You’ve heard the rumors. The whispers around the music industry asking if AI is here to help or hurt us. It can seem like a slippery slope—on the one hand it can be an enormous help when it comes to efficiency; helping you generate more content in less time and with less effort. On the other, the concerns that it can be a creativity killer aren’t completely invalid.
But when all is said and done, AI isn’t as intimidating as it might seem. In fact, when utilized well it can actually be a valuable asset. But, that’s not to say it isn’t a little complicated when you’re first starting out. If you don’t know where to start and you’re just beginning your AI journey, check out these podcasts and select podcast episodes to get a sense of what AI is, including ChatGPT, and how you can use it to help with songwriting, artwork, social media, and more.
Marketing Manifesto by John Oszajca
While this podcast should be in every DIY musician’s pocket, there’s a great episode specific to ChatGPT and what it means for the future of music. It breaks everything down in easy to understand detail and shares how you can use AI and ChatGPT in your music marketing campaigns, social media posts, and even your music itself. Featuring TunePipe designer Sean Earley, it’s a great episode for beginners and those curious about the technology
Break the Business: How AI platforms impact creators
Host Ryan Kairalla is a fantastic interviewer and podcaster so it comes as no surprise that this podcast episode discussing ChatGPT and whether it will be a valuable tool for creators or flat out replace them makes for a fascinating episode. He also has other episodes that talk about AI (and other really useful tips for DIY musicians) to explore.
The Art Angle Podcast: How Artificial Intelligence Could Completely Transform Art
One of the most fascinating pieces of AI is how it can not only help us create content and copy, but art as well. It’s been the source of a lot of debate and in this episode, art critic Ben Davis discusses AI and art, and shares some of the images he’s made using those apps, as well as noodling on what the future of AI and AI art may hold.
DIY Musician Podcast: AI and Why Musicians Should Care
You already know that CD Baby’s DIY Musician podcast is a go-to source for industry news and strategies, so does it come as any surprise that they too are touching on AI? in this episode they break down the impact of AI on musicians and artists and how it can help to bring new creativity and inspiration for musicians and the music industry as a whole.
Lex Fridman Podcast ‘Grimes: Music, AI, and the Future of Humanity’
Who better to touch on the state of AI and the music industry than a musician who is experiencing the impact first hand? In this episode of the Lex Fridman podcast, musician, producer, and director Grimes shares her thoughts on AI and its impact on Spotify, music production, and more.
Creative Next: AI Automation at Work
A whole podcast dedicated to “Future-proofing creatives from AI automation,” their goal is to help creators collaborate with machines. Topics covered on this show include AI and the Art of Music, AI composed Music, and more. What’s interesting is that this podcast is actually a few years old, giving perspective to how much AI has grown and changed.
Hard Fork by The New York Times
This entire podcast is dedicated to breaking down AI and all the ways you can use it. It’s great for those just getting started as well as those looking to go down an AI rabbit hole. What’s great about this one is that they’re always discussing the latest trends and changes in AI, so once you have a grasp on AI, it’s great to keep up with the latest changes.
Music Business Podcast: Ed Newton-Rex
This is a very worthwhile discussion with Ed Newton-Rex, one of the foremost executives when it comes to working at the intersection between music and AI. He founded and built the AI music platform Jukedeck, which he sold to TikTok in 2019. After that sale, he served as Product Director of TikTok’s in-house AI Lab for two years. Since then, he joined music tech startup Voisey and became VP of Audio at Stability AI, where he oversees Harmonai, “a community-driven organization releasing open-source generative audio tools to make music production more accessible and fun for everyone.”
While Newton-Rex advocates for AI in music, he doesn’t believe AI is coming anywhere close to replacing human artistry, nor does he expect it to have a substantial impact on what gets played on streaming services anytime soon.
Final Thoughts
While AI did not help me write this article at all—it’s completely written and researched by a human being, that’s not to say if I hadn’t turned to AI that it couldn’t have helped me. In fact, I could have found the list of podcasts through ChatGPT or run a finished article through it to ask it to make it SEO friendly or more concise or sound like a certain person. All of those may help the article or may worsen it—but the facts remain the same. AI is not here to replace us, it’s here to help us and assist. You just have to know how to use it.
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