BPI Charts Rise Of Robots

Record industry trade group The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has launched a new report exploring the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the music industry.

Produced by Music Ally, the report investigates uses of different kinds of AI technology by established musicians, music companies, and start-ups. The report considers developments in AI-driven music composition and video creation, the ongoing evolution of machine-driven music recommendation tools, how artists and music firms are employing increasingly sophisticated ‘chat bots’, and also how smart voice assistants like Siri and Alexa could become “de facto musical concierges around the home and in the car”.

Launching the report, BPI boss and smart speaker Geoff Taylor said: “Artificial intelligence is no longer the province of science fiction. This fast-emerging technology is beginning to transform how music is created, discovered, shared and enjoyed”.

Taylor went on: “AI is enabling the creation of hyper-personalised playlists using contextual data and deep analysis of the relationship between songs, while artists and labels are now using chatbots to engage fan-bases in campaigns. Algorithms are also beginning to influence the composition of music, as artists embrace the technology to enhance their own creativity. This raises profound questions about the nature of music and humans’ connection to it”.

You can download it here.

AI was also under the spotlight at this week’s ‘Music 4.5’ event held earlier today. The event, taking place at 5 Chancery Lane, Clifford’s Inn, London, will also consider how the music industry is utilising other fast developing technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D audio and content recognition software, with all speakers eventually ascending directly into the cloud.