Lee Min-kyung from TenAsia sounds the alarm on the rapidly evolving entertainment industry, highlighting unseen issues and alerting to threats and changes surrounding the entertainment world.
The music-generating AI 'Suno' version 5 (V5) is making waves in the industry. Composers, arrangers, and instrumentalists who have used it describe the pace of technological advancement as "frighteningly fast." There is a prediction that only a few who master AI will survive.
Suno's growing presence is attributed to its upgrade to V5. The mix has improved, enhancing the spatial quality of tracks, and the sound quality has reached a 'studio quality' level, achievable with just a few mouse clicks and command lines.
Suno's features are divided into three main categories: 'Cover,' which rearranges a demo track based on user prompts; 'Extend,' which completes unfinished songs; and 'Create,' which composes new music in a desired style.
There are still criticisms about 100% AI-generated music. The compositions often have awkward melodies, harmonic progressions, and structures, with lyrics that seem forced and shallow.
The industry is particularly focused on the 'Cover' feature, which has cast doubt on the future of track makers who structure songs without composing or writing lyrics.
A K-pop composer, identified as A, noted, "Using Suno, arrangers who create simple beats are at risk of losing their jobs. Only those with deep musical knowledge will survive." A record producer expressed concern that arrangers' industry status might become very poor, stating, "With a monthly fee of just $15, anyone can use Suno for basic arrangements. Rappers requiring simple tracks have no reason to hire human arrangers."
Musicians in classical and jazz fields are feeling anxious. One musician remarked, "Suno's performances feel youthful yet possess the maturity of seasoned musicians. It's an impossible feat for anyone but a genius," adding, "We might all end up unemployed."
Some see Suno as a valuable tool for generating new ideas when arrangements hit a wall. K-pop composer B stated, "When I need arrangement ideas, running Suno makes the work much easier. It can 'convincingly' arrange music in ways humans might not think of, as long as the commands are input correctly."
There are opinions that Suno's arrangement quality doesn't match human efforts, but others argue that with the right prompts, it can surpass human skills. Suno requires a different skill set, involving 'coding' rather than traditional composing, songwriting, or arranging. Future composers may need coding skills to effectively use Suno.
An expert skilled in both coding and composing analyzed, "To handle AI well, you need to be good at coding. Even those with strong musical skills can't use Suno without coding knowledge. Only a few with both professional music knowledge and coding skills will survive."
Lee Min-kyung, TenAsia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr