Some of America’s top rising country artists are robots
Images: Spotify
Country music’s transition from Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” to “Ring of Water that Cools Computer Chips” is almost complete.
The #1 and #3 most-downloaded country songs in America today are 100% written and sung by artificial intelligence, marking a first for the music industry, according to Billboard.
- Breaking Rust, a computer-generated outlaw blues-country singer, holds the top spot on Billboard's Country Digital Song Sales chart with the single "Walk My Walk."
- AI-created R&B singer Cain Walker is ranked #3 on the same chart with the song "Don't Tread On Me."
Breaking Rust currently boasts 2.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, while Cain Walker has 1.1 million—on par with some of the biggest rising human stars in country music today. However, it’s worth noting that neither artist appears on Spotify's Country Top 50 singles chart.
They’re not the only ones: At least six AI or AI-assisted artists have debuted on various Billboard rankings over the past several months. That list includes gospel/R&B singer Xania Monet, who signed a multimillion-dollar record deal in September.
Billboard also says the true number of AI artists on its charts could be much higher, “as it's become increasingly difficult to tell who or what is powered by AI — and to what extent."
The trend is setting off alarm bells
Many in the industry resent the idea that someone pushing a few buttons in their bedroom can compete with musical artists who’ve worked and trained their whole lives to master their profession.
An estimated 97% of adults “can’t tell the difference” between real music and AI-generated music, according to a new Deezer/Ipsos survey of 9,000 adults across eight countries (including the US).
But…Others in the business say AI artists like Breaking Rust and Xania Monet are acceptable if their creators behave responsibly, respect international copyright law, and follow the policies of streaming services like Spotify.
Bottom line: Analysts say artists of all types should take note that content produced by early, deeply flawed AI is already supplanting human-created work.
📊 Flash poll: Assuming the quality is identical: does it matter to you personally whether a song is written/performed by a human, or instead generated by AI?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that one of the most pressing questions in the AI industry today is whether musical artists—and those in other creative professions—whose work was used to train AI will be entitled to any payment from those AI companies
- Others contend that AI’s “cheap” outputs are so inexpensive for companies to create because the cost for training is being invisibly offloaded onto past labor by musicians who were never compensated for their work.
- “AI’s Copyright War Could Be Its Undoing. Only the US Can End It.” –Dave Lee, Bloomberg
- “I used AI to make this song. The results, and its implications, startled me” –Jason Fessel, San Francisco Chronicle
- “AI can perform a song, but can it make art?” –LZ Granderson, LA Times
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that deep-pocketed media giants and artists looking to protect their IP rights have a vested interest in ensuring they aren’t left behind by AI, and the results of their disputes will shape AI’s economic potential, from cost models to go-to-market strategies.
- Others contend that any writing and music that comes from humans’ unique life stories will have a competitive edge over AI-produced content, since robots are unable to imitate work that’s distinctive or deeply human and can’t truly live anything.
- “The AI Boom May Be Too Good to Be True” –Josh Harlan, WSJ
- “Time to get real about artificial intelligence” –Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune
- “AI Cannot Replicate John Lennon’s Soul” –Scott Howard, National Review
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