The Impact AI Music is Having on the Small Artist Music Scene

Written by Producer and Sound Engineer Norah

   The modern music distribution landscape is undergoing a radical shift, prioritizing algorithmic efficiency and massive volume over the growth of individual creators. This corporate pivot toward quantity has fundamentally altered how art reaches the public, often leaving independent musicians navigating a system that values data points more than human expression.

   Modern distribution platforms frequently view creators primarily as revenue streams rather than as individuals who have a real passion. By leveraging complex terms of service agreements that often go unread, these companies prioritize financial gain without artists finding out most of the time. AI serves as a highly profitable tool for their bottom line. However, musicians deserve to be recognized as dedicated professionals who invest significant labor into their craft, rather than being treated as mere instruments for corporate profit.

   “AI shouldn't be used for any creative work,” said producer and vocalist Xoe. “The music industry should focus more on artists and not how to make more money from artists.”

   While streaming services were once seen as a tool for growth, some musicians feel the current environment has become increasingly difficult for independent creators to navigate.

   "I would say it’s less of a problem with distribution and more an issue with streaming platforms themselves," said producer and vocalist yeah0k. "Spotify does not do a good job of recommending small artists to people. It’s only become more pay-to-play as the years have gone on.”

   While music companies claim to advocate for artists first, many independent musicians feel that the rise of artificial intelligence and corporate scaling is eroding the sustainability of their careers.

   "The current distribution system markets itself as artist-first, but in practice it’s built for scale," said Inori records label manager Zach. "AI music makes this worse. Distributors are happy to ingest infinite AI content because it benefits their scale, but there’s no meaningful protection for human artists."

   This environment places an unfair burden on those trying to make a living through traditional means. I believe there is no sustainability for smaller artists because they are forced to hold on to all the risk while companies push volume through cheap, effective AI methods. The emotional impact on creators is just as significant as the financial burden, as many feel their personal sacrifices are being devalued and unappreciated.

    For many, the hours of sacrifice behind a song are what give it meaning, to which I agree. It feels breathtaking when I spend hours on a beat or a song, and it turns out really good. Nothing can replace that feeling, but if we have AI doing that work for us (often in seconds), it takes away from that feeling of satisfaction we artists get when we make music.

   "My art to me means a lot. There were massive amounts of sleepless nights and sacrifices put into my work," said vocalist and producer Breathelife. “So having something try to emulate a feeling it physically cannot feel, with the purpose of ripping me off my originality feels extremely disrespectful and backhanded."

   This issue extends into legal territory, specifically regarding the ownership of generative media. Under most user agreements, AI companies own the work rather than the person making the prompt.

   “It’s very dystopian, similar to backlash in the gaming sphere when Ubisoft floated the idea of basically letting users ‘purchase’ a license for a game instead of actually owning the game,” Breathelife said.

   This shift in ownership and production is already beginning to close doors for human musicians in commercial areas. In the music scene, some producers opt for artificial intelligence vocals for their tracks rather than reaching out to human artists. This preference for automated tools replaces the process of building personal connections and fostering a genuine community. When companies no longer need real musicians for soundtracks, songs, sound engineering, or producing instrumentals, it strips artists of that ability to build a community with fellow musicians, as well as make a living from their work, which in turn damages small creators.

   "[The more] AI songs out, the harder it gets to find real talent,” said Breathelife.

   Furthermore, the automation of the industry has seeped into the way artists interact with the platforms they rely on for their careers. The normalization of support AI chatbots creates an endless loop that prevents artists from getting help on the things they need. This endless loop of talking to AI support bots can demotivate real artists from working on their music, which makes room for more AI artists to slip their way into the scene due to a lack of actual people willing to listen, support, and take artists seriously.

   Despite the rise of AI-generated content, there is a belief that technology cannot replicate the emotional depth found in human-made compositions. Music is something listened to all over the world. Music is something that connects people together. No matter where in the world you’re from, your culture has some form of music. It's something that brings us together, which can cause some artists to not be too concerned.

   “In terms of AI, I'm honestly not super worried [about] it," said yeah0k. "I think most people who listen to music want to feel something and connect with an intangible feeling that AI cannot reproduce.”

   However, within the music community, there are differing opinions on whether new technology is inherently a threat or simply a new tool for the music in modern age. To this I disagree. While technology has always shaped how music is made and distributed, AI systems differ in that they do not simply assist the creative process but instead replace critical human roles such as experimentation, struggle, and lived experience. By prioritizing efficiency, scalability, and automation, AI tools risk flattening artistic identity and reducing music to optimized outputs rather than personal expression. This shift discourages developing artists from engaging deeply with their craft and creates space for algorithmically generated work to dominate visibility and resources.

   Some artists argue that the focus should remain on the art itself rather than the tools used to create it.

   "There are a lot of people who feel that if you’re using new technology in music production, it isn’t real," said DJ Haylz. "Some DJs still think that if you’re not using vinyl, you’re not a real DJ. I think that’s an old way of thinking."

   Despite some thinking the music community should embrace new technology and focus on the art that goes into using these new tools effectively, there definitely needs to be some kind of regulation on what kind of tools are used. Personally, in an ideal world I’d prefer these tools to be outlawed for use, but we live in a world where that would never happen. AI needs to be heavily regulated.

   “AI music isn’t something that should be commonly used and should only be used in desperate times,” said vocalist I’m Secretly a Ghost. “If a very small company is trying to create an ad and does not have anyone to produce music for them, this may be understandable. However, if it’s a large-scale company with plenty of connections, there should be absolutely no use of AI music. Not only is AI damaging the environment, it’s draining the economy with how much money is being dumped into these projects with no reward.”

   I somewhat agree with his statement, but I also believe there will always be ways to create music without AI. People have done it before, and it should continue to be done. If an artist is unwilling to invest the effort to produce their own work, it suggests their focus may be more on profit than on the art itself, which is not the mindset that sustains a creative music community. There are always producers willing to provide beats for non-profit projects, and sometimes even for free, so I only agree to an extent. While AI can occasionally be justified in rare circumstances, human collaboration remains a viable and valuable alternative, and relying on AI over it can diminish the passion, effort, and sense of community that are essential to the music scene.

   Even when discussing AI, there is usually a human controlling it, and their intent is behind the machine.

   “For example, I use AI to separate STEM so that I can put vocals from one song on top of the beat from another song,” said Haylz.

   Despite this optimistic view of the tools, Haylz acknowledges that the platforms themselves operate with motives that do not always align with the artists' best interests. The friction between artists and distributors often results in technical and legal hurdles, such as copyright claims generated by AI.

   “Even samples from even the smallest drumkit can get you striked, the system allows for haters to strike people’s accounts down, ones that they worked extremely hard for,” said vocalist Lieka.

   In an ideal world, I think I would want AI to be banned from the music scene completely. It eliminates creativity from the scene, and makes artists demotivated to try really hard to get the result they want. Music is about passion. It's apparent when someone makes music just to get a fanbase or streams/royalties. AI makes it way easier for people to scam and rip off other artists' hard work to get to the top.

   To foster a genuine creative environment, many music creators including myself argue that artists should draw inspiration from other artists’ original non-AI songs rather than from algorithmic outputs. While AI can mimic patterns, it cannot replicate the collaborative spark or the sense of shared community that forms when humans influence each other’s work. This human-to-human exchange allows for a deeper level of intentionality in how music is curated and presented.

   “Artistic expression should involve a free exchange of ideas where works are modified to fit their specific purpose. Context is just as significant as the music itself; for instance, the placement of a track within an album can fundamentally alter its meaning,” said Lieka.