Not all AI tools function by generating content from scratch like Google’s MusicFX, Suno, and Udio, which are favored by independent creators such as Hatcher. There are also tools designed for extracting stems, mixing and mastering, and brainstorming lyrics, used by both hobbyists and professional producers. Sam Hollander, a pop music producer known for his work with artists such as Panic! at the Disco and Flava Flav, likens the rise of AI in music creation to the advent of drum machines in the 1980s, which required session drummers to learn programming to stay relevant.
Hollander illustrates a typical use of AI in his workflow, describing how a UK grime producer he collaborated with utilized Suno and Udio to create funk and soul samples. Once a satisfactory sample was generated, another AI tool was employed to extract the stem for manual inclusion in a track.
Hollander foresees two divergent paths in the industry: one that embraces fully organic processes and resists AI, and another that incorporates AI into creative workflows. Recently, thousands of musicians and creatives associated themselves with the former path by signing a letter stating that AI training poses an “unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works.”
Hollander himself uses AI tools for brainstorming and generating samples, maintaining the originality of his lyrics. Hatcher similarly believes that AI has limitations, particularly in humor, necessitating human input to prevent AI music from becoming “totally boring and bad.”
Hu notes that AI-generated music typically either possesses a shock factor or serves as background music. This shock factor is part of the success behind projects like the viral SpongeBob rap produced by Glorb or ObscurestVinyl’s “lost” tracks such as the Ronettes-style “My Arms Are Just Fuckin’ Stuck Like This.” The use of original ideas and manually crafted lyrics ensures that the AI output is engaging and can capture the attention of major producers.
In contrast, AI-generated ambient and chill music is a developing niche, with YouTube channels such as Home Alone and what is ? amassing millions of views. These channels discreetly incorporate AI, illustrating how what began as experimental tools are now becoming mainstream, as AI-generated output increasingly resembles human-made samples and compositions.