ‘one press’ scenario, where the song and even solos can be generated automatically for the user.
Very recently we witnessed the advent of AI voices. Lots of companies are popping up allowing users to upload their vocal audios and have them changed into the sound of their favourite rockstar vocalists!
The latest Logic 11 DAW upgrade takes A1 integration to the next level. Auto-composing/playing keyboards, bassists, and drummers, and tonnes of AI effects, replicating every known studio or recording environment!
With such a well-established, omnipresent AI backdrop, it seems a tad hypocritical to now criticise the latest development to hit the world-Full AI music generation software from companies like Suno AI, Udio, Soundful, Beatoven, Loudly, where all of the existing technology has been wrapped up and added together to create the ultimate ‘one stop’ music generation, with a Chat GBT lyric generator built-in for good measure!
Where does Songbay stand on AI in music?
We could of course make the declaration that no AI-generated music is permissible on our platform, but given the points already listed, it would prevent anything other than acoustic or orchestral music being available for purchase by our buyers at Songbay-since all modern music, to some degree, uses AI in its creation.
AI music is a multi-billion-pound industry; love it or hate it, it’s not going away anytime soon!
The debate is not limited to music.
AI models like GPT-4o ‘will impact any job that has data’
The magazine ‘Business Insider’ estimates that 80% of all jobs will have to work alongside AI within the next five years—basically, every industry that uses data will be affected. AI is already ubiquitous; there are one-button accounting programmes, AI web site creators, AI art and design creators, AI customer service bots, AI shops, AI robots of every description, from self-driving cars to robot surgeons!
All we can do as composers, musicians, and lyricists, is to encourage the development of human creativity, to continue to develop songwriting and performance skills to work with the changing technology.
Looked at from a different way, technology can help composers boost their creative process. AI music tools provide all sorts of opportunities, from coming up with initial ideas to fine-tuning complex compositions. Composers can dive into different musical styles, try out unconventional arrangements, and break through creative blocks. By using these AI tools in their workflow, composers can mix their human creativity with machine precision, leading to some innovative music that pushes the limits of traditional composition.
Do you accept AI music at Songbay?
- Would allow a song to be uploaded that has been created using AI technology mentioned or is inspired by an AI ‘generated’ song?’
For the reasons already mentioned, the answer is ‘Yes’, with some very important caveats and considerations-
Please see our full article on AI Song copyright protection and AI Song Selling at Songbay >> - We continue to accepting songs based on their merit, not their creation process. If a song sounds fantastic, it deserves an outlet. Great songwriters aren’t going to be replaced by AI composers, and live musicians and singers aren’t going away anytime soon. After all, who wants to pay money to see a songwriter with no musical ability “generate” a song live? 🙂
As a team of experienced songwriters, we’ve listened to many hundreds of AI-generated songs across different genres. In our experience, we’ve heard excellent, average, and bad ones. The vast majority fall in the average category—minimal melodic movement, cliché chord progressions, obvious robotic voices, a lack of dynamics and musical expression, basic vocal harmonies, etc. The result is often bland, ‘samey’-sounding songs, albeit with decent production quality. Human songs heard next to AI Songs often sound ‘refreshing’ with their innate musical expression and human flaws, bringing life and a soul to the listening experience. This unique difference might be the deciding factor for buyers when looking for songs to purchase at Songbay!“Songbay can humanise your AI songs”
- We prefer AI songs that have been rearranged, mixed, and mastered using human instrumentalists and vocalists. The work then becomes unique. In this instance, we are reintroducing human input and creativity into the process, and the outcome is invariably much stronger.
- As well as copyrighting the human aspects of AI songs, we can help to ‘humanise’ AI Songs at Songbay using our free remixing and remastering tools that add human creativity to your AI songs. Join here >>
“Do you allow AI generated lyrics on Songbay?”
No!
In our opinion, a lyric needs to be human in creation.
Totally AI-generated lyrics lack the same emotional depth, storytelling, or personal touch of human-created lyrics. Sure, AI can copy patterns and structures from popular songs, but it struggles to express real emotions and unique viewpoints. Human lyricists can pull from their own life experiences, cultural backgrounds, and feelings to create a deeper connection with the audience. On the flip side, AI lyrics often end up feeling repetitive or flat, missing out on the subtlety and creativity that comes from genuine human expression.
So this is where we stand on AI in music. We are not against it per se, we recognise AI’s very useful role in composition and music production. When used along side human creativity, the outcomes can be very strong. We also appreciate the human creativity and skill behind the development of AI music software. Such creation brought about by musicologists, composers, musicians and producers!
If you are in any doubt about the suitability of your lyrics and songs for our buyers at Songbay, please contact us before uploading.
