AI is blowing up music. How should the Grammys handle it?

I last talked to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr in 2024 — when it was obvious that generative AI would upend the music industry, but not exactly clear how that would happen. Now, Harvey says AI is “omnipresent” in music production. So what kinds of tools are musicians using, in what way, and what kind of music is it making for us? Is it any good? And how do we identify, and take care of, actual human musicians in this mess?

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0:00 Intro
0:40 Welcome to Decoder
1:33 Harvey Mason Jr. intro — Recording Academy CEO on AI in music
3:28 What’s growing at the Recording Academy
3:47 Disney ABC partnership & Grammy Studios
7:03 Setting up the AI conversation
8:20 Has Harvey’s view on AI quality changed in 18 months?
13:28 Personal conflict: preserving human creativity vs. embracing AI
15:35 How AI is actually used in studio sessions today
16:08 Harvey’s mixed emotions as a working producer
18:34 AI across genres: country, pop, film scoring
20:32 Poll: 52% of people don’t want to listen to AI music
21:27 The “don’t ask, don’t tell” culture around AI in music
21:58 The Grammy’s difficult position on AI eligibility
22:58 Will people normalize AI the way they did Auto-Tune?
23:34 Big artists embracing AI: Diplo, Timbaland, 50 Cent, Grimes
24:42 “I am always going to advocate for humans”
27:41 Where’s the line for Grammy eligibility right now?
30:27 50,000 AI songs uploaded daily — will the Grammys get overwhelmed?
31:26 Spotify’s human-certified label & industry alignment on AI
33:46 AI vs. drum machines: why this feels different
37:53 Legislation: NO FAKES Act, TRAIN Act, CLEAR Act
46:29 Most innovative AI music technique Harvey has seen
46:50 AI-generated stems inspiring live musicians
51:04 The Grammys move from CBS to Disney ABC
51:22 Why make the switch? The decision explained
54:21 Award shows & the fragmented attention economy
57:55 Is TikTok still where new music breaks?
58:38 Why didn’t Sabrina Carpenter win a Grammy?

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