Artificial intelligence is making waves in the music world, and the ripple effects are being felt far and wide. In just the past few months, the industry has witnessed milestones that were unthinkable only a decade ago: AI-powered artists signing record deals, viral hits composed by algorithms, and heated debates pitting tradition against technology. The question on everyone’s mind—musicians, fans, and industry executives alike—is whether this is the dawn of a new golden age for music or a threat to the very soul of artistic expression.
On September 1, 2025, British visual designer Oliver McCann, better known as imoliver, made history by becoming the first AI music creator to sign a record deal. Hallwood Media, an independent label, inked the agreement after one of McCann’s AI-assisted tracks racked up more than three million streams. According to AP News, McCann has no formal musical training; his creative journey began not with guitar lessons or vocal drills, but with a curiosity for what artificial intelligence could do in the realm of sound. His catalog now spans genres from indie-pop to electro-soul and even country-rap, all forged with the help of AI tools like Suno and Udio.
McCann’s breakthrough is just one example of how AI is upending old models and opening new doors. In the same week, Higgsfield Records unveiled Kion, the world’s first fully AI-generated K-pop idol. Kion isn’t just a digital avatar—she sings, dances, and performs with a lifelike presence, powered entirely by artificial intelligence. Higgsfield’s ambitions are sky-high: contracts worth $50 million have already been secured around Kion, and the company boasts that this “marks the beginning of a new era in music.” Kion’s debut video has already gone viral, sparking curiosity (and no small amount of controversy) across social media.
Higgsfield isn’t stopping there. The label has launched an open platform, inviting anyone to become a potential AI idol. “You won’t need talent anymore. Your face is enough,” reads the company’s website, a provocative statement that’s both tantalizing and unsettling for many in the industry. The message is clear: AI is democratizing music creation, but it’s also blurring the lines between artist and algorithm.
Streaming platforms are feeling the effects. Deezer, a major player in the global music market, estimates that 18% of songs uploaded daily are AI-generated. While these tracks currently account for only a small fraction of total streams, the sheer volume is raising eyebrows. The global recorded music market, valued at nearly $30 billion, is being reshaped by this influx of synthetic content. Yet, as Cybernews points out, the real impact on listening habits remains to be seen. Spotify and other giants have yet to release data on how much AI music is actually being consumed by human ears.
The legal landscape is even murkier. In June 2024, three of the world’s biggest record labels—Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records—filed lawsuits against AI platforms Suno and Udio, accusing them of copyright infringement and seeking damages of up to $150,000 per infringing work. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is backing these efforts, and negotiations are ongoing to establish clear rules for compensating artists whose work is sampled or remixed by AI. GEMA, a German music rights organization, has also taken action against Suno for generating music that closely resembles popular hits like “Mambo No. 5.”
These lawsuits are just the latest flashpoints in a broader battle over the future of music. In February 2025, more than 1,000 UK artists—including luminaries like Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Hans Zimmer—released a silent protest album titled Is This What We Want? The year before, over 200 artists signed an open letter demanding that AI developers and tech companies “cease the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists,” as the Artist Rights Alliance put it. Signatories included Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Katy Perry.
The core of the debate centers on creativity. Many artists fear that AI-generated music—sometimes derided as “AI slop”—will flood the market with low-quality content, making it harder for human musicians to break through. Some Reddit users have proposed that all AI-generated music should be marked or even made royalty-free, arguing that it lacks the originality and depth of human-made art. “Calling them ‘music creators’ is an insult to actual music creators and art in general,” wrote one user, while another quipped, “The future will be fake accounts watching and listening to fake content. Wooh!”
Yet not everyone is pessimistic. Artists like will.i.am and Timbaland have embraced AI as a tool for expanding creative horizons. Scott Smith, leader of the AI band Pulse Empire, argues that digital tools have always played a role in music production, from AutoTune to drum machines. “Artists should adapt, innovate, and use these tools to find new forms of expression,” said musician and producer Thomas Dolby. Creators like McCann and Smith emphasize that while AI can generate the raw material, it still takes human effort and vision to refine it into something meaningful. As Lukas Rams of Sleeping With Wolves put it, “AI can provide a starting point, but its lyrical output often lacks the creativity of human-generated lyrics.”
Looking back, AI in music isn’t entirely new. Sony’s Flow Machines project made headlines in 2016 with “Daddy’s Car,” a Beatles-style song composed by algorithms. The AI Song Contest, launched in 2020, saw teams from around the world compete with AI-composed entries. In China, Tencent Music Entertainment released over 1,000 AI-generated tracks by April 2023, with one song racking up more than 100 million streams and nearly $350,000 in revenue. In April 2023, a viral AI deepfake track mimicking Drake and The Weeknd caused a stir before being removed for copyright reasons. And in June 2025, the anonymous band Velvet Sundown—boasting 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify—was revealed to be entirely AI-generated, right down to its images and backstory.
As the industry grapples with these changes, one thing is clear: AI is here to stay. Whether it will ultimately enhance or diminish the magic of music is still up for debate. For now, the stage is set for a future where anyone—with or without traditional talent—can contribute to the evolving soundtrack of our lives.
