Dear indie friends,

A few years ago, hearing a new song raised one simple question. "Do I like it?"

Today, another question often arrives first. "Who made it?" Was it written by a person Generated by a machine? A collaboration between both?

Does it matter? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But the fact that we're asking the question at all tells us something important.

The musical landscape is changing faster than any of us expected.

Oh, and 🎧 Meet Soundcheck, the little daily indie challenge hiding in plain sight. One clue, one guess, and a tiny chance to prove your indie radar is sharper than your summer playlist. → soundcheck.mitxoda.be

Welcome in this 98th Weekly Summer Edition!
Love,
Mitxoda

I call it The AI Flood.

Every day, thousands of new songs appear online. Some are entirely human. Some are entirely generated.

Many exist somewhere in between. Artificial intelligence can now help write lyrics. Suggest harmonies. Generate voices. Master recordings. Create artwork (Yes I use AI to rework or create my images, don’t blame me, I m not a good designer at all!)

Many other produce videos. Translate songs. And much more.

For independent artists, these tools can be extraordinary.

A musician with almost no budget can suddenly create things that once required an entire team. That is worth celebrating.

But every new possibility also introduces a new uncertainty.

If everything can be created... how do we recognize intention?

The greatest risk isn't that AI will replace musicians. Music has survived radio, television, sampling, synthesizers, the internet and the streaming era, of course.

Every generation predicts the end of music. Music usually survives.

The greater risk is something quieter: trust.

If listeners no longer know where a song comes from... they begin questioning everything.

Who wrote the lyrics? Who sang the voice? Who played the instruments? Who felt the emotion? When uncertainty becomes constant, authenticity quietly becomes harder to recognize.

And authenticity has always been one of independent music's greatest strengths.

History offers a useful reminder.

The piano didn't compose Beethoven. The camera didn't create photography. The synthesizer didn't invent electronic music. Every tool expanded what artists could imagine.

Artificial intelligence is another tool. IMHO.

A remarkably powerful one, yes. But tools don't dream. They don't fall in love. They don't lose someone. They don't stay awake wondering whether a lyric is honest enough.

People do. We do.

And perhaps that difference matters more than ever.

I often talk about HI for Human Intelligence, a sort of counterbalanced view vs AI. (I don’t like the vs, we should not be “against” something we, human, are creating ourselves…). But AI is everywhere. And we forgot HI. Like “Hi!” when you say hello to someone, and you mean it.

Ironically... the more convincing machines become, the more valuable human presence may become.

Not because humans are technically superior but because they are personally accountable.

An artist stands behind a song. They can explain it, perform it, change because of it. Grow beyond it. Explain it.

A machine cannot attend a concert. It cannot answer a fan's message (well, yes it can, but the feeling of emptiness is real, too).

The machine cannot tell the story behind a lyric.

The music may sound similar. The relationship never will.

Perhaps this new era gives independent artists an unexpected opportunity.

To be transparent. To show the process. To explain what AI helped with. And what remained deeply human.

Not because listeners demand perfection. They just appreciate honesty.

The future may belong less to those who hide their tools... and more to those who openly describe how they use them.

Trust has always been built through openness. That hasn't changed.

Independent artists have never competed by having the biggest budgets.

They compete through identity, voice, perspective, personality, community.

No algorithm can manufacture a lifetime of experiences. No model can inherit your childhood memories.

No prompt can recreate the exact path that brought you to your instrument.

Technology may help shape a song. Only a human life can shape an artist. And that distinction may become increasingly important.

Perhaps we've been asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking, "Was AI involved?"

Maybe we should ask, "Is there a human standing behind this?"

Someone willing to sign their name. Accept criticism. Celebrate success. Learn. Fail.

And begin again.

Because in the end, people don't only follow songs. They follow stories. They follow voices and other human beings.

Every Friday at 4:00 PM (Brussels time) a new episode of Le Salon Indie de Mitxoda will take place on salon.mitxoda.be, don’t miss it.

The future of music will almost certainly include artificial intelligence.

I don't fear that. What I hope we never lose... is the simple joy of knowing that somewhere, behind a song we love, there is still a person who cared enough to make it.

With love, always,
🖤 Mitxoda

END 😆