Well I think you give too much credit to the public's appreciation of artistry. Many people, younger than I, which is most of the population, are satisfied with mere content to fill up their BT buds. Techno pop and disco or almost any noise is fine for them. Few of them have heard an acoustic instrument in person.
"We are living in a Materialist World and Scott is much more than a ragtime pianist". As a guy who writes Ai code for a living, let me say that Scott strikes a blow against the Robocalypse. Listen to "It Must Have Been Love" too - it's one of the better PMJ videos!
Thank you for this! It does look like we are about to learn if humanity needs something more than bread and circuses to live. What makes you want to jump up and live (to quote Martin Prechtel)? Fomo puts you into a survival mode, ultimately in some form of mental illness, that makes you incapable of even seeing what makes you want to live. That is already widespread. To me, art beckons to something bigger than our humdrum lives. Could it be that that is a necessary ingredient in wanting to live? It is for me.
This is a very interesting article. I hope it is not just wishful thinking and that true artist survive this process and get the credit for what they do. We will hopefully go the full circle and true art will yet again be valued.... as long as the algorithms don't make it impossible for them to be found. That is my biggest concern really. We found Vincent Van Gogh but he never lived to see it, struggled in poverty and couldn't sell a painting. Did you know that the book "The Medium is the Message" is in fact called "The Medium is the MASSage" makes it even more poignant and relevant in today's world. Let's hope that the message reaches the mass media and that the medium doesn't consume the true art in the process.
I hope that you are right. AI is *very* young, and there's a lot more where it came from, particularly once we begin to really understand the mind from a neurophysiological perspective, and replicate it electronically. (We're nowhere near that right now: and we may well not like what we discover). Live music remains popular because we empathise with the players (and they with us), and that gives me hope for the future of live music.
What happens when AI takes Effie's voice and puts it to a song she hasn't sung or recorded to a backing similar to PMJ and it goes viral? Who gets the royalties? Who do you go after to get it removed? I see "Elvis" singing songs that weren't written in his lifetime. That's what scares me about AI as a musician.
Wow. WOW. I agree with so much of this, though I did feel a little nauseous at some points from the inevitabilily. I'm an "old head" and I think I'll be able to distinguish the true art, but I'm not sure if the "kids these days" will be able to. But hope springs eternal!
I do admit to a huge case of content fatigue, less with music, but there are SO MANY great podcasts, and the FOMO is real. Just have to narrow it down to what's really, truly important.
But in any case, my weeknightly refuge is the Vevo 80s and 70s video channels (available for free on Pluto TV!), which have both reminded me of gems I forgot about, and introduced me to ones I never knew existed!
Speaking of which, the new PMJ video for "It Must Have Been Love" is an absolute stunner. Jaw-dropping. And Sunny's beautiful performance on the moon, with "Where or When", was sublime!
From your mouth to God's Ear, Scott. I trust you are right, as I - a generation older than you - struggle daily to figure out what bizarre nightmare I have just awakened into. 'No, I will NEVER partake of "AI" - in ANY form' - is a daily wow I make as I try to navigate the increasingly narrow channel of - shall we call it 'the sane internet' of learning, art, and a creative intelligent discussion of ideas. But, as a historian and artist for over 60 years on this earth now, and being humbly aware of the value of my varied life experiences to date, I have to say that your analysis "feels right" to me, in my gut. To get less philosophical and switch tracks for a moment, please also allow me to THANK YOU for doing more than anyone else today to breathe new life into the great musical styles of the early to mid 20th century. I fell in love with the music and songs of the pre-R&R era in college, and have been enjoying it - and, occasionally, performing its songs and comedy - for 40 years now. The world owes you a debt of gratitude ... now get back to that piano and keep weaving your magic - for your work is far from done!
I mostly agree. I think the "contentapocalypse" is going to be more painful, and take us longer to get through, than you imply.
I do think that it's going to put a lot of commercial musicians and artists out of work. A toothpaste commercial doesn't need artistry in its jingle; it just needs a pleasant sound that fits the message. A billboard advertising a lawyer's office doesn't need artistry; it just needs an image that helps sell their services. Unfortunately, I think that type of commercial content is going to be fully AI in the very near future. That said, it's not all that different than the orchestras that were put out of business when synthesizers and DAWs became capable of generating the music for commercials, and the billboard painters who were put out of business by large format printers. Those disruptions were very painful for the individuals affected; the difference was that they happened at different times. This time, I think most commercial art jobs are going to go away at once, and that's going to be rough on people.
I began reading, with my fresh memory of yesterday's singing women's barbershop at a senior living place and memory care home -- the beaming smiles, the singing along, the joy and pleasure we brought. Live! Talking with the audience. Laughter. Choosing an old favorite "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" for the perfect encore. And the night before that, practicing with my chorale for the concert we'll perform in November with harp, guitar, and marimba.
The juice you can get only from ensemble live music-making and listening.
Our local symphony is performing to sold-out houses.
THIS will never die!
P.S. Thank you for Effie Passero and her whole ensemble. Oof!
Ditto to all of that, and more specifically, AI could never hope to come close to duplicating the impassioned vocal delivery of Haley Reinhart. Sorry, AI, you are not human, you are not Haley.
Interesting as always. The only thing I question is whether we’re on the last gasp of live performances of bands from the 60s and 70s. Abba Voyage is huge success and I’m surprised it hasn’t been replicated to a greater extent. I predict it will be. Then there is the fact that there are bands from those eras who tour but have one or sometimes none of the original members in them!
What worries me more is that amount of the sound we hear at a live performance that is on the backing track. Perhaps even more concerning is that the modern audience (my 17-year old daughter is one) don’t seem to care that when they see their idols of today they are essentially watching someone singing on top of a backing track with almost everything on it.
Interesting as always. The only thing I question is whether we’re on the last gasp of live performances of bands from the 60s and 70s. Abba Voyage is huge success and I’m surprised it hasn’t been replicated to a greater extent. I predict it will be. Then there is the fact that there are bands from those eras who tour but have one or sometimes none of the original members in them!
What worries me more is that amount of the sound we hear at a live performance that is on the backing track. Perhaps even more concerning is that the modern audience (my 17-year old daughter is one) don’t seem to care that when they see their idols of today they are essentially watching someone singing on top of a backing track with almost everything on it.
Well I think you give too much credit to the public's appreciation of artistry. Many people, younger than I, which is most of the population, are satisfied with mere content to fill up their BT buds. Techno pop and disco or almost any noise is fine for them. Few of them have heard an acoustic instrument in person.
"We are living in a Materialist World and Scott is much more than a ragtime pianist". As a guy who writes Ai code for a living, let me say that Scott strikes a blow against the Robocalypse. Listen to "It Must Have Been Love" too - it's one of the better PMJ videos!
An excellent piece, sir! In some ways evocative of Solzhenitsyn's famous 1978 speech.
Thank you for this! It does look like we are about to learn if humanity needs something more than bread and circuses to live. What makes you want to jump up and live (to quote Martin Prechtel)? Fomo puts you into a survival mode, ultimately in some form of mental illness, that makes you incapable of even seeing what makes you want to live. That is already widespread. To me, art beckons to something bigger than our humdrum lives. Could it be that that is a necessary ingredient in wanting to live? It is for me.
This is a very interesting article. I hope it is not just wishful thinking and that true artist survive this process and get the credit for what they do. We will hopefully go the full circle and true art will yet again be valued.... as long as the algorithms don't make it impossible for them to be found. That is my biggest concern really. We found Vincent Van Gogh but he never lived to see it, struggled in poverty and couldn't sell a painting. Did you know that the book "The Medium is the Message" is in fact called "The Medium is the MASSage" makes it even more poignant and relevant in today's world. Let's hope that the message reaches the mass media and that the medium doesn't consume the true art in the process.
I hope that you are right. AI is *very* young, and there's a lot more where it came from, particularly once we begin to really understand the mind from a neurophysiological perspective, and replicate it electronically. (We're nowhere near that right now: and we may well not like what we discover). Live music remains popular because we empathise with the players (and they with us), and that gives me hope for the future of live music.
What happens when AI takes Effie's voice and puts it to a song she hasn't sung or recorded to a backing similar to PMJ and it goes viral? Who gets the royalties? Who do you go after to get it removed? I see "Elvis" singing songs that weren't written in his lifetime. That's what scares me about AI as a musician.
Wow. WOW. I agree with so much of this, though I did feel a little nauseous at some points from the inevitabilily. I'm an "old head" and I think I'll be able to distinguish the true art, but I'm not sure if the "kids these days" will be able to. But hope springs eternal!
I do admit to a huge case of content fatigue, less with music, but there are SO MANY great podcasts, and the FOMO is real. Just have to narrow it down to what's really, truly important.
But in any case, my weeknightly refuge is the Vevo 80s and 70s video channels (available for free on Pluto TV!), which have both reminded me of gems I forgot about, and introduced me to ones I never knew existed!
Speaking of which, the new PMJ video for "It Must Have Been Love" is an absolute stunner. Jaw-dropping. And Sunny's beautiful performance on the moon, with "Where or When", was sublime!
From your mouth to God's Ear, Scott. I trust you are right, as I - a generation older than you - struggle daily to figure out what bizarre nightmare I have just awakened into. 'No, I will NEVER partake of "AI" - in ANY form' - is a daily wow I make as I try to navigate the increasingly narrow channel of - shall we call it 'the sane internet' of learning, art, and a creative intelligent discussion of ideas. But, as a historian and artist for over 60 years on this earth now, and being humbly aware of the value of my varied life experiences to date, I have to say that your analysis "feels right" to me, in my gut. To get less philosophical and switch tracks for a moment, please also allow me to THANK YOU for doing more than anyone else today to breathe new life into the great musical styles of the early to mid 20th century. I fell in love with the music and songs of the pre-R&R era in college, and have been enjoying it - and, occasionally, performing its songs and comedy - for 40 years now. The world owes you a debt of gratitude ... now get back to that piano and keep weaving your magic - for your work is far from done!
I mostly agree. I think the "contentapocalypse" is going to be more painful, and take us longer to get through, than you imply.
I do think that it's going to put a lot of commercial musicians and artists out of work. A toothpaste commercial doesn't need artistry in its jingle; it just needs a pleasant sound that fits the message. A billboard advertising a lawyer's office doesn't need artistry; it just needs an image that helps sell their services. Unfortunately, I think that type of commercial content is going to be fully AI in the very near future. That said, it's not all that different than the orchestras that were put out of business when synthesizers and DAWs became capable of generating the music for commercials, and the billboard painters who were put out of business by large format printers. Those disruptions were very painful for the individuals affected; the difference was that they happened at different times. This time, I think most commercial art jobs are going to go away at once, and that's going to be rough on people.
Hm, some interesting stuff, I 'll have to ask ChatGPT about it... 🤣
I began reading, with my fresh memory of yesterday's singing women's barbershop at a senior living place and memory care home -- the beaming smiles, the singing along, the joy and pleasure we brought. Live! Talking with the audience. Laughter. Choosing an old favorite "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" for the perfect encore. And the night before that, practicing with my chorale for the concert we'll perform in November with harp, guitar, and marimba.
The juice you can get only from ensemble live music-making and listening.
Our local symphony is performing to sold-out houses.
THIS will never die!
P.S. Thank you for Effie Passero and her whole ensemble. Oof!
Ditto to all of that, and more specifically, AI could never hope to come close to duplicating the impassioned vocal delivery of Haley Reinhart. Sorry, AI, you are not human, you are not Haley.
Interesting as always. The only thing I question is whether we’re on the last gasp of live performances of bands from the 60s and 70s. Abba Voyage is huge success and I’m surprised it hasn’t been replicated to a greater extent. I predict it will be. Then there is the fact that there are bands from those eras who tour but have one or sometimes none of the original members in them!
What worries me more is that amount of the sound we hear at a live performance that is on the backing track. Perhaps even more concerning is that the modern audience (my 17-year old daughter is one) don’t seem to care that when they see their idols of today they are essentially watching someone singing on top of a backing track with almost everything on it.
Elvis is coming to London on stage next year apparently.
Why bother when PMJ is also coming to the UK next year. ☺️
I won't be going to see pseudo (AI) Elvis but I will be going to see PMJ!
I predicted well in that case 😁
Interesting as always. The only thing I question is whether we’re on the last gasp of live performances of bands from the 60s and 70s. Abba Voyage is huge success and I’m surprised it hasn’t been replicated to a greater extent. I predict it will be. Then there is the fact that there are bands from those eras who tour but have one or sometimes none of the original members in them!
What worries me more is that amount of the sound we hear at a live performance that is on the backing track. Perhaps even more concerning is that the modern audience (my 17-year old daughter is one) don’t seem to care that when they see their idols of today they are essentially watching someone singing on top of a backing track with almost everything on it.
As I sit by my gramophone…😉😄
I AGREE, I AGREE, I AGREE with the ARTIST that is Mr. B! ✔️💯
EXCELLENT!! 👏🎉
Thank you!! 👍💖🎶