I'd say the blame is mainly attributed to the streaming services and labels that are giving platforms to ai music. Especially when you have Spotifys algorithm pushing non-human music while simultaneously claiming "artist empowerment". I also don't believe this huge consumer demand for ai music exists. There is a label demand for ai music because it's cheaper and easier to control, and so Spotify algorithms are pushing this music for the labels. The same can be said about singles over albums. People didn't just randomly begin to prefer singles over albums, they were slowly conditioned over an extended period of time by the industry for that preference because it's cheaper and more profitable to produce singles over albums. Same reason solo artists are more popular than bands nowadays. People aren't purposely seeking out the music though, it's being fed to them. There's more than enough unoriginal and bad human made music to go around for those that like it.
For the singles over albums, I became convinced the average person liked them more because of what happened in the late 90s and early 2000s. Before Apple Music there was a Wild West period where the internet allowed for people to buy whatever they want illegally and record sales fell like crazy. The solution was eventually Apple Music making a big deal with the artists to allow for people to legally buy their music digitally, and of course a lot of streaming services then followed Apple’s lead. The biggest argument in the deal with artists though was Apple Music wanting to allow people to buy both a single song and an album. This wasn’t out of the blue. Steve Jobs did this because much of the illegal downloading was just songs and not albums. There was huge consumer demand for a service that would not restrict them to just albums. I’m 100% certain that if Steve Jobs didn’t choose to allow for singles to be bought for a dollar or two, a different competitor would have. This just makes sense! Most people have preferences, albums restrict those preferences. The people who actually like albums are the people who really love the art form. Those people are rare. In the past people were constrained by technology and had to listen through albums, but I think what the internet period showed was that when most people are unrestricted, their “true” preference is towards singles. This seems highly intuitive to me from my interactions with the average person who just listens to music for stimulation.
As far as AI and solo artists, perhaps. But you’re focused on supply when you should have demand in your mental model. I don’t deny that cereal for example became popular in part because it was cheap for companies to produce. But to say that cereal is ONLY popular because it’s cheap to produce would be false. People demanded it! If they didn’t the product would flop, or over time, other competitors would enter the market who provided a better product, and cereal would be pushed out. In the long run in a relatively free market, demand wins.
So I’m fine agreeing with you that part of the reason products exist is because they’re cheap (although that could also be explained by the consumers demand for cost effective products) but of course demand also plays a part, and consumers aren’t wet clay. I would also add that there’s a ton of popular AI music on YouTube, and I doubt YouTube is pushing the algorithm for labels, but perhaps. I think the narrative with less steps here is just saying the average person is a philistine. I think the numerous other examples I have of this trait increase the probability that it’s also true in the music industry.
If the cereal companies owned the grocery stores and were selling you cereal in a package marketing it as tortellini then that example would be comparable. Spotify is the dominating force in music streaming at this point and decides what succeeds and what doesn't on their platform through algorithmic and curated playlists. People aren't listening to these songs aware that it's ai because it's in a giant mixed bag of ai and human art. I can agree that part of this comes from people's apathy on the issue at hand but it's the streaming services and overwhelming access to all music that's made them indifferent.
You're right about demand for singles, but now platforms have far too much influence over what actually gets pushed and lack transparency.
I'd say the blame is mainly attributed to the streaming services and labels that are giving platforms to ai music. Especially when you have Spotifys algorithm pushing non-human music while simultaneously claiming "artist empowerment". I also don't believe this huge consumer demand for ai music exists. There is a label demand for ai music because it's cheaper and easier to control, and so Spotify algorithms are pushing this music for the labels. The same can be said about singles over albums. People didn't just randomly begin to prefer singles over albums, they were slowly conditioned over an extended period of time by the industry for that preference because it's cheaper and more profitable to produce singles over albums. Same reason solo artists are more popular than bands nowadays. People aren't purposely seeking out the music though, it's being fed to them. There's more than enough unoriginal and bad human made music to go around for those that like it.
For the singles over albums, I became convinced the average person liked them more because of what happened in the late 90s and early 2000s. Before Apple Music there was a Wild West period where the internet allowed for people to buy whatever they want illegally and record sales fell like crazy. The solution was eventually Apple Music making a big deal with the artists to allow for people to legally buy their music digitally, and of course a lot of streaming services then followed Apple’s lead. The biggest argument in the deal with artists though was Apple Music wanting to allow people to buy both a single song and an album. This wasn’t out of the blue. Steve Jobs did this because much of the illegal downloading was just songs and not albums. There was huge consumer demand for a service that would not restrict them to just albums. I’m 100% certain that if Steve Jobs didn’t choose to allow for singles to be bought for a dollar or two, a different competitor would have. This just makes sense! Most people have preferences, albums restrict those preferences. The people who actually like albums are the people who really love the art form. Those people are rare. In the past people were constrained by technology and had to listen through albums, but I think what the internet period showed was that when most people are unrestricted, their “true” preference is towards singles. This seems highly intuitive to me from my interactions with the average person who just listens to music for stimulation.
As far as AI and solo artists, perhaps. But you’re focused on supply when you should have demand in your mental model. I don’t deny that cereal for example became popular in part because it was cheap for companies to produce. But to say that cereal is ONLY popular because it’s cheap to produce would be false. People demanded it! If they didn’t the product would flop, or over time, other competitors would enter the market who provided a better product, and cereal would be pushed out. In the long run in a relatively free market, demand wins.
So I’m fine agreeing with you that part of the reason products exist is because they’re cheap (although that could also be explained by the consumers demand for cost effective products) but of course demand also plays a part, and consumers aren’t wet clay. I would also add that there’s a ton of popular AI music on YouTube, and I doubt YouTube is pushing the algorithm for labels, but perhaps. I think the narrative with less steps here is just saying the average person is a philistine. I think the numerous other examples I have of this trait increase the probability that it’s also true in the music industry.
If the cereal companies owned the grocery stores and were selling you cereal in a package marketing it as tortellini then that example would be comparable. Spotify is the dominating force in music streaming at this point and decides what succeeds and what doesn't on their platform through algorithmic and curated playlists. People aren't listening to these songs aware that it's ai because it's in a giant mixed bag of ai and human art. I can agree that part of this comes from people's apathy on the issue at hand but it's the streaming services and overwhelming access to all music that's made them indifferent.
You're right about demand for singles, but now platforms have far too much influence over what actually gets pushed and lack transparency.