From Mystic Alanker:

Is AI Killing the Music Industry?


You’ve probably seen the headlines by now.

“AI is replacing producers.”
“AI is making artists irrelevant.”
“AI can make a hit song in 30 seconds.”

It sounds dramatic.

The truth is much less exciting though.

Yes, AI can generate tracks quickly. It can imitate genres. It can stitch together patterns based on what already exists and juggle various combinations of sounds to create a finished piece of music.

But that’s exactly the point — it stitches together what already exists.

It doesn’t have your taste.
It doesn’t have your identity.
It doesn’t have your point of view.

Most AI-generated music feels technically correct… and emotionally empty. The chords resolve where they’re supposed to. The drums are in time. The structure makes sense.

But nothing surprises you.
Nothing feels risky.
Nothing feels personal.

Because there’s no lived experience behind it.

And it's a little too perfect.

When you produce, you’re not just assembling sounds — you’re making decisions. You reject 20 ideas before committing to one. You chase a feeling, not just a structure. You build tension intentionally. You choose sounds and layer them in a way that say something about who you are. You develop your own signature sound.

Songs that really break the internet and go viral without the support of major labels are not the cookie cutter "perfect" songs, they are the ones that make people feel something - a deep emotion, an enthusiasm to dance, a nostalgic moment or just a good vibe which sticks.

Music has never been about speed.
It’s never been about automation.
It’s always been about intention.

And intention can’t be generated.

If anything, this moment is separating background noise from real craftsmanship. When everything becomes easy to create, the things made with care stand out even more.

In 2026 people are craving real music. Ticket sales of touring musicians have increased globally, indicating the same.

Very soon AI might be able to produce better music than humans. We're not gonna sugar coat the facts. But AI cannot perform live, AI has no taste, AI cannot customize the music to the level that a skilled producer can, AI cannot create a signature sound that defines you - At best it can create generic high quality music.

Does this bother you? Maybe it does. But is this going to change the fact that AI music is here to stay? Probably not. So accept it and outperform it. Not in terms of speed, in terms of everything else.

When MIDI was invented in the 1980's, human musicians felt threatened that musicians would lose their jobs as a tool can create the sound of any instrument - it has the notes imprinted in it and can be triggered with any sound. At that time, many guitarists, violinists and pianists felt like it was all over.

However, looking at the current scenario you are still downloading guitar samples from Mystic Alankar although there are tons of guitar plugins available in the market. Why? Since it doesn't feel 'as authentic', right? Ask yourself and you'll understand the true value of human made content and human played nuances that only real players can impart.

Why is that almost all the major records released use high quality samples and stay away from AI? Hope you found your answer.

To take this discussion further, let's go back to the previous century. When furniture started being manufactured by machines in the industrial revolution, carpenters thought they'd be obsolete in a few years. However fast forward to 2026 and we find that all the hand made skills are thriving - hand made goods are often priced at double or triple the cost of the machine made goods. Visiting Etsy should be enough to prove this.

Handicrafts, hand made furniture, handloom textiles - They all are in demand and are higher priced than similar machine made goods.

A similar change is happening. in the entertainment industry. The music industry has always been evolving. Back in the day it used to be CD Sales, then it turned into downloads and now it's streaming.

More severe than AI killing the industry, is you killing your dreams due to assuming that AI is killing the music industry. Read that twice and let it sink in.

Trends will come and go.

But your taste?
That’s human.

And in 2026..

Again, Taste matters more than ever before. The way you perceive the facts shall decide your thoughts. And your thoughts will trigger your actions. And ultimately your actions shall decide your trajectory.

Love is grand.
Divorce is twenty grand!

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware