Wah-hawww, this isn't good. '90s alt-rock hitmakers Better Than Ezra, who were the subject of our Alternative Number Ones column last year, are holding a contest for fans to use a new AI platform to "write" a song for them. Better Than Eza frontman Kevin Griffin has been extolling the possibilities of AI music for at least a few years, and now he's the co-founder of an AI music platform called Soundbreak. Yesterday, Griffin announced his contest in a social-media video, telling fans that the winning entry will be Better Than Ezra's next single. Here's what he has to say for himself:
I'm excited to announce something that's never been done before. Better Than Ezra is teaming with Soundbreak AI to do a songwriting contest. Go on soundbreak.ai, write with me or write with Tom Drummond. Come up with your best idea, your best song. And on May 15, Tom and I are going to go live on our socials and announce the winner of the Better Than Ezra Soundbreak songwriting contest, and we're going to record it, and it's going to be the next Better Than Ezra single.
So go on Soundbreak. When you write a song, when you title it, put "BTE" at the end. Like if it's titled "Wonderwall," put "BTE" so we know it's a submission for the contest. May 15, we're going to be choosing it. Good luck, good writing, we can't wait to do it.
Can't wait to hear "Wonderwall BTE." In the video where he announces the platform, Griffin refers to Soundbreak as "the world's first ethically trained, fully licensed AI music platform, built with artists, not on them." The idea is that artists will be partners with the platform and will share royalties with the people who put in prompts and then think that they've written songs. This could be some version of what the major labels are envisioning in their partnerships with companies like Suno and Audio. Gross!
Related:
