The Velvet Sundown: The AI Band Controversy Explained - What Happened and What's Next - 370

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You may have seen the AI band The Velvet Sundown pop up in the news recently and thought "well, that's weird". Long-time fans of the pod probably also thought "when are they going to do an episode on that?" Well, here it is!

The Velvet Sundown - What Actually Happened?

If you've been following us for a while you'll know that every 18 months or so we seem to return to broader discussions about where music and technology intersect. It began with an episode on Threatin (if you remember who Threatin is, well done) and how one man's quest for fame led to him faking a massive fanbase. A quest that ended with him playing to empty rooms across the UK, and saw him trying to retcon it into some kind of art hoax.

Later, we discussed what a possible future using AI music might look like in March 2019, looking at the early attempts to create artificial intelligence music and how the data given to streaming platforms could very well be used to create music. An episode that is now quite prescient in retrospect. Mark was actually quite optimistic that a Velvet Sundown-esque AI band scenario would not come to pass. How naive...

And then in October 2023 we took a two episode deep dive into Spotify playlist manipulation, and how it began way back in the early days of radio with payola. Spotify algorithm manipulation plays a huge role in how the person/entity behind The Velvet Sundown was able to gain so much traction so quickly - reaching 1.1 million plays and potentially earning £35,000+ annually.

AI Music - The Bigger Picture

This week's episode continues this tradition. We cover some old ground in places (the history of AI music and playlist manipulation), but for the vast majority of the episode we break new ground. We look at the hard numbers around what this synthetic music "artist" stands to make, examine other AI-generated bands like Anna Indiana, The Devil Inside, and Aventhis, ponder both the inventive and interesting uses of artificial intelligence in music as well as the more troubling ones, and look at some possible futures in the wake of all this AI band controversy.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube, if that's your thing.

If you've enjoyed this episode, do consider subscribing to our Patreon at www.patreon.com/unsungpod

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction to The Velvet Sundown

00:36 AI in Music: From Skynet to Rei Toei

01:35 The Rise of The Velvet Sundown

03:05 AI Bands and Their Impact

07:33 History of AI in Music

17:18 Modern AI Music Innovations

33:31 The Future of AI in Music

36:10 Financial Implications of AI Bands

42:05 The Impact of AI on Job Replacement

43:43 The Uncanny Valley in AI Music

45:07 Genres and AI's Ability to Mimic Them

49:57 AI's Influence on Modern Music Production

55:21 The Rise of AI in Country Music

59:24 The Future of AI in the Music Industry

01:07:19 Ethical and Regulatory Concerns

01:21:34 Concluding Thoughts on AI in Music