Georgia Music School, AIMM: Does AI Threaten Musicians?

Duluth, Georgia -

The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media (AIMM), a music school based in Duluth, Georgia, is offering its own perspective on the AI debate that has been raging among creatives from all artistic fields in recent months.

Following the success of text generation tools such as ChatGPT and image generation tools such as Stable Diffusion, creatives around the world are expressing their support of or disdain for the aforementioned tools and the impact they are poised to have in their respective domains. Music creation is no different and there are already generative AI tools such as MusicLM, Google’s text-to-music generator, that are forcing musicians to reevaluate their relationship with the fledgling technology.

Dr. David Mitchell from AIMM offers his own perspective on the discussion in a blog post for the highly-rated music school in Georgia. The blog post begins by introducing the two main ways in which AI programs create music. First, they can rearrange existing music samples to create something new, like a DJ. Second, AI can learn how to compose a unique piece of music from scratch, a product of its ability to analyze large music databases and learn patterns and structures.

Dr. Mitchell talks about the evolution of AI for creating music by saying, “The first composition created by an electronic computer was the 'Illiac Suite' by Alan Turing way back in 1958. Today AI still isn't advanced enough to create entire musical compositions on its own. One of its primary functions now is to generate pre-made music to be used as stock soundtracks for video content. However, AI is constantly evolving and improving, so it's possible that this may change in the future.”

The biggest concern raised by critics of AI generation tools is that they may potentially be violating music copyright laws. Since AI is trained on prior works from original artists, it might be classified as copyright infringement as outlined in the US Copyright Act. Many musicians also fear that AI might replace them by removing the need for their creativity and skills. However, Dr. Mitchell believes that AI should not be considered as a replacement for real artists but as one of the many music tools already available to speed up and maximize the composition process.

Dr. Mitchell explains, “AI can expedite and enhance the composition process but can't replace the human touch or emotion in music. Technological progress has frequently resulted in initial job losses, yet it has ultimately created more opportunities. AI and automation affect tasks, not entire job positions. They excel at performing specific tasks, freeing up musicians to focus on more complex and higher-level creative responsibilities."

Some of the ways in which the AI future is poised to affect the music industry include AI-powered tools to enhance music production, leveraging AI-powered platforms for music distribution, promotion, and discovery, or incorporating AI technology into live performances. The use of AI in music production is also leading to the development of instruments that can be played by people with disabilities.

“One of the most significant advantages of AI in music production is its ability to generate ideas quickly,” says Dr. Mitchell. “ AI can generate hundreds of options in seconds, providing a wealth of material to spark creativity. This is particularly useful during the early stages of a project when ideas are being formed. AI is making music production more accessible.”

AIMM was established in 1985 with the mission statement “to provide non-beginning instrument students and recording arts students with the instructional environment necessary to develop their musical talents and acquire the skills demanded of today’s professionals in the music industry.” Today, it offers both degrees and certificate courses preparing students to start independent music production as well as step into the most in-demand positions today such as live event and studio recording, music composition, performance, and audio engineering for music, gaming, film, television, and more.

Readers who want to find out more about AIMM are urged to visit its website or contact it at (770) 242-7717 or admissions@aimm.edu.