The Decoder summarises a Rolling Stone investigation finding that AI generators are now widespread among professional producers and songwriters, who mostly keep their use private for fear of backlash. The piece borrows Suno chief Mikey Shulman's line that people call his tool the Ozempic of the music industry.
Those interviewed believe AI-made music has already reached the Billboard charts, and note that labels have no dependable way to detect it and rely on trust. In hip-hop, Jay-Z's longtime engineer Young Guru estimates more than half of sample-based tracks now use invented vintage samples rather than licensed records. A Sonarworks poll of over 1,100 music workers found seven in ten try AI tools at least sometimes, mostly for restoration, stem separation and mastering.
Songwriters such as Lauren Christy describe turning lyrics and chords into finished demos almost instantly, and SONA co-founder Michelle Lewis says many writers privately find that freeing, since they need not split credit or pay a producer. The losers named are session musicians, demo singers, studio assistants and the stock and production music market.
The article also points to open questions: whether the generators are lawful given Suno's copyright fights, and whether AI-made songs or samples can be copyrighted at all, which offices have so far mostly decided case by case against AI.
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