Does artificial intelligence provide superpowers?
Headlines like this one have recently flooded portals and social media, and as an AI enthusiast, I decided to take a closer look. I then asked myself the question:
"Is there something I've always wanted to do, but gave up because of lack of skills or other priorities?"
That's when I remembered my Bucket List, which I created in 2022. When I looked at it and saw one of the points written there, I knew it was something I needed to check. That point read: "I will create a music album."
Tool or Partner? How I approach AI
One of the most intriguing topics in discussions of artificial intelligence is the question of how we should approach it - or perhaps more precisely, how we should treat it. In this regard, I am closest to the views expressed by Prof. Aleksandra Przegalinska and Mo Gawdat in their books. I decided to treat artificial intelligence not as a tool, but as a full partner and co-creator of the project. To emphasise this vision, I titled the album "AVATAR," and in the music videos I do not show my face - I appear in the mask of the robot, the titular Avatar. Both of these elements are meant to show that the earlier declaration is not just an empty slogan, but the heart of the entire project.
This case study describes all the key stages I went through to become an AI-assisted music creator and release an album. I have tried to present them in a way that is interesting and understandable not only to those in the AI or music industry, but also to any audience. Below you can see the album cover, which, you guessed it, I also created in collaboration with AI. The character creating the music, Avatar, I named Taylor Banks.
I encourage you to read the Case Study step by step (you can find my works in Section 3). However, if at this stage you want to see my work first and that will determine whether you will continue reading - here is the link:
CASE STUDY: SECTIONS
1. AI MUSIC CREATION Go to section how to create music the learning process tips / behind the scenes on important issues 2. MUSIC INDUSTRY ABOUT AI Go to section how professionals evaluated the album at what stage is AI in music whether I collaborated with a record label 3. ALBUM RELEASE (PLAYLIST, MUSIC VIDEOS) Go to section behind the scenes of the album release links to music videos and tracks list of tools I used 4. PROJECT SUMMARY Go to section results of a survey on how society evaluates the AI music project project costs my subjective assessment
PART 2:
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY ON AI
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY ON AI
What happened in the last one and a half months was real magic for me. Thanks to the collaboration with AI, I was able to create tracks, and the fact that it made such a huge impression on me made me think about sharing this experience with others. Then a crazy idea popped into my head: "Since I have a promo mix that I can show, maybe my project will interest a record label?"
MY TICKET TO TALK TO THE BIGGEST PLAYERS
Until now, my only contact with the music industry was 14 years ago. I was then involved in making music videos and during the production of one of them I met an artist. Over the years, this artist has achieved considerable success in music - not only recording multi-million views (our music video currently has 8 million views) but also receiving a gold record. Since our acquaintance was not only on a professional level, but over time we became good friends, I decided to ask him for help in contacting people in the industry.
I knew he was respected, but what he did was definitely above and beyond. I contacted him about this matter for the first time on Sunday, and 3 days later, on Wednesday, we were already on our way to a meeting. And not with just anyone, but with the so-called Majors, one of the 3 largest record labels in the music industry. Do you understand that? A little over a month and a half ago, I first launched an AI music creation tool, and now I had the opportunity to present my project to a major player.
I knew he was respected, but what he did was definitely above and beyond. I contacted him about this matter for the first time on Sunday, and 3 days later, on Wednesday, we were already on our way to a meeting. And not with just anyone, but with the so-called Majors, one of the 3 largest record labels in the music industry. Do you understand that? A little over a month and a half ago, I first launched an AI music creation tool, and now I had the opportunity to present my project to a major player.
A MUSIC GIANT ON THE AVATAR PROJECT
(I am currently waiting for the label's feedback, so this section will be filled in over time)
SIGNING A CONTRACT WITH A MANAGER
After a few weeks of talking to various people in the music industry and observing the market, I decided to contact Maciej Szulce, the founder of MS Records, whose figure I was familiar with from other music projects.
Maciek showed interest and curiosity in my project during the first conversation, and after listening to the promo mix, he decided that we could talk about cooperation. The whole process went very smoothly, and the person on the MS Records side who helped me with the Project was Damian Lewandowski.
Thanks to this cooperation:
- I could consult my ideas for tracks/music videos/promotion with people who are specialists in the music industry
- the AVATAR album was introduced into legal distribution through the emuze.me platform, thanks to which my tracks are now available on all streaming services
- I got a boost of motivation seeing that the project is moving forward and has gained the approval of people in the industry
Maciek showed interest and curiosity in my project during the first conversation, and after listening to the promo mix, he decided that we could talk about cooperation. The whole process went very smoothly, and the person on the MS Records side who helped me with the Project was Damian Lewandowski.
Thanks to this cooperation:
- I could consult my ideas for tracks/music videos/promotion with people who are specialists in the music industry
- the AVATAR album was introduced into legal distribution through the emuze.me platform, thanks to which my tracks are now available on all streaming services
- I got a boost of motivation seeing that the project is moving forward and has gained the approval of people in the industry
THE CURRENT STATE OF AI MUSIC THROUGH THE EYES OF THE INDUSTRY - SUMMARY
After about 2 months of activity, the topic of AI music started to become clearer to me. Currently, the market is not yet ready for investments in AI creators and the commercialisation of this sector. I believe that for now, AI music is more of a curiosity and something we can treat as a hobby. I am also convinced that at some point in the future, the world of music and AI will also intersect on a commercial/business level.
PART 3:
ALBUM "AVATAR" RELEASE!
ALBUM "AVATAR" RELEASE!
Let's summarise what happened over the last 4 months, from May to August:
May - I started learning to create AI music
June - I created the initial album concept and first tracks
July - I signed with a manager and learned about the current state of the AI music industry
August - I had most of the tracks created, the first music video, and was ready to debut
May - I started learning to create AI music
June - I created the initial album concept and first tracks
July - I signed with a manager and learned about the current state of the AI music industry
August - I had most of the tracks created, the first music video, and was ready to debut
DEBUT - TROPICAL SOCA
My debut was on 27th August 2024.
To immediately generate more interest in the project, instead of just releasing the tracks, I decided to first put out a music video. Given my background in film, I fully realised the first clip for the track Tropical Soca myself. Importantly, to emphasise that projects created in collaboration with AI can be combined with those made 100% by humans, despite the song being AI-generated, I opted for a music video with a real actress.
To immediately generate more interest in the project, instead of just releasing the tracks, I decided to first put out a music video. Given my background in film, I fully realised the first clip for the track Tropical Soca myself. Importantly, to emphasise that projects created in collaboration with AI can be combined with those made 100% by humans, despite the song being AI-generated, I opted for a music video with a real actress.
MUSIC VIDEO CREATED 100% BY AI - LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Given that the Generative AI field encompasses not just music, but also other elements like creating graphics or animations, I knew that I had to create one of the music videos entirely in this way, to showcase the current capabilities of AI to the fullest.
ALBUM RELEASE AND LISTENING SESSION
Despite living in the digital era where CDs are no longer treated as an audio medium but more as a novelty item, I decided to release the album in a physical version. This was a tangible symbol of fulfilling a certain dream for me, as well as something I could give to friends and encourage them to delve into the topic of AI.
The full playlist of the "AVATAR" album can be found at the link:
My Subjective Assessment and Summary
Creating my own music album was one of the items I had written down on my Bucket List a few years ago. However, it was not a dream from the big category that grows with us from childhood. I rather treated it as an "extra" desire - something I would like to achieve, but without devoting too much work or resources to it. Nevertheless, if I managed to fulfil it, I would feel immense satisfaction. Until now, the realisation of this idea seemed unattainable, as I thought that learning to create music would take too much time, and investing it in a hobby project did not make much sense.
Given my approach (more of a hobby than a career) and time constraints, I think collaborating with AI to create an album was a bullseye! It's a bit like having a superpower - I didn't have to delve into the technical aspects of music creation for years, as AI took care of that part. I could focus primarily on the creative area, realising my artistic vision. If I were to assess the satisfaction I felt, the traditional album creation process would have given me 100% satisfaction, and with AI support, I rate it at around 90%. The key for me was the ability to realise my own vision - if I could create melodies myself, the level of satisfaction would not have increased significantly. So is it worth spending a few years learning to increase satisfaction by only 10%? In the case of a hobby, I definitely don't think so.
However, if a given area of life is something crucial for you, you want to feel like a full-fledged artist, have full control over what you create, and link your future to it - the traditional path will be the best choice for you. I believe that as of today, using AI alone, we are not able to reach a high level. The assessment of my friends, who said about my tracks "perfect for playing in the background of an evening house playlist", seems accurate - this music is correct, but not yet ready to enter the mainstream.
What I found most interesting was that thanks to the "AVATAR" project, I had the opportunity to at least partially feel like a music creator. People who like to experience novelties in their lives and venture into the unknown will certainly understand what I mean. This project also showed me potential development directions that I had not previously considered at all. When one of my close friends heard the first tracks, they said to me "maybe you should start learning to play an instrument?". This thought had never occurred to me before, and my current experience with music, even digital, provides an excellent foundation for me to pursue this further. While creating the tracks, I noticed that the instrument I find most interesting and most appealing to me is the saxophone. Perhaps this is one of the potential development directions - an AI-created track with a live saxophone part added?
If you're interested, let me know what you think of my adventure, I'd be very pleased!
What I found most interesting was that thanks to the "AVATAR" project, I had the opportunity to at least partially feel like a music creator. People who like to experience novelties in their lives and venture into the unknown will certainly understand what I mean. This project also showed me potential development directions that I had not previously considered at all. When one of my close friends heard the first tracks, they said to me "maybe you should start learning to play an instrument?". This thought had never occurred to me before, and my current experience with music, even digital, provides an excellent foundation for me to pursue this further. While creating the tracks, I noticed that the instrument I find most interesting and most appealing to me is the saxophone. Perhaps this is one of the potential development directions - an AI-created track with a live saxophone part added?
If you're interested, let me know what you think of my adventure, I'd be very pleased!
Contact:
Taylor Banks x AI Creator
Instagram (@jacekstokowski)
jacekstokowski@gmail.com