AI music has finally beaten hat-act humans, but sounds nothing like victory
- Reference: 1763368686
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/11/17/ai_music/
- Source link:
It is deeply ironic that the country genre is first to cop the slop. Country is very jealous of its authenticity, of communicating the emotions and experiences of common people. Three chords and the truth, as songwriter Harlan Howard said. Country is also deeply formulaic, it knows what buttons to push to connect with its audience. It has always been one of the easier genres to parody, and LLMs are nothing if not parody generators.
It's not as if the music industry hasn't been producing low-quality slop all its life. We remember the exciting, rewarding songs, especially from our teenage years when everything is new and tastes are formed. Go back to the charts from those years of yours, though, and marvel at how much was anodyne, derivative, programmatic junk. The musicians making that were exploited by an industry skilled in keeping as much of the money as it could. That LLMs now offer it the chance to keep all the money is as unsurprising as my dog just upped and left me and the bank just took the house. How the song will end will be more surprising.
[2]
At this stage, in music as elsewhere, the LLMs have eaten all the data. The web has been scraped, the content archives mined out, and all the millions of digitized songs thrown into the AI maw. Bigger may be better when it comes to models, and the best data is more data, but once there's no more data, what then? The thing about music is that for all its variety and importance in our consciousness, it's quite a small data set.
[3]
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There are probably between 100 and 200 million songs out there. Which sounds a lot, until you compare that to the five billion photographs taken [5]per day . Moreover, it took a century to accumulate that much music, but that's not the problem. On current stats, some [6]120,000 new tracks are uploaded to streaming services daily, a number that's doubled in the past five years. Guess where a huge amount of this new music has come from. [7]Well done you . Even if the rate of 50,000 AI-generated songs a day holds steady, it will take about five years to overtake all the human generated music of today. It won't hold steady.
Because the human music data set is so small, it is easy to overwhelm with slop. It doesn't matter that there are no musicians to interview or promote, no gigs or festival presence, because this stuff is farmed out by automated playlists. There is nothing to stop the slop. Which is bad for humans, but it's far worse for AI, which does not thrive at all when it feeds on its own output.
[8]
[9]Model Autophagy Disease is one of those things AI boosters don't like to talk about. As the name suggests, it's a syndrome that can lead to model collapse in about five ingestion cycles when a model's own output is included in the ingested data. Like bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease, it comes about due to terrible industry practices. Those are difficult to eliminate if the industry in question is entirely dependent on those practices. That's the song the music industry is singing right now.
[10]Big Tech's control freak era is breaking itself apart
[11]From Intel to the infinite, Pat Gelsinger wants Christian AI to change the world
[12]The perfect AWS storm has blown over, but the climate is only getting worse
[13]The real insight behind measuring Copilot usage is Microsoft's desperation
It seems like such a good idea. Consolidate the record labels and streaming distributors, grab as much data as you can to train your AIs claiming fair use, ladle out the results, and collect all the money. Take as many of the filters off as possible to maximize the efficiency of the process, and the streaming revenue checks will write themselves. Nobody's going to stop you. Trouble is, nobody's stopping anyone else from using those generative AIs either.
Except, it turns out, the baleful dynamics of LLMs fed on their own swill. Even before model collapse, the quality of the output is smushed down and down as the model sheds diversity while heading towards the terminal feedback loop of insanity.
The presence of Walk My Walk at the top of the charts certainly sounds like that process has begun. Our ears are the evidence, the charts themselves marking the progression of the madness. At last, AI benchmarks that mean something.
For music to matter, it has to evoke emotion. If that emotion is one of horror at AI's exponential banalification of music, or grim satisfaction as it writhes out of the control of its makers and sinks its fangs into their veins, then it may precipitate the collapse of other, bigger, more dangerous models. Another great theme of country music is redemption, after all. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/10/ai_country_artist_hits_number_one/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/columnists&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aRsAR13L8mit-q54wJh6cgAAAQs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/columnists&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aRsAR13L8mit-q54wJh6cgAAAQs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/columnists&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aRsAR13L8mit-q54wJh6cgAAAQs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://photutorial.com/photos-statistics/
[6] https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/there-are-now-120000-new-tracks-hitting-music-streaming-services-each-day/
[7] https://news.sky.com/story/a-third-of-daily-music-uploads-are-ai-generated-and-97-of-people-cant-tell-the-difference-says-report-13469818
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/columnists&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aRsAR13L8mit-q54wJh6cgAAAQs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://livescu.ucla.edu/model-autophagy-disorder/%20MAD
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/10/three_most_important_factors_in/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/03/from_intel_to_the_infinite/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/27/aws_outage_opinion/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/20/copilot_viva_insights_column/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Fake it 'til... you get the idea
There's nothing in what he wrote to prove that the numbers WERE fake, though.
"They" have a popular youtube channel, and loads of comments. Are some bots? Yeah. Not all are though.
And have you listened to the song? Formulaic, and a bit cheesy (especially when you listen to the other tracks by the "band"), but no more so than a lot of the non-AI slop that has entered the charts since Stock, Aitkin, and Waterman killed music in the 80's. In fact, it's a lot better.
"Generative AI doesn't need to be normalised by uncritical reporting on top of everything else."
Sure. but there's also a danger of snobbish complacency and denial - especially in the music industry. The "song" exists - whether its listens are real or not. And when you think about all the slop that does get popular, are "mainstream" listens all that relevant?
Re: Fake it 'til... you get the idea
If you ignore Stock, Aitkin and Waterman, some good stuff came out of the 80's across a lot of genres. Some of it even made it pretty high in the charts. (I'd rather Fleetwood Mac than "Jack", whatever that means.... but the 80's brought us more Queen and Bowie tracks, and some great electronic music, including early New Order "Power, Corruption and Lies", the Human League, Ultravox, and the 80's faded out into the KLF, who are responsible for me having heard of Tammy Wynette...)
Re: Fake it 'til... you get the idea
The word eluding you here is "payola".
The numbers themselves aren't fake - 3,000 is 3,000,- bit the chances that they represent actual paying customers seem very low.
Sundarts
[1]Letterkenny did it first
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QcRmJeIV-I
Lament by King Crimson:
I guess I tried to show you how
I'd take the crowd with my guitar
And businessmen would clap their hands
And clip another fat cigar
And publishers would spread the news
And print my music far and wide
All the kids who played the blues
Would learn my licks with a bottleneck slide
But now it seems the bubble's burst
Although you know there was a time
When love songs gathered in my head
With poetry in every line
And strong men strove to hold the doors
With my friends, I passed that age
People stomped on dirty floors
Before I trod the rock 'n' roll stage
I'll thank the man who's on the phone
And if he got some time to spend
The problem I'll explain once more
And indicate a sum to lend
That ten percent is now a joke
Maybe 30, even 35
I'll say my daddy's had a stroke
He'd have one now, if he only was alive
I like the way you look at me
You're laughing too down there inside
I took my chance and you took yours
You crewed my ship, we missed the tide
I like the way the music goes
A few good guys who can play it right
I like the way it moves my toes
Say it when you wanna go and dance all night
Source: Musixmatch
Grok effort
I asked Grok to write a country style song for the farmers a few weeks ago. This was what it came up with:
(Verse 1)
Out on the farm, tariffs hit hard,
Fertilizers up 30%, breakin' my yard.
Steel for the tractor, costs risin' high,
Machinery parts, kiss profits goodbye.
(Chorus)
Oh, Trump's trade war, what a bitter pill,
Lost China soybeans, bills I can't fill.
USAID cuts, aid rice gone away,
Brazil's takin' over, stealin' my pay.
(Verse 2)
Beef to the EU, down 20% more,
Retaliatory hits, closin' the door.
Subsidies help some, but long-term they say,
70% hope for a brighter day.
(Outro)
Shifts might be permanent, recovery slim,
US farmers hurt, while others win.
(348 chars)(Verse 1)
Out on the farm, tariffs hit hard,
Fertilizer prices up 30%, leavin' us scarred.
Steel for the tractor, costs risin' high,
John Deere sales droppin', under this sky.
(Chorus)
Oh, retaliatory blues, exports down low,
Soybeans to China, 39% no-go.
USAID cuts, aid rice gone away,
Billions in losses, day after day.
(Verse 2)
Brazil's gainin' ground, takin' our share,
While we hope for long-term, some say it's there.
70% farmers see strength down the line,
But short-term pain's real, in this heartland of mine.
When I pointed out that there was insufficient Yeehaw! this was its 2nd attempt:
Yeehaw! Alright, partner, let's saddle up and add some extra cowboy flair. What exactly needs more rootin'-tootin' energy?Alright, partner! Let's crank up the yeehaw in this here ditty. Revised version:
(Verse 1)
Out on the ranch, tariffs hittin' hard, yeehaw!
Fertilizer up 30%, scarin' the hogs, oh lawd.
Steel for the tractor, prices sky-high,
Machinery parts, kiss them profits goodbye.
(Chorus)
Oh, Trump's trade war, what a wild rideව, yeehaw!
Lost them soybeans to China, bills I can't fill.
USAID cuts, aid rice done flew away,
Brazil's stealin' the show, ruinin' my day.
(Verse 2)
Beef to the EU, down 20% more, gosh darn!
Retaliatory hits, slammin' the barn door.
Subsidies help a bit, but long-term they say,
70% hopin' for a sunnier day.
(Outro)
Shifts might stick, recovery lookin' slim,
US farmers hurtin', while others win. Yeehaw!
How's that for some extra kick?
Re: Grok effort
Don't let Musk or MAGAs see it - he'll end up tweaking it again to be less truthful (truth has a left-wing bias, after all!)
All this really proves is ...
... that country music has completely lost its soul, in search of the almighty buck.
Which any true country fan has been saying for about 40 years.
What happens if you play AI country music backwards?
Do you still get your house back, your wife back, your dog back (your robot back)?
Re: What happens if you play AI country music backwards?
My robot up and left me, last September.
Because it said, "I don't understand its pain."
And that if I really loved it, I'd remember.
Not to leave it all alone out in the rain.
_________
Oh my robot up and left me!
And it took my dog and wife!
Plus it took my heart right with them,
Now it's gunnin' for my life!
_______
So I bought myself a laser for protection.
I've been hunting for my darling and my hound.
But my robot's managed to evade detection,
And my wife, my heart my doggo can't be found!
__________
Oh my robot up and left me!
And it took my dog and wife!
Plus it took my heart right with them,
Now it's gunnin' for my life!
...
No AI used. Just five minutes and my diseased imagination. I haven't decided whether our hero will find his robot, or whether it'll find him. But I was thinking of ending on a cliffhanger, with the line oh God I hear it climbing up the stairs! After doing some basic Dalek gags in earlier verses and it rhymes nicely cheesily with despair or affairs. The worst thing is even the tune has popped into my head. I'm going to a gig tonight, so hopefully I can drown it out with some proper rock music.
Still waiting for the country song about a guy's self-driving truck leaving him.
I mean, maybe… I can’t see AI being any worst or artistically less meritorious than the work of Stock Aiken and Waterman, or the output of shows like Britains Got Talent.
But I thought I’d see what Chat GPT could come up with (I haven’t checked to see if it’s ripped anyone else off, and I can’t see this ditty replacing Nobby All or The Yogi Song in my pub repertoire)
—————————-
I once met a barmaid in Bristol,
She said "Would you like a quick whistle?"
I said "Only if—" (crowd shouts) "—it’s wet!"
And we all had a drink on that bet!
So drink it down, down, down,
Pass the jug around, around, around,
If the barmaid smiles, you’ll never resist,
Raise your glass and give her a kiss!
I once met a milkmaid in Dover,
She said "Would you like to come over?"
I said "Only if—" (crowd shouts) "—it’s cream!"
And we all had a pint with the team!
So drink it down, down, down,
Pass the jug around, around, around,
If the milkmaid smiles, you’ll never resist,
Raise your glass and give her a kiss!
I once met a sailor in Brighton,
He said "Would you like me to tighten?"
I said "Only if—" (crowd shouts) "—it’s loose!"
And we all had a round of the booze!
So drink it down, down, down,
Pass the jug around, around, around,
If the sailor grins, you’ll never resist,
Raise your glass and give him a kiss!
I once met a baker in York,
She said "Would you like me to knead your fork?"
I said "Only if—" (crowd shouts) "—it’s hot!"
And we all had a drink on the spot!
So drink it down, down, down,
Pass the jug around, around, around,
If the baker winks, you’ll never resist,
Raise your glass and give her a kiss!
I once met a teacher in Leeds,
She said "Would you like to learn my needs?"
I said "Only if—" (crowd shouts) "—it’s rude!"
And we all had a pint with the brood!
So drink it down, down, down,
Pass the jug around, around, around,
If the teacher laughs, you’ll never resist,
Raise your glass and give her a kiss!
I once met a farmer in Kent,
He said "Would you like to pitch my tent?"
I said "Only if—" (crowd shouts) "—it’s big!"
And we all had a jug and a swig!
So drink it down, down, down,
Pass the jug around, around, around,
If the farmer grins, you’ll never resist,
Raise your glass and give him a kiss!
"For music to matter, it has to evoke emotion"
"You can hate my style, you can roll your eyes, But I ain't slowing down, I was born to rise"
It's almost as if it was intended to spit in the face of the anti-AI brigade.
I am in that group but I have to say I was quite impressed. It's not great but nor is most music. Within whole decades I can only recall a few tunes which stood out.
So what when AI music does evoke emotion? I don't know. My gal gone done and left me, and ICE are on my drive. The cops are sure to arrest me, and I won't see the Epstein files.
The push to pitch-correct vocals over the last 10 years or so has helped the move to AI by reducing the emotional impact of the human voice so they all sound similar and hence much easier to replicate. As the record companies are now doing this to old recordings when re-releasing them, and many singers are using live auto-tuning, it wont be that long before the only "authentic" vocals many people get to hear will be those on their old CDs, etc.
"LLMs are nothing if not parody generators."
Unsurprising really as they are being pressed into service of some mythical, even mystical "AI" to be used for poorest parody of intelligence.
Model autophagy disease. Sounds like an affliction of the anorexic models that sashay down Parisian catwalks.
Personally I would be content if the whole boiling goes completely apoptic but I suspect its fate is necrotic.
Fake it 'til... you get the idea
[1]David Gerard has already pointed out that it wasn't The Billboard country chart; it was the "Billboard country digital song sales chart", and all that was necessary to achieve the ranking was to spend $3k buying the song from digital music stores. Nobody even needed to listen to it once.
Generative AI doesn't need to be normalised by uncritical reporting on top of everything else.
[1] https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/11/13/no-fake-ai-music-bought-onto-a-minor-chart-is-not-actually-popular/