Ladies and Gentlemen - may be time to look into Real Estate

The prospects for earning any meaningful income in music have been infinitesimally small forever, with a particular bit of shrinkage the last 25 years. And yet, people still feel compelled to make music (and even pay good money to make it: buying the gear, renting the studio time, etc etc). I, for one, don't feel particularly worried about AI just yet, as the spaces I work in are unlikely to be impacted heavily.

That said, I think 'beat-makers' and similarly DAW-based writers are first on the chopping block, and that's just around the corner. Mastering engineers will probably take a hit next, though I think just as anyone who really cares today will prefer a human ME, the same will be true even as AI advances.

The safest folks in the industry, IMHO? Recording engineers (like, real tracking engineers who know how to select and position mics) and producers (real producers who work with artists to craft music, not data entry specialists clicking around in a DAW). I don't think those trades are in much danger from replacement by AI. Which is kinda ironic in a way since the current younger generation has the least interest in those particular disciplines.

LOL, I'm already planning my introductions to next semester's classes 🤣

There is a silver lining here: this might mean that Taylor Swift can finally release a decent sounding album....

You might actually be right. The music my 17 year old tends to like is pretty alt with heavy lyrics. All the usual suspects. She and her gen even tend to like - gasp - older country music. It only makes sense. You rebel against and directly opposite to what’s supposed to be popular. So maybe there’s hope there.

Yup! Also agree with the other point about vinyl, mixtapes, etc.
Things are about to get very weird in our world of music production/writing. There might be some silver linings along the way and no doubt authenticity/unedited/raw material will be the score to the Titanic sinking. But there’s no sign of more money entering our side of the industry. I’m going down with the ship and making good shit as we sink, but no way we’re getting paid, paid.

I am not so doom and gloom about it. For someone like me who isn't a strong singer, but often has to write vocal arrangements/harmonies for artists, this seems like it could be a useful tool for demoing said parts.

As far as it putting everyone out of business, I've yet to meet a single musician that didn't love walking into a proper studio with a room full of gear. If people have the money, they will pay for the experience. We may just have to get more creative about how we go about our business. There will always be DINKs, recent empty nesters, your doctors, tech execs, etc... that want to go through the process because that's their escape from their day to day and will pay good money for someone competent to guide them through it.

The fun part begins in a few years when when usage accumulates and ai starts to repeat itself. The possibilities are not limitless and the algorithms works within a rather limited framework after all. So I will pop some popcorn and enjoy watching the rumble of copyright cases popping up.

Business wise I think it’s irrelevant. Ai has been used for decades. Now it sneaks into a sector of music industry which has since long time separated from what we could call high end productions. The laptop producer is the one who is in trouble.  

I changed my mind. The music world is perfectly healthy...

www.euronews.com/culture/2024/04/23/how-did-90s-eurodance-swedish-band-rednex-become-the-most-played-artist-in-the-world

I'm fortunate that I do and I have been able to grow my business as well. Up almost 45% in revenue and 25% in profit YOY.

Young bands that have the potential to tour, etc.... may bring your career to the moon, but those other demographics will allow you to make a sustainable, livable wage and you usually don't have to worry about invoices not being settled in a timely manner.

I've found that the empty nester crowd will be some of the most loyal clients if you demonstrate you actually care about their project. I've met many guys and gals in their 50s who don't know what to do with themselves when their kids have gone off to college, so they start forming bands with their friends who are in similar positions. Often times they get written off by producers and engineers because many of them are essentially starting over, a little rusty, are "just some local dad rock band" etc... but they are passionate about what they are doing and just want to work with someone who cares.

God bless vanity projects. I’d much rather work for grateful and excited people as opposed to som smart ass cynical young dude that thinks he knows everything.

The fact that the best studio in town is only $500 / day literally says everything about the industry. I played on my first ep at a studio in 99. Price was $40 / hour then and they had a 24 channel Mackie console, a couple ADAT machines, and some DBX outboard. Industry is fucked.

Welp, I guess it's an improvement over having to listen to Nicki Minaj rap about how much her cat loves taking baths over and over again...

That's crazy to me. $500/day up in the Northeast gets you someone's basement. Top studios around here are well over $1K a day.

That said, I think sometimes studios are their own worst enemies. I've seen some guys with mid 6 figure investments letting their place go for $375 a day. They also end up selling lots of gear every couple of months on CL/FBMP. Hmm... I wonder if those two things are related.....