A Letter on Honesty

Outline / TLDR: In this letter, I share my honest thoughts on AI in the music industry. I admit to using AI occasionally, like to polish my work or fix grammar mistakes, but only on things I've already completed. As an independent artist, it's tough competing with others who have more resources. I believe we need more open and honest conversations about AI, especially in the art world, while I strive to keep my own work pure and true to my vision. (this section was sourced by AI)

Playboi Carties recent release I AM MUSIC utilized AI and even he and his team decided notify fans

Before I move forward with this blog, I find it imperative to clear something up. As an artist, I am very secure in my decision to stand against AI alongside my peers. In a post I published yesterday titled The Art of Repetition in Modern Music: Personal Reflections and Insights, I spoke about AI and my unwavering feelings of unease towards it. To be honest, at times, I feel like I'm being trapped in a gray area about it by the music industry. On one hand, I want to keep my art as a musician pure and free from it, but everywhere I turn, more and more of it is being brought into the industry with open arms. The thing that makes an artist unique and special is easily being pushed aside, with increasing openness toward AI. Even nowadays, industry professionals are found speaking on social media, placing AI on a pedestal and claiming it to be a new industry standard. With more and more at-home producers using AI in their works, it makes it increasingly difficult to navigate the space as a music artist who would like to take a stand against it.

Here lies my honesty: Do I use AI? Occasionally, and only to polish up work that I've already completed to the best of my ability. For example, this blog website is powered by Wix, a website design company that allows its users to use AI to achieve a more polished look for their web design. I also use AI to source short captions to place at the beginning of each blog post during my TLDR section.

Here lies my own honesty about AI: Do I use AI? Yes. As an independent music artist, I compete with other artists and executives in my space. While many of them have teams, supportive and involved families, legal and financial advice, I am left vulnerable, like a swan in an alligator's swamp. As an artist, I write my own songs, design my own vocal production most of the time, and send out emails to executives and directors, among other tasks. All while being an independent college student pursuing content creation full-time, I use AI only to fine-tune some managerial aspects of my career so I can present and represent myself at a level similar to those who are lucky enough to have representation in this day and age.

For example, on this blog, I use AI to catch grammatical or spelling issues I might have in my writing. I'm not the best writer, and I do not have a team yet, so this is the best I can do right now to ensure that I continue to provide you all with the best that I can. Eventually, I'll have more people on my team, and I'll be able to alleviate my AI usage.

I think many, many people use AI on a day-to-day basis. But I feel that the best course of action in spaces of art is to have an openness toward having honest conversations about it. At least that's what I would hope. And who am I to ask the world to provide what I wouldn't be willing to give readily?

Thurs. Mar. 20. 2025

Phanzé LaMuse