Record company executives gathered in the back corner of an upscale private club, drinking from crystal highball glasses filled with large squares of ice. A 40-year-old bottle of Macallan, already two-thirds empty, sat on the table.
“Being an artist is very difficult,” complained the Brit. “They are difficult, unreliable, and refuse to believe that creativity should turn on like a light switch. I mean, how hard can that be?
A petite woman from Seoul, responsible for much of the East Asian music market, spoke next. “It's true,” she said, “and they're always whining about being treated unfairly, like, 'You don't make money in streaming,' or 'I need more money.' I never want to hear members of my label complain about having to post on social media every day. I mean, how hard is it for every post to go viral?”
The Sao Paulo man rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And the fans too! They're so unpredictable and ungrateful when it comes to the music we provide. Can't they just shut up and consume?”
There was a moment of silence until the American stood up. “Those were the good old days, folks. Thanks to artificial intelligence, we now have complete control over all music.” He raised a glass and everyone stood up.
“Congratulations, everyone! We finally succeeded in kicking artists out of art!”
They clanged the glasses so hard that two of them broke.
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A surreal, dystopian view of the future of music? Or is it the shape of something to come? I would vote for the latter.
If you were looking at the music charts, you might have noticed that someone named Xania Monet made her debut on the American Billboard Radio Airplay chart. she doesn't exist Her, it became the first AI work to hit the charts. Quoting from the press release.
“This announcement follows a string of impressive achievements for the virtual diva, who has quickly become one of the hottest names in the emerging AI music field. This historic milestone marks a defining moment at the intersection of technology and creativity, proving that digital artistry can find mainstream success alongside traditional talent.”
“On social media, Xania continues to gain traction with a rapidly growing following and strong engagement across platforms. Her visuals, storytelling, and evolving persona have sparked broader discussion about the role of AI in music – not just as a tool, but as a creative collaborator.” Earlier this year, Xania joined Hallwood She signed a reported $3 million deal with Media, further establishing her as one of the most valuable and high-profile AI artists of all time.
“Beyond musical success, Zania's rise represents a shift in the way audiences connect with creators. Her presence on the Billboard Airplay chart challenges long-held ideas about music's authenticity, while her vast following online highlights a new kind of fan relationship built around curiosity, creativity, and cultural conversation.”
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Once again, Xania exists only as soulless binary code. She doesn't need food, water or sleep. She never complains, never gets sick, never dies from a drug overdose. She does whatever is told to her without any backlash. And she's making money for creators while diverting attention from real artists.
Expect more of this kind. Last week, Universal Music, the world's largest major label, announced a landmark deal with Udio, an AI company with a program that creates complete songs from text prompts. Universal has filed a lawsuit against Udio, alleging that Udio scrapes copyrighted material by asking for permission or paying someone for the privilege to train an AI model. The two companies are now on the same page, announcing a joint venture to launch a “music creation, consumption and streaming” service sometime in 2026.
Further down the announcement it reads: “In addition to the compensatory legal settlement, new recorded music and publishing licensing agreements will provide additional revenue opportunities for UMG artists and songwriters.” Is it a crime of copyright infringement? I dropped it. Gone. Hmm.
The world's biggest record company will soon offer its artists to an AI company to help discover more undiscovered singers like Zania Monet. They claim that the artists used in this training will be compensated, but what they are actually doing is feeding human-made art to robots, which could ultimately endanger, if not eliminate, human artists.
Udio is not alone. What does this mean for Suno and other generative AI music platforms that are also being sued by labels, including Universal? Will other labels follow what seems to be the template Universal and Audio have created? What is this “license”? Which artists opt in and who chooses not to?
Will publishers choose not to participate? If so, will artist consent be required? Performing rights organizations, including Canada's SOCAN, announced last week that it is “all for one and one for all” when it comes to accepting registrations of partially AI-generated music.
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In other words, it's preparing for an onslaught of creators using AI as a music production tool. Hey, Zania may be fake, but she has to pay for it. Or at least the people who are her are.
I have a lot of questions.
What about music fans? Most of the studies and studies I've seen thus far reflect studies and research that fans argue is essential for human creativity in the age of AI. A study of the Canadian music industry two years ago found similar findings.
But other studies (like this one) compare the emotional impact of AI-generated music to human-composed music and learn something completely different. Researchers in Argentina had 88 subjects watch both human-made music videos (“human-generated music” or HCM) and AI-generated music constructed from a variety of sophisticated prompts.
Using biometric data such as pupil dilation, we found that there was little difference between the responses produced by HCM and AI. “Participants found AI-generated music to be more arousing than HCM, but HCM was perceived as more approachable than both AI conditions.”
This is music to the ears (so to speak) of anyone who wants to go down the path of AI music production.
And make no mistake. Attitudes toward AI-generated music are already changing, and fan engagement is being shaped by AI. Don't be surprised to hear more about the ELIZA effect. This is a psychological situation in which people who coexist with AI entities (chatbots, AI assistants, AI agents) become emotionally attached to their unrealistic “personalities.” This trend will only intensify as more people rely on AI for casual interactions, self-help therapy, romance, sex chat, and more. It's easy to empathize with AI musical beings.
Musicians are already in a tough situation and feel really, really cheated. Let me paraphrase a quote I saw on Threads the other day from a musician who talked about the rise of easy-to-use AI-generated music. “I spent years learning to play instruments and honing my skills on stage and in the studio. You typed a few words into your phone. We're not the same.”
AI is already disrupting musicians and the music business. Consider the impact on the sale of musical instruments, the existence of recording studios, and the people who teach music for a living at all levels. The entire creative class could disappear as humans, just as music could be handed over to machines.
My favorite take on AI and music is: “You can have AI do your laundry so you can spend more time making art.” We are already there. Why not go in that direction instead?