For me, one of the most exciting aspects of the recent wave of generative AI technology is the democratizing impact it has on creativity. We’ve seen how anyone can use tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney to express their ideas in words and pictures. And the way we make and listen to music is about to change dramatically.
Loudly is a generative AI-driven music platform that aims to enable anyone to “create, customize, and discover music.” Recently, the founder and CEO was joined by Rory Kenny on a podcast where he covered a number of topics that he personally finds interesting.
Will AI threaten human creativity by ushering in a future where all art and entertainment is produced from digital data by super-smart computers?
Or will it enhance our innate human creativity in new and exciting ways, breaking down social and technological barriers to creativity and allowing us to express ourselves in new ways?
This was just one of the questions that Rory and I wanted to get to the root of while getting an overview of the exciting technology and business model behind the platform.
What is loud?
Essentially, Loudly is an AI music creation platform trained on 10 million songs built from a bank of 200,000 sounds. Users can generate their own royalty-free music for their projects using simple natural language prompts. For example, ask us to create a soundtrack for your product launch video, photo slideshow, or just a family video and you’ll get it. You can choose the style, tempo, and mood of your music, as well as select individual instruments.
All sounds are not synthetic and are based on human-generated recordings. Customize any song for your individual projects or create new songs from scratch.
The concept is “Music as Code”. This means that rather than existing as linear sound waves, they can interact at a granular level to create potentially billions of different sounds.
Importantly, Loudly itself owns the copyright to all the music the system was trained on. This means that a musician can input existing works into his AI and use them to generate derivative works without the risk of feeling stolen.
AI and the democratization of music production
Ultimately, Kenny believes: “I think it’s clear that AI will be incorporated into almost every creative tool.
“It’s already happening in image generation, so it will be the same in music.
“Whether it’s video creation or digital audio workstation software, there’s AI that provides some kind of access or enhancement.”
This will give billions of people who want to enjoy making and performing music, but lack the technical skills to do so, the opportunity to find an outlet for their ideas and creativity. Masu.
In many ways, this can be seen as a logical next step in a music ecosystem where distribution has already been democratized by streaming services. Today, anyone can easily upload their songs and find an audience, and thousands of songs are uploaded every day to services like Spotify and Soundcloud.
Kenney said, “What’s going to happen next is what I call the Age of Mass Creation…which has already begun. The big question is what will happen as we move through that era, and What kind of influence does it have on the artist?”
Kenny calls creative individuals who become musicians thanks to the enabling power of AI “AI-first artists.”
“Music creation tools give you the possibility to access different platforms to generate music. You can also create your own composite artist profile with image generation capabilities. Backstory using ChatGPT You can create a story about your career… With the advent of mixed reality… you can even host a live show.”
Superstar powered by AI
So while it might give us ordinary people a chance to realize our dreams of becoming synthetic pop stars, those of us who already have the technical skills to create music and want to enhance them with AI What will happen to the artists?
Kenny illustrates the possibilities here with an example from the past. This is when Bob Dylan became famous for going against convention. play electric guitar For his innovative efforts, he was jeered and booed by traditionalists. However, this event is now celebrated as a pioneering moment in the history of popular music.
“It was controversial,” Kenny says. “And he broke convention and embraced that technology. Because at the end of the day, if you’re an artist and a highly creative person, I think the temptation was too strong.
“He suddenly had access to a whole new kind of genre, a bigger audience, a new toolkit. And he was also able to evolve his story and his musical legacy. Our musical history is richer because of this decision.”
This theory encapsulates Kenny’s thoughts on how music, and creativity in general, evolves as new tools and technologies emerge. After all, that’s what happened throughout history. It makes sense, then, that AI, perhaps the most innovative new “toolkit” in history, would have similar transformative effects. right?
unintended consequences
Of course, despite the hype, excitement and optimism, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that there are many people who are concerned that AI will have a not-so-positive impact on music and creativity.
The emergence of AI, and generative AI in particular, has raised concerns ranging from a reduction in the demand for humans in creative work to a “degrading” effect on culture due to the proliferation of AI-generated art. This is not surprising.
Kenny believes this may be generational. “Research shows that slightly younger people, for example between the ages of 16 and 25, are much more willing to use AI tools as the first thing they interact with to learn how something works. It is suggested that words… learn what makes good writing, what makes a well-written essay or a well-constructed piece of music.”
For others, perhaps older generations?
“I think my main tip is… don’t be afraid of it, avoid it. It’s always good to move towards a challenge, right? So you can figure it out yourself. Move towards the unknown and just… Start exploring it.
“Like Bob Dylan, pick up an electric guitar, plug it into an amp, and hear how your music sounds.”
