The AI Takeover of Music · Fix-The-Mix™

The AI Takeover of Music

The AI takeover of the music industry has begun.

The robots have gone mainstream, and in classic 21st century fashion…. the response has been to simply shake our collective fist at the sky and bemoan the inevitable.

Every time I refresh my feed, there’s a new think piece decrying the “unfairness and injustice” of it all…

And while they’re not wrong… they’re also not useful.

Because there’s a big difference between what should be true and what actually is.

The idea that somehow (through…. legislation or something?) we’re going to fend off the AI and tech overlords from encroaching on the arts should be true….

…. but it simply isn’t.

The AI wave is coming, and there is no stopping it…. despite the (often compelling) arguments.

But whether it was the emergence of virtual instruments, auto-tune, or streaming platforms, every generation has prophesied the “end of music” as new tools become available.

And while this does means the slow death of some really precious art forms….

… it also marks the emergence of new ones.

Artificial intelligence will likely dominate the mass music markets, in the same way a 3D printer can recreate the Statue of David in a matter of hours.

AI will know what we want more than we do, and in that regard, it will certainly replace large parts of the music industry.

But I believe the AI revolution will also reveal a hidden truth about music (and art in general) that many of us have forgotten in the last two decades….

…. that art isn’t about the final product at all, but rather the struggle to create it.

The truly enduring pieces of art aren’t just pleasing to consume, they tell a story of the artist behind it.

The beauty of the Sistine Chapel is partly knowing that Michelangelo spent four years, bent backward, meticulously perfecting each detail.

Da Vinci was never fully satisfied with the Mona Lisa… which is why it was found unfinished in his studio after his death (she’s missing her eyebrows).

The humanity behind the art is what makes it art in the first place.

It’s a record that someone, at some point in time… was actually here.

And as AI gets better at creating “the product”, we simply need to get better at telling the stories.

Beautiful stories like Tim and Janice’s are everywhere… we just haven’t been looking for them because we’re afraid to embrace our flaws, our mistakes, and our humanity.

But in 2025, on the cusp of the AI revolution… we quite literally have no where else to turn.

So I, for one, am looking forward to the next era of music.

One that strips back the filters that the social media age has layered onto every aspect of our life… and shows us for who we really are.

One that seeks out stories like Tim and Janice’s - not for perfection…

…. but for a reminder of the fragile humanity we all share.

Because that is something our immortal AI overlords simply cannot recreate.

The era of truly human music is just beginning, and I can’t wait for it.

- Michael from MAD Records

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