Diamond-certified rap-rock/country music star Kid Rock recently took part in a challenge held by science and technology channel Core Memory (see below) to utilize AI to create a convincing country music song. Serving as the proverbial judge, Rock was asked by Core Memory to gauge the end result of those AI-powered efforts. Ultimately, he summed up the completed track as “average.”
The resulting conversation however found Rock offering up his thoughts on AI in music. With AI-generated songs gaining steam in terms of viral popularity, and some even beginning to hit the charts lately, the topic remains a thorny issue.
However, when pressed for his thoughts on AI in music, Rock certainly wasn’t opposed. In fact, he went so far as to welcoming the idea of AI mimicking him, stating he’d be open to performing a hit AI-created Kid Rock song live.
He did however have the foresight to see his willingness in embracing such technology potentially backfiring, including being weaponized against him in regards to his outspoken conservative political opinions. Here’s Rock‘s thoughts on AI in music [transcribed by theprp.com]:
“The songwriters I I have, you know, a special place in my heart for them. Like, I don’t know how it works out for them. Like, there might have to be some legislation there or whatnot. And maybe for artists, too. I’m not against it, but I don’t think we need to be unreasonable about something we can’t stop.
I mean, my attitude personally is, like, if a hundred thousand people want to be out there writing songs with my intellectual property, whatever, my voice — go for it. I hope somebody nails one. If you nail one, I’ll give you a piece of it. Because I get to go sing that live and we make the majority of our money live at the gate.
Now what’s going to happen is the other half of the country that are writing songs, like you know, Kid Rock wants to blow Joe Biden, you know, stuff like that. And I’ll laugh at that too, there will probably be some funny stuff there.”
He continued:
“[AI is] another tool. You can pound in a nail with a rock if you want. Go for it. Or you can get a nail gun. …Technology, you’re not going to stop it. So let’s figure out how to use it. Make life better. There’s going to be some adjustments. Yeah, industries are going to lose some workers and stuff, but they’ll come back in other spaces somewhere. It’s always worked out throughout time.”
Rock himself has remained opposed to at least one facet of AI in the music industry: The use of bots in scalping tickets. Rock has worked directly with the Trump administration in helping draft legislation to rein in the ticketing industry, even suggesting using certain technologies to verify the human identity of an online ticket purchaser.
Admittedly, Rock‘s thoughts on AI in music come from a somewhat privileged position. Having struck it big before the veritable collapse of physical music sales, his legacy is already established. Thus, he hasn’t had to directly contend with the rise of AI as directly as some artists have in the streaming era.
Earlier this year Lucas Woodland, vocalist for Welsh post-hardcore band Holding Absence felt the sting of AI’s encroaching presence in music. Much to his lament, an AI-assisted ‘band’ that was trained on songs from the Holding Absence catalog managed to overtake Holding Absence‘s then 847,638 monthly listener count on Spotify. Concerningly, that feat was achieved in only two months time. As Woods stated this past September:
“So, an AI “band” who cite us as an influence (ie, it’s modelled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months.
It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting – most importantly – it’s a wake up call.
Oppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing.”
While those numbers have since fluctuated and Holding Absence currently hold a 30k lead in monthly listeners ahead of the AI artist in question as of press time, that development can be seen as a veritable bellwether. Outside of the issues pertaining to the lack of consent given in having their music being used to model AI songs, musicians must also contend with the sheer onslaught and immediacy with which AI-assisted songs can be generated.
The average band can spend weeks, months or more working out song ideas. AI-generated songs can be compiled in mere minutes. While there’s an argument to be made in regards to human emotion, imperfection, innovation and more being hard for AI replicate in song form, as modeling techniques continue to advance, that counterpoint could eventually erode.
