✘ Why do emerging technologies keep capturing our interest?
- AI + Music: context + uses + ethics - The state of culture, 2024 - Darkforest anthology of the internet - WIN principles for generative AI - Manifesto on critical creation in the age of AI
Hi all,
A new collaboration, with FUTURX, who have just released the English translation of their AI+MUSIC book. This book came about in collaboration with Larrosa and has two individuals who were instrumental in its coming together: Nicolás Madoery and Christian Larrosa. The former republishes his intro to the book here in MUSIC x. Over the next two weeks, two more pieces will follow. All of their work is based on extensive research drawn from LatAm. So much of our thinking around emerging tech in music has a strong western bias. We all need to think global to be able to fully grasp the impact of a new tech hype. I’m super proud that Nicolás decided to publish this piece here today. Enjoy the read!
Love, Maarten
AI-generated profile pictures already feel cringe. Yet, they’re part of the hype as well and these hype trends arise around each new technology that becomes trendy. With AI, there’s two clear theories related to the technological advancement:
It allows us to speed up processes, which means saving time (the same time that is then taken away from us when we are stuck scrolling social media),
It raises new creation and consumption dynamics, which translates into new possibilities of interaction and monetization for different projects, be it for artists, labels, festivals, etc.
Each change can be overwhelming. It fills us with Anglo terminology that determines whether we are IN or OUT: “socially updated.” In this context, three points appear that are necessary to consider when thinking about a #musicandtechnology crossover:
Knowing the Tools (Understanding Them): Technology empowers us. It allows us to do things in new ways. Tools are the means for us to reach new places.
Debunking Myths: It is essential to move away from misunderstandings and focus on the real tensions and dynamics that each interaction entails. I can’t go by the information found in mass media and jump to conclusions just like my uncle does.
Generating a Critical Vision: The two previous points are the ticket to arrive at this one: A critical vision must be the goal. We achieve it by knowing and demystifying but also by discussing. It is important to adapt to technological advances, which is fundamental to actively influence the construction of digital paradigms and the near future.
I have always been driven to understand how technology can help music reach new horizons and go further. CAN IT?
CAN IT?
I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE.
FUTURX’s mission not only has to do with finding answers to this question. It also aims to provide evidence and enable different ways to get involved in the face of this mobilization and the new scenarios that continuously unfold. When in doubt, FUTURX proposes to organize knowledge and build community.
It must also be said that every technological advancement pushes a loop of seemingly endless debates, and, eventually, both the novelty and the debate run out ever quicker. An overview of this loop:
The social/ecosystem debate on the past-present-future of formats (vinyl-CD-MP3-streaming): What will happen to the old format? Are we going to run out of jobs? Is music losing quality? Is the experience getting better or worse?
The feeling of democratization that makes everyone celebrate that “this time music will be democratized” and that “at last, new independent creators will be able to access the place they deserve.” The truth is that, while the costs of creation and production are lowered, the digital gap continues. However, this does make it possible for many new people to generate and distribute content. YouTube is the ultimate example.
The mainstream is reluctant, and in many cases angry, looking the other way like the John Travolta’s meme from Pulp Fiction. They are looking for someone responsible for not warning them about the situation and for not having the answer. For example: Do you remember when CDs became so easy to burn at home that anyone could download their music and have it on a CD easily?
A boom of startups that do not know the culture, a technology industry proudly showing off its new capabilities. For example, improving compression or audio transfer speed but not necessarily being interested in what happens around its uses.
Now, what did I learn from this loop?:
Building audience in “Web2” paradigms. The dynamics of today’s “traditional” platforms are a competition to capture the attention of the algorithms and rules imposed by each platform and, above all, to focus on vanity metrics over real loyalty. This does not detract from the fact that these platforms are equally necessary, they are “our mass media” of consumption.
Building alternatives and parallel channels becomes fundamental. One possible way to achieve this is the exploration of new technological and digital paradigms that can contribute to the development of music ecosystems in a sustainable way.
The questions raised by GAI are not new. The debates around Web3 are not about the Internet we inhabit today being broken. Nor are they about the tensions between cultural content and technology. Simply, and not insignificant, these questions are enhanced to levels that we have never experienced before. And this is important.
It is for this reason that the need for this text has to do with the urgency of putting the issue on the table, reading voices that today are building or thinking about these questions and providing tools to be able to discuss each of these tensions with a little more data than our uncles. It has to do with the idea of becoming critical, taking away the fear and appropriating, experimenting and playing with new tools. It is an opportunity to break with standardizations and generate unique, different things.
Are you up for it or what?
🎧 AI + music: context + uses + ethics: artificial intelligence in musical ecosystems (FUTURX + Larrosa)
"With what data did your favorite artist train their model to compose their latest work? When it comes to understanding whether something is original or not, what distances human creativity from the way machines create?"
"IA+Música" is the first publication originally created in Spanish (with its English version) that comprehensively addresses the intersection between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and musical ecosystems. A combination of exploration, reflections, and practical guidance that delves into how AI is redefining creation and offers a journey through the context, uses, and ethical and legal challenges the music industry faces in the new digital age.
✘ The publication’s comprehensive approach highlights the need to critically engage with AI’s role in the evolving landscape of music creation.
🎵 The state of the culture, 2024 (Ted Goia)
Dopamine vs. Aesthetics? The fierce competition for attention on platforms and social media reveals how music creation and consumption have adapted to capture users, who consume music as fleetingly as any other digital content, scrolling through it. This phenomenon underscores the urgency to explore new development models for digital content that transcend current limitations and pave the way for sustainable and equitable innovations.
✘ This reflection invites a critical analysis of how digital environments are reshaping cultural consumption, pushing for a balance between instant gratification and meaningful engagement.
🌲 The darkforest anthology of internet (The Dark Forest Collective x Metalabel)
"It’s about the cozy web, the dark web, the dark forest, the clear net, the dark net, and a new social world emerging around us."
Understanding the internet and its current logics forces us to think about alternatives. Seeing the internet as a dark forest illuminates our connections and relationships.
✘ This anthology encourages a re-examination of how we navigate online spaces, pushing us to consider the complexities and hidden layers of our digital interactions.
⚙️ WIN principles for generative AI (2024, WIN)
"AI development is subject to copyright. Prioritizing a human-centered approach. Safety of creators, fans, consumers, and the public. Transparency as a fundamental element. Ethical AI development hand-in-hand with music."
It's interesting how organizations like WIN are taking a stand on Generative AI, dedicating significant attention to the ethical aspects. I believe they are setting a trend in the ongoing discussion.
✘ The emphasis on ethics by industry leaders like WIN signals a crucial shift in how we approach AI in creative fields, ensuring that technology serves humanity without compromising artistic integrity.
🎨 Manifesto on critical creation in the age of artificial intelligence: the dopawow (2023, Tomas Garcia & Daniel Tirado)
"AI creation is potentially one of the most transformative tools of our time, drastically changing the way we express and understand ourselves. Critical Creation proposes to analyze, study, and explore this language, revealing its powerful impact."
This document by Argentine artist Tomas Garcia is very interesting, as it raises the need to generate more critical creators in cultural ecosystems and provides guidelines to understand the new dynamics of creation.
✘ The reflection on critical creation is crucial to maintaining perspective in a world where technology is redefining art and culture.
MUSIC
Last week, I had the chance to see Gabi Merlo, an artist from Córdoba, in the heart of Argentina, perform live. I saw him in Paraguay at the Cranea Música gathering, and it was magical. I believe his music is perfect for accompanying journeys, so I highly recommend it. I'm sharing his album.