Michael Nash, EVP and Chief Digital Officer at Common Music Group, delivered a keynote presentation on the UN’s AI for Good summit in Geneva on Tuesday (Jul. 8) In line with Music Enterprise Worldwide, the summit gathers UN decision-makers, politicians, ambassadors, and different stakeholders to debate AI within the context of the UN Sustainable Growth Targets. Nash provided insights into how UMG is approaching synthetic intelligence, and why he believes “market-based options are the reply” to AI in music.
“In our artist-centric imaginative and prescient, AI innovation can drive music tradition,” Nash stated. “And in so doing, generate even better advantages to the standard of life on this planet.”
Final month, Timbaland drew criticism after he introduced that he was signing an A.I. artist. Equally, Erykah Badu and Alchemist additionally confronted some backlash when it was revealed that the only paintings for his or her observe “Subsequent To You“ was generated by A.I. However Nash argues that artists will nonetheless be the main target for UMG, the most important music licensor on this planet.
“Common’s technique on A.I. is predicated on a easy philosophy: heart the dialog on artists, defend their rights and pursuits, and from that basis, forge new artistic and industrial alternatives,” Nash defined.
The rise of A.I. in artistic arts has led to anxiousness about how labels will method the expertise going ahead. Nash addressed these issues whereas advocating for an embrace of copyright and seeking to the longer term.
“Copyright is just not the enemy of innovation, fairly the alternative,” Nash acknowledged. “Media tech convergence predicated on respect for copyright has produced a multi-trillion Euro economic system, and that began with Apple marrying iPod with iTunes in 2003 as a important early step embracing licensed music [to] create the primary trillion greenback firm.”
“You possibly can’t forge new enterprise fashions with no rights,” Nash stated. “For those who don’t declare a seat on the dinner desk, you would possibly wind up on the menu.”
Nash additionally downplayed The Velvet Sunset, an A.I.-generated band that has drawn large media scrutiny this month. “A variety of novelty will come alongside,” stated Nash. “Individuals are speaking about Velvet [Sundown], which is that this pretend A.I. artist [project], you realize, perhaps a conceptual venture,” he added.
“There’s been lots of publicity about that. Due to all of the publicity, they’ve 1 million listeners on Spotify. That might not break them into the highest 10,000 acts when it comes to the dimensions of the month-to-month [listening], as a result of these are enormous platforms which have large quantity.”