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as a musician, the internet has made it that there already is a shit ton of competition. AI will make it worse sure, but it was already a 'problem' and never go

by peab 9mo ago

as a musician, the internet has made it that there already is a shit ton of competition. AI will make it worse sure, but it was already a 'problem' and never going to be solved. The thing is, you aren't entitled to distribution. Most musicians who make it these days work really hard at doing live shows, or growing a following on tiktok. once they have an audience - who cares about competition?

kazinator 9mo ago
I feel that human artists as a class are more entitled to distribution than generated slop. And decisions like Bandcamp's above reflects essentially the same view.
- peab 9mo ago
  Why? Are human made tools more entitled to distribution than machine made tools?
Workaccount2 9mo ago
The hardest pill to swallow as a musician is that despite everyone who ever listened to you telling you you're great, despite being in a band and playing shows, despite maybe even selling some merch...if you are not in the top 1%, you probably will never even get chance to play a show that might put you on someone meaningful's radar.
- butlike 9mo ago
  I hear you and feel you on this being a hard (hardest) pill to swallow, and I think I have a helpful phrase. It helped me quite a bit so I hope it helps you: 'For the love of the game.' When you don't make any money and no one comes to your shows; when the booking emails go unanswered and the likes on soundcloud remain <10, just remember why you picked up the instrument in the first place. For the love of the game.
  - Anamon 9mo ago
    I like that strategy. As a non-musician, but being into music to an unreasonable degree, I always thought that the best artists are those where I feel that, even if no one bought their records and there were just five people at their concert, they'd still be doing the exact same thing and with the same passion. Audiences notice.
    - butlike 9mo ago
      Exactly! Glad you're into music. It's a fun strange journey
autoexec 9mo ago
> The thing is, you aren't entitled to distribution. That applies to people spamming AI slop too. People are right to complain about spammers. Platforms are right to try to stop spam, even though everyone knows that spam is a problem that is never going be solved. > Most musicians who make it these days work really hard at doing live shows, or growing a following on tiktok. Live shows, by their nature, have almost zero reach. A performance for 40 people takes place once in a single location at a specific time and then it's over. You're either there when it happens or you missed it. A song on youtube or bandcamp can be heard by millions quickly over a few weeks or gradually over years. Social media was a massive boon for musicians. Sadly, it will get substantially harder to grow a following on tiktok or any other social media platform if those platforms are flooded with AI generated garbage. Real artists will be harder to find. Anyone doing anything new will be drowned out by AI regurgitating everything old. When creative people can't succeed, the creativity they'd inspire in others is lost and everything stagnates.
- chung8123 9mo ago
  What you call slop others may enjoy. Calling stuff AI slop doesn't mean it isn't someone's art.

by peab 9mo ago

kazinator 9mo ago

I feel that human artists as a class are more entitled to distribution than generated slop. And decisions like Bandcamp's above reflects essentially the same view.

peab 9mo ago
Why? Are human made tools more entitled to distribution than machine made tools?

Workaccount2 9mo ago

The hardest pill to swallow as a musician is that despite everyone who ever listened to you telling you you're great, despite being in a band and playing shows, despite maybe even selling some merch...if you are not in the top 1%, you probably will never even get chance to play a show that might put you on someone meaningful's radar.

butlike 9mo ago
I hear you and feel you on this being a hard (hardest) pill to swallow, and I think I have a helpful phrase. It helped me quite a bit so I hope it helps you: 'For the love of the game.' When you don't make any money and no one comes to your shows; when the booking emails go unanswered and the likes on soundcloud remain <10, just remember why you picked up the instrument in the first place. For the love of the game.
- Anamon 9mo ago
  I like that strategy. As a non-musician, but being into music to an unreasonable degree, I always thought that the best artists are those where I feel that, even if no one bought their records and there were just five people at their concert, they'd still be doing the exact same thing and with the same passion. Audiences notice.
  - butlike 9mo ago
    Exactly! Glad you're into music. It's a fun strange journey

autoexec 9mo ago

> The thing is, you aren't entitled to distribution. That applies to people spamming AI slop too. People are right to complain about spammers. Platforms are right to try to stop spam, even though everyone knows that spam is a problem that is never going be solved. > Most musicians who make it these days work really hard at doing live shows, or growing a following on tiktok. Live shows, by their nature, have almost zero reach. A performance for 40 people takes place once in a single location at a specific time and then it's over. You're either there when it happens or you missed it. A song on youtube or bandcamp can be heard by millions quickly over a few weeks or gradually over years. Social media was a massive boon for musicians. Sadly, it will get substantially harder to grow a following on tiktok or any other social media platform if those platforms are flooded with AI generated garbage. Real artists will be harder to find. Anyone doing anything new will be drowned out by AI regurgitating everything old. When creative people can't succeed, the creativity they'd inspire in others is lost and everything stagnates.

chung8123 9mo ago
What you call slop others may enjoy. Calling stuff AI slop doesn't mean it isn't someone's art.