I’ve been involved in the music world for around 20 years now – on and off, in different ways, across different chapters of life. I was playing guitar as a kid, rapping as a teen, producing beats in my twenties, and experimenting with everything from bedroom setups to full studio mixes. Music’s always been there, but I wasn’t ever chasing it full-time and im still not. Needless to say, i have been around. Mostly in the low ranks, but Ive seen trends shift over the years.
Lately, I’ve been watching the current industry shift – not just from live to digital or radio to stream, but in how we create, share, and even define music. AI is one of the most disruptive elements right now, and while it’s not the whole story, it’s forcing some big questions. And with those questions, I’m seeing a divide – not just between AI creators and traditional musicians, but between generations of artists and fans, and what each group values most.
Older musicians often get brushed off as “haters” when it comes to new tech, but I don’t think that’s fair. I see fear – and honestly, I understand it. If you’ve spent years mastering an instrument, pouring your soul into lyrics, grinding through shows and setbacks just to get heard, it hits different when someone generates a beat in 30 seconds and calls it the same thing.
There’s a worrying trend I’ve noticed: a growing indifference – or worse, arrogance – from some newer creators who’ve never stepped on a stage or sweated over a real take, yet talk like they’ve reinvented the game. Prompting a vibe is not the same as building a sound. Genres weren’t born out of algorithms; they came from struggle, rebellion, soul, and sweat. That’s a legacy – and it matters.
And now? It feels like music is becoming throwaway. Disposable. A vibe for a moment, not a story for a lifetime. The culture that surrounded music, the rockstar grind, the local scenes, the passion, the people, is being diluted by convenience.
I’m not saying AI musicians aren’t creative. Some are very creative and talented and put a lot of heart and soul in to their creates, but the majority are disposable 5-minute. tunes.
I’m not saying you can’t make amazing things with these tools. But what I am saying is this
You owe respect to those who came before.
Without them, you wouldn’t even know what the music we can so easily generate with these new tools is even supposed to sound like in the first place and neither would the AI tool we use. They deserve our respect.
So let’s build something new – yes.
Let’s push boundaries – absolutely.
But let’s not forget who laid the foundation.
Let’s not become so obsessed with the future that we erase the past.
AI music isn’t the enemy. Arrogance is.
