Can ChatGPT really improve your songwriting, or will it replace you as a songwriter?
It’s 2023, and artificial intelligence is just about everywhere. It’s in your cell phone, on your computer, and running algorithms all around you. According to trends, the AI adoption rate has been increasing by 35% steadily for the past few years, and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping. It was only a matter of time before AI made its way to music.
Should songwriters be worried about being replaced by AI, or can it be used as an aid to make even better music? Here’s what you need to know about the future of the music industry.
What is ChatGPT?
There are many artificial intelligence solutions in the world today, but ChatGPT has potentially the biggest impact on songwriting and the music industry. It’s a highly advanced chatbot that’s capable of creating detailed and articulate responses. Just show it some examples you want it to “learn” from, and it’ll give you original content that sounds similar to the example content, including song lyrics.
Should songwriters be worried about AI in music?
Naturally, this type of “learning” software would have huge implications for songwriters. What happens if you feed the ChatGPT software the entire Beatles library to reference? Could it write an all-new original album that’s just as good as the Beatles? And would this ability make songwriters obsolete in the future?
Luckily, even the most advanced AI can’t compete with human creativity. Computers and technology have been a part of music for a long time. Remember when auto-tune was all the rage in the late 90s with Cher’s #1 hit “Believe?” Has auto-tune ruined the need to be a good singer in today’s music scene? Not even a little!
Instead, technological advances have historically always been a positive for musicians. When digital audio workstations (DAWs) came out, it didn’t mean the end of the recording studio. It just meant that then-small-time artists like Billie Eilish could record #1 hit songs like “Bad Guy” on her brother’s bedroom computer. And there’s no need to even mention the impact the electric guitar and synthesizer have had on modern music.
Instead of being worried about AI taking over the music scene, perhaps it’s time to embrace it! ChatGPT and AI can be used as musical tools — instruments, even — to help songwriters create their next masterpiece. There’s no replacement for the creative mind of a songwriter, even if you don’t choose to use AI to aid your songwriting.
Three ways to use ChatGPT and AI to improve your songwriting
Do you want to take your songwriting to the next level? Here are three ways musicians can use ChatGPT and AI tools to improve their songwriting.
Create new music to compliment your lyrics
Are you a strong lyricist but have trouble with the music aspect of songwriting (such as creating a cool chord progression or melodic lines) ? You can use AI to create music from scratch that compliments your already-amazing lyrics.
These are three of our favorite music-generating AI solutions:
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Soundraw – Customize the length, composition, and instrumentation of your music completely royalty-free! If you have an idea about what music you want to add to your lyrics, this is a great tool to turn that idea into reality.
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Voicemod – Have no clue what kind of music to add behind your lyrics? Voicemod is a text-to-song generator. Just upload your lyrics, and the AI will produce some complimentary music to inspire you. Even better, it’s browser-based, so you don’t have to download anything!
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Uberduck – Use AI to create a virtual songwriting assistant. “Talk” to your new assistant and show examples of other songs you want to emulate, and it’ll help you create something completely new! Uberduck is so good it has even been used to make commercials!
Write amazing chord progressions
Singer-songwriters rejoice! It’s never fun when you just can’t find that perfect chord progression. Now, AI can help you find an amazing chord progression that’s original and unique, so you can finally perfect that song you’ve been working on.
ChordChord is an online music generator that focuses specifically on chords and progressions. Simply add the inputs of your choice, and the software will give you a list of various chord progressions that fit your outline. Use one of the generated progressions or use them for inspiration. Either way, it makes finding that perfect chord progression a breeze.
Improve your lyrics
For many musicians, writing lyrics is the hardest part of the songwriting journey. Between the story, meaning, rhyme, and rhythm, it’s not easy to find the right words — unless you use AI, that is. So, if you are may be excellent in music but not good at coming up with the lyrics, you can use ChatGPT with coming up with the lyrics.
ChatGPT is designed to create original words. It’s officially designed to hold a natural conversation, but you can also use its AI programming to generate song lyrics!
All you have to do is upload some lyrics you want to emulate (maybe you want your lyrics to sound like Taylor Swift) and ChatGPT will create a new set of lyrics similar to the examples you provide.
Although the results aren’t always perfect, this should give you a great start for your lyrical masterpiece. Just use the AI-generated lyrics as inspiration, and you could be well on your way to your next hit song.
AI-powered songwriting assistance
There’s no reason for musicians to be afraid of technology. When the electric guitar came out, it turned the music world on its head! But we’re all glad musicians like Les Paul, Chuck Berry, and Slash adopted it.
Think about ChatGPT and other AI solutions the same way. They’re not a threat to songwriters; they’re just here to help! You can use AI to make your songwriting better by generating backing music, chord progressions, and new lyrics. At the very least, they’re a great way to find inspiration. Now get out there and create!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Ashley is a songwriter and graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is a voting member of the Recording Academy (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). He is currently working as the Artist Relations director with the USA Songwriting Competition and IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards). His book "How to Write Better Songs" hit #1 on the Amazon Best Seller Books Charts last year. Click here to purchase Scott Ashley's book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5PLFGKX
For information on the 28th Annual USA Songwriting Competition, go to: https://www.songwriting.net
