Redefining Relationships in Music

TL;DR

AI tools are transforming music creation and consumption, potentially reshaping cultural relationships and industry dynamics, necessitating urgent analysis and responsible development to maximize benefits and minimize harms.

Contribution

This position paper highlights the profound cultural impacts of Music AI technologies and emphasizes the need for proactive analysis and responsible development to ensure equitable outcomes.

Findings

AI tools can empower creativity but may also cause cultural shifts.

Emerging Music AI technologies pose risks and opportunities for stakeholders.

Urgent need for analysis and guidelines to guide AI development in music.

Abstract

AI tools increasingly shape how we discover, make and experience music. While these tools can have the potential to empower creativity, they may fundamentally redefine relationships between stakeholders, to the benefit of some and the detriment of others. In this position paper, we argue that these tools will fundamentally reshape our music culture, with profound effects (for better and for worse) on creators, consumers and the commercial enterprises that often connect them. By paying careful attention to emerging Music AI technologies and developments in other creative domains and understanding the implications, people working in this space could decrease the possible negative impacts on the practice, consumption and meaning of music. Given that many of these technologies are already available, there is some urgency in conducting analyses of these technologies now. It is important that people developing and working with these tools address these issues now to help guide their evolution to be equitable and empower creativity. We identify some potential risks and opportunities associated with existing and forthcoming AI tools for music, though more work is needed to identify concrete actions which leverage the opportunities while mitigating risks.