Fake Vocals and New Styles: AI’s Potential Influence on the Music Industry

Summary

WSJ Tech News Briefing: Fake Vocals and New Styles: AI’s Potential Influence on the Music Industry

Released: July 15, 2025

In this episode of the Wall Street Journal's Tech News Briefing, host Patrick Coffey delves into the burgeoning influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the music industry. Focusing on both the transformative opportunities and the significant challenges AI presents, Coffey engages in an insightful conversation with Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and a seasoned songwriter and producer. Mason brings a multifaceted perspective, having collaborated with luminaries like Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, and Justin Bieber, making him a paramount voice in discussions about the future of music creation and performance.

AI’s Emerging Role in Music Creation

Patrick Coffey opens the discussion by contextualizing AI’s widespread impact across various industries, particularly highlighting its potential to reshape white-collar jobs. However, the spotlight of the episode shifts to the music industry, a realm where AI's influence is both promising and perilous. Coffey introduces Harvey Mason Jr., who shares firsthand experiences with AI-generated music, revealing the technology's capacity to produce compelling and sometimes indistinguishable tracks from human-created music.

Notable Quote:

Harvey Mason Jr. [01:35]: "I've been following this artist, they're called Velvet Sundown, I believe, and I started listening to it because I was told it was AI... there's a little bit of controversy there and the fact that we're not sure if it's AI is very telling."

Threats Posed by AI in the Music Industry

Mason outlines several key threats that AI poses to the music landscape:

1. Copyright Infringement: AI training on copyrighted material without proper authorization threatens intellectual property rights.
2. Unauthorized Use of Artists’ Voices: The ability of AI to replicate and manipulate artists’ voices without consent undermines creative ownership.
3. Market Saturation: The potential inundation of AI-generated songs could dilute the quality of music available, making it challenging for listeners to discover and cherish human-created masterpieces.

Notable Quote:

Harvey Mason Jr. [02:20]: "AI taking artists' voices and doing things with it that artists and singers don't approve of... AI just dumping millions and millions and billions of songs... potentially diluting music."

Despite these threats, Mason acknowledges the dual-edged nature of AI, emphasizing that while it can be disruptive, it also harbors significant opportunities for innovation within the industry.

Opportunities for Creativity and Innovation

AI's integration into the music industry is not solely a narrative of risk. Mason highlights the transformative potential AI holds for musicians:

• Overcoming Creative Blocks: AI can provide inspiration and generate multiple variations of a musical idea, aiding artists in overcoming creative stagnation.
• Language Adaptation: The capability to translate songs into different languages can help artists reach a broader, global audience.
• Democratizing Music Production: Aspiring artists without access to traditional production resources can utilize AI to compose music, thereby lowering entry barriers and fostering a more inclusive creative environment.

Notable Quote:

Harvey Mason Jr. [06:56]: "AI could give us some inspiration, some ideas... generate music around your melody is going to free up opportunities for people that previously needed to go and source musicians or source producers."

Potential for Job Displacement and New Roles

The conversation acknowledges that AI will inevitably be disruptive, potentially displacing certain roles within the music industry. However, Mason posits that this disruption will also catalyze the creation of new job opportunities, enabling artists to harness AI in novel ways that enhance their creativity and productivity. The evolution of music production methodologies could lead to the emergence of new genres and styles, driven by the synergy between human artistry and AI capabilities.

Notable Quote:

Harvey Mason Jr. [03:28]: "It will displace quite a few people in our industry, but it'll also create opportunity for people in our industry to do things differently."

Public Perception and the Authenticity Debate

A significant theme in the discussion revolves around how audiences will perceive AI-generated music. Mason explores the possibility of a backlash where consumers might prefer the authenticity and emotional depth of human-created music over synthetic alternatives. However, he also raises concerns about the subtlety with which AI can mimic human creativity, potentially blurring the lines between genuine and artificial artistry.

Notable Quote:

Harvey Mason Jr. [08:59]: "There's always going to be a premium placed on human experience, human emotion, the passion that humans put into our art... whether it's music or otherwise."

Mason questions whether the inherent human connection in music will withstand the rapid proliferation of AI-generated content, especially in an era where attention spans are dwindling and music consumption is increasingly fragmented through platforms like TikTok.

Balancing Innovation with Ethical Considerations

Throughout the episode, Mason advocates for the responsible integration of AI into the music industry. He stresses the importance of establishing guardrails and protections to safeguard both existing copyrighted works and the integrity of newly generated music. The focus is on leveraging AI as a tool to augment human creativity rather than replace it, ensuring that technological advancements enhance the artistic process without compromising ethical standards.

Notable Quote:

Harvey Mason Jr. [03:14]: "...if done properly with guardrails and protections in place for both previously copyrighted works and newly generated works, AI can be incredible for music lovers, for music creators, for the music industry."

Future Outlook: Collaboration or Conflict?

As the episode concludes, Coffey and Mason ponder the future trajectory of AI in music. The central question remains whether AI will serve as a harmonious collaborator that amplifies human creativity or if it will lead to a fracturing of the industry's traditional frameworks. Mason remains cautiously optimistic, envisioning a future where AI and human musicians coexist symbiotically, driving the evolution of music while preserving its emotional and creative essence.

Final Thoughts:

Harvey Mason Jr. [10:24]: "Is that connection to the creator, the passion and the heart and the human experience that goes into human created music, or is that going to be diluted by the onslaught of AI generated music?"

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This episode of Tech News Briefing offers a comprehensive exploration of AI's multifaceted impact on the music industry. Through insightful dialogue with Harvey Mason Jr., listeners gain a nuanced understanding of both the challenges and opportunities that AI presents, underscoring the delicate balance between technological innovation and the preservation of human artistry.

Transcript

[Patrick Coffey]

Viking committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, cultural enrichment and all inclusive fares. Discover [e-mail] welcome to Tech News Briefing. It's Tuesday, July 15th. I'm Patrick Coffey for the Wall Street Journal. We've all heard about AI's potential impact on white collar workers, especially now that top executives at like Ford, Amazon and JP Morgan have admitted out loud that it will eliminate jobs. But today we're going to take a deep dive into how this evolving technology may affect a very different kind of business, the music industry. Harvey Mason Jr. Is CEO of the Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammys each year. Beyond his job as an executive, Mason is also a songwriter and producer who who has worked with Whitney Houston, Beyonce and Justin Bieber. So he brings the artist's perspective to any conversation about the future of music, recording and performance. He recently spoke to our own Ann Steele about how AI may change the creative process for musicians, as well as the risks stemming from tech giants that believe they should be able to train their models on the world's vast body of recorded music. In a follow up interview, we discussed how AI may change music as we know it for fans and artists alike. Harvey, have you personally been fooled by any AI generated music?

[Harvey Mason Jr.]

Of course. And I'm sure I'm still being fooled talking to you right now because there are songs that I probably listened to that I had no idea were generated by AI. I've been following this artist, they're called Velvet Sundown, I Believe, and, and I started listening to it because I was told it was AI. Smoke in the sky, no peace found, Rivers run red, the drums roll slow and I think that was fooling a lot of people because now we're hearing that it might not be AI. So there's a little bit of controversy there and the fact that we're not sure if it's AI is very telling.

[Patrick Coffey]

What do you think is the biggest threat that AI poses to the industry right now?

[Harvey Mason Jr.]

There are a few threats the way I see it. First the threat of AI being trained or learning on copyrighted material. The other threat is AI taking artists voice and doing things with it that artists and singers don't approve of. I'm not a singer. I'm not. I don't sound good when I sing. But if I were, I certainly wouldn't want AI singing songs that I didn't approve of or saying things that I didn't like. Then the other threat is AI just dumping millions and millions and Billions of songs, we'll call them, into the atmosphere, into the ecosystem for listeners, potentially diluting music, potentially making it hard for people to find human music that they really, really love. So there's a lot of threats, but by the way, there's also a lot of opportunity with AI.

[Patrick Coffey]

You said that music is more insulated from the AI influence than some other industries, but could it eliminate certain jobs or crush entire companies? The way that it has in the media and marketing spaces depends on how.

[Harvey Mason Jr.]

You perceive it or what you believe. But I tend to think that it will be very disruptive. It will displace quite a few people in our industry, but it'll also create opportunity for people in our industry to do things differently. There'll be other new jobs. There'll be people that can be even more prolific in their creativity. There'll be people that are going to be able to utilize AI in ways that I'm sure I'm not even thinking of. That'll change and evolve how music is made and how our industry is run to that point.

[Patrick Coffey]

Technology has for decades allowed for some real creative innovations in music. I'm thinking of Natalie Cole singing alongside her late father Tupac, showing up on stage as a 3D projection and auto tune, taking over entire genres. But AI pushes this concept a good bit further though, doesn't it? I mean, what can we expect in the near future?

[Harvey Mason Jr.]

AI is. I'm sure everybody says this about every technological advancement, but this one feels different. And maybe I'm showing my age when I say this, but the fact that we're not trying to emulate human creativity, or it's not a synthesizer trying to pretend like we're a violin player, or it's not an auto tune plugin that helps you sound a little bit better. This is a technology that can completely eliminate human creativity. The only part of human interaction that this particular tech needs is for us to text and prompt or type. And because of that, it does feel different. I will say I still believe that humans are going to be able to use this technology and create things that will far surpass what simple text to generate song is going to sound like. I do still believe that the talent and the musicianship and the expertise of people who make music for a living is going to rise to the top. And I also still believe that if done properly with guardrails and protections in place for both previously copyrighted works and newly generated works, AI can be incredible for music lovers, for music creators, for the music industry. There's a lot of opportunity there. As well, there just are a few things that need to get sorted out, in my opinion.

[Patrick Coffey]

Coming up, we ask Harvey Mason Jr. Whether the public will eventually turn against AI generated music and how these tools might actually lead to better songs and stronger connections between artists and listeners, despite the current state of fear, loathing and confusion. That's after the break.

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[Patrick Coffey]

We're back with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr Harvey, how can you see AI serving as a positive influence for musicians in particular?

[Harvey Mason Jr.]

Musicians often are. When we're writing songs, there's sometimes blocks, things that we can't figure out. There's sections of songs that we don't love that maybe AI could come and give us some inspiration, some ideas. AI is great at generating things off of other ideas, so you can give it a general idea of what you want and it will return back five or 10 or 15 or 20 different variations on that idea. Also, the ability to change the language of a song, sing in a different language where we could reach more audiences around the world could be very, very valuable. And also taking songs as a lyricist or a songwriter, but you're not a musician. You're not a person who creates chord progressions, bass lines. Being able to sing a melody into a new platform and have it generate music around your melody is going to free up opportunities for people that previously needed to go and source musicians or source producers to work with them to be able to flesh out their ideas. And I'm not saying these could potentially be final records that get released. I just think the AI could be used as a tool to assist creatives in their process.

[Patrick Coffey]

Maybe this isn't so far from the idea of the one man band with a drum machine and programmed keyboard.

[Harvey Mason Jr.]

It potentially could be a one man band, which is what's scary about it. If done the wrong way, it could displace a lot of really, really talented people. But my hope is that it's used as a tool and it can be used to do new and exciting and innovative things that maybe we hadn't dreamt up. And this is quite often what happens with new technologies is it allows really talented people to use it in a way that maybe hadn't been thought of. And it ends up netting out a new sound, a new genre of music, a new style of making music, and something exciting for consumers and listeners.

[Patrick Coffey]

Do you foresee anything like an AI backlash where music and other elements that are more obviously made by humans stand out? And how would that be different from people who refuse to listen to synthesized orchestras?

[Harvey Mason Jr.]

Potentially there could be something like that where there's an attraction to the authenticity or the organic nature of human created music and sounds. But it will be challenging because sometimes it's imperceptible, the differences between what was created by a human, what was created by AI. So that could have an impact on whether there's a rebellion against AI music, if it's so hard to differentiate. But I do think that there's always going to be a premium placed on human experience, human emotion, the passion that humans put into our art, whether it's music or otherwise. And I think that's always going to be attractive and it's always going to resonate slightly differently. The question that I ask myself is, is that resonance, and is that connection to consumers going to be enough, and is it going to be something that allows the human creativity to thrive and to overcome what could be a disruptive AI technology? There's so much more music, and audiences are so used to cycling through songs quickly. Two minutes, one minute. TikTok, you're listening to a few seconds. Are the audiences going to continue to value that connection to the creator, the passion and the heart and the human experience that goes into human created music, or is that going to be diluted by the onslaught of AI generated music?

[Patrick Coffey]

It's a question that was Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. And that's it for Tech News Briefing. Today's show was produced by Julie Chang with supervising producer Melanie Roy. I'm Patrick Coffey for the Wall Street Journal. Thanks for listening.