‘I feel like I’m at war’: are we losing the battle against machine-made music?
Despite outcry from musicians, AI slop is creeping into the charts as record labels scramble to adapt to a new normal where hits can be made at the click of a button This year, the battle for song of the summer has been eclipsed by a much more complicated – some would even say disturbing – debate. That’s because we find ourselves asking not “What’s the song of the summer?” but rather “Is the song…
Despite the outcry from musicians, artificial intelligence-generated music is infiltrating the charts as record labels scramble to adapt to a new normal where chart-topping hits can be produced at the click of a button. This year, the pursuit for the song of the summer has been overshadowed by a much more complex and, for some, disturbing debate.
Rather than asking "What's the song of the summer?" people are now questioning "Is the song of the summer even real?" One of the top contenders for the title is Fenix Flexin's Rubberz, a single released in June that has climbed to No 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnered over 35 million Spotify streams. This track is a departure from Fenix's usual trap music, as he is part of the rap duo Shoreline Mafia.
Rubberz is a mildly noirish, 80s-inspired synth-pop tune featuring a voice unlike anything his. While it has drawn comparisons to Morrissey, it more closely resembles Men at Work's Down Under or a Weird Al Yankovic parody of Men at Work. Its undeniable awfulness is accompanied by an uncanny quality that makes it sound off.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
