Don't worry, I'm not quitting HIVE, but after a week of sorting and sifting through music trying to figure out what has been created by AI and what hasn't, I'm starting to get a little annoyed with Spotify. I did a little bit of Google research and it appears that there has been a massive influx of AI music on Spotify lately.
While it wasn't the easiest to determine at first, I have started to ge a bit better and figuring out what is AI generated and what isn't. I know it's just a matter of time before that will be a pointless endeavor.
Here are a couple tips I picked up as I was doing my research. First, you can usually tell if the artist image is fake or not. Another thing you can do is head over to YouTube and look for the artist. If all the videos are just a still image of the artist and they aren't actually singing, it's a good bet it's AI.
In addition to that, you might also notice that the artist has released a large number of singles or albums in a short amount of time. That's another good indication that the artist is probably AI. Single name artists can be an indicator, but I wouldn't set that as your only criteria.
It seems to be solo artists as well. I have yet to come upon any bands or groups that are AI, but I know that is also a matter of time. Finally, if you can't find any information about the artist online, or very little, there is a good chance the artist is AI.
I've also noticed that a lot of the songs are quite simplistic and formulaic. Don't get me wrong, the vocals are amazing, and I love the vibe of these songs, but knowing they aren't real, takes away from the coolness of them. I'm still on the fence about being awed by how much the technology has advanced and being appalled at how much of a afront this is to the art.
As mentioned in the comments of my post last week, if you only listen to old music, you don't need to worry about this. Likewise, I was chatting with
the other day and I asked him if he had come across any of this AI music. He replied with something like "I don't listen to anything after 1995, so it isn't really an issue for me".
Fair point!
It's gotten to the point where I can't really trust Spotify to provide me content that I am going to enjoy. Sure, it knows the type of music I like to listen to, but if I can't train it to weed out the AI tracks, I am not sure I want to keep my subscription. Which is sad because I loved the ability to discover new artists I have never heard before with Spotify. Sure, I know other platforms offer that too, but it's only a matter of time before they face the same issue.
In the past, I relied on radio and television shows like CBS Saturday morning and Austin City Limits to introduce me to new artists. Perhaps I need to go back to that. At least then I know they are real.
With all that in mind, for today's #threetunetuesday post sponsored by , I wanted to share some songs that I know for a fact aren't AI created. These are sold songs by artists that may have not seen as much fame as some other artists, but I really love them. Consider them forgotten gems that I can't help but help but jam to every time they came on.
One of them gained a bit of renewed notoriety for being in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but if you don't own the soundtrack, you probably don't actually know who sings it.
Call me crazy, but I love "Rock Me Gently" by Andy Kim. Despite my large breadth of musical knowledge, if you had asked me about this song twenty years ago, I probably would have told you that Neil Diamond sings it. If you listen to it, I think you will see what I mean. The vocals are very Neil-esque in this one. I've honestly never listened to too much Andy Kim, but I feel like I might need to fix that.
Andy is from Canada and was also part of the musical group The Archies that had the hit Sugar, Sugar which he co-wrote.
It appears he was still recording music as recently as 2015. I'll have to dig into that.
Robbie Dupree is an American singer and songwriter who is best known for the hit single "Steal Away" that I shared above. If you have been following me, you know I am a bit of a "Yacht Rock" junky, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to you that I would love this song.
Yes, the lyrics are pretty simplistic, but there is just something about the tune that I really enjoy. It's a whole vibe like a wave that I just want to jump on and ride for infinity.
Which makes me realize, I need to spend some time digging in to Robbie Dupree a bit more as well. He has about 10 studio albums with the latest being recorded in 2012.
Finally, we have the song I alluded to before. "Hooked on a Feeling" written by BJ Thomas, but made famous by Blue Swede. Tom Jones also covered it as well as a few others, but I think we can all agree the Blue Swede version is the most iconic. Like most amazing things, Blue Swede came from Sweden, and saw short success between 1973 and 1979.
The song is absolutely iconic and like the others before it, I can't help but sing along any time it comes on. It's just a bop like that if you know what I mean.
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