By: Kaylynn Kattiyaman
The rise of AI has greatly affected numerous sectors of the entertainment industry, specifically with the music industry. Last month, the Recording Academy announced various changes to the rules and regulations surrounding the Grammy Awards, specifically in terms of what is eligible for nomination. On earlier accounts, the Academy had stated only human musicians can be nominated and win a Grammy award.
However, this criteria has since changed as of last week. On July 4, the CEO and President of the Academy clarified that artists who create music with AI-generated elements may potentially be eligible for the next Grammy awards. “As long as the human is contributing in a more than de minimis amount, which to us means a meaningful way, they are and will always be considered for a nomination or a win.”
This shift in the Grammys eligibility criteria has significantly changed how the entertainment industry views creativity and the development of music. While the creative arts have always been promoted as ever growing and continuously changing, this decision recognizes a need to balance and recognize human individuality and enhanced technological advancements. Recognizing the potential of technology to enhance, embellish, or add to human creativity has led to this surprising and progressive stance of the traditional Recording Academy.
Despite the growing influence of AI, however, this decision has contributed to the divided controversy of AI and the music industry. Adding AI to the mix of music tech exceeds much farther consequences than the technology of drum machines, synthesizers, ProTools, etc. With AI, artists and producers may consider the possibility that technology will completely wipe them out, or at least challenge their rights and influence against AI. Rights holders also face the approaching prospect of determining how AI tools utilize their works. Furthermore, the rapid and seismic change technology has had in distributing and streaming music has made the influence of AI music that much greater. For instance, the recent trends of AI cover songs may present bigger changes in the effect of music streaming that music artists, songwriters, producers, record labels, and the audience must consider in the future.
Of course, the future of the music industry and AI is still continuously growing, developing, and relatively unknown. However, if one thing is certain, the people will continue to make and listen to music that contains originality, passion, authenticity, and soul. Whatever those terms mean to the future generations in the music industry is subjective to each person.
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