Creating Rhythm with Algorithms - Alex Mitchell

Technology has always played a key role in the world of music, with things like digital production software, loop pedals, and multi-track recording transforming the industry forever. Artificial intelligence (AI), however, is about to be the most disruptive technology in music.

In today’s episode, Ben Taylor sits down with Alex Mitchell, Founder, and CEO of Boomy, to discuss the future of AI in music.

Boomy is an industry leader, using artificial intelligence to create "instant music.” Alex shares how he has tried to solve the question of what good music is with data and why he believes that, ultimately, good music is whatever people want to listen to. The music industry is evolving as we move into a time of growth, as evidenced by the explosion of content on TikTok and the billions of streams that have resulted from it, and why he believes that the least efficient way to invest in musicians today would be to start a traditional record label.

Boomy presents the opportunity for a new consumption dynamic, using AI to look forward, not backward, and develop a native format for the next generation of listeners. On the topic of AI, Alex reflects on whether this emerging technology helps or hinders artists, saying that Boomy is not designed to replace musicians but rather provide the necessary tools to those who don’t have the same resources and access that many musicians do. In the end, great songs aren’t created by optimization algorithms, but by people with the tools to express themselves!

Taking a minute to look toward the future of technology in music, Alex speaks to the likelihood of using real-time EEG neurofeedback or brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to accelerate trends, saying that, while there are companies that are already working on this technology, we probably won’t see it realized in our lifetime. When asked about the future impact of AI on music, Alex explains how Boomy facilities personalization or what he calls ‘context-aware algorithmic music’, which he believes is currently hindered by the difficulty to monetize it. What is missing, in his opinion, is a way to incentivize the business models of those systems, which is one of Boomy’s core goals.

Reflecting on the two components of what musicians do, the first being skill and the second bringing taste, Alex explains how Boomy is building an interface where technology fills in the skill gap and allows everyone to become a composer in their own right. As the technology evolves, there will be greater opportunities to create and consume hyper-personalized content more rapidly and, as our appetite for short-form video content grows, Alex also thinks that the way the music industry operates will continue to evolve too.

Regardless of what we think is ‘good' music or ‘bad’ music, the only data we have to go on is consumption and Alex believes that it’s what we each bring to music that makes it good, not some set of universal criteria. As a musician himself, Alex isn’t on a mission to replace musicians; he is leveraging the latest technology to create a whole new generation of creators and explore a new consumption dynamic that blurs the line between performer and audience.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Defining what good (and bad) music is and what the future of the music industry looks like.
• How Boomy uses AI to present the opportunity for a new music consumption dynamic.
• Creating a new generation of artists, not replacing existing ones.
• Future technologies in music and how AI facilitates context-aware algorithmic music.
• Why there are no universal criteria that defines good or bad music; it’s personal!