Ep. 11: We Really Need to Talk About AI

Alright, so, if you’re not familiar, when we talk about AI or artificial intelligence, right now basically what we’re talking about are computer programs that are able to take in absurd amounts of data at ridiculous speeds and then identify patterns from that.

And then taking those patterns, they’re able to respond to prompts in a lifelike way. So, you could, for example, give an AI the prompt, write me a song about Taylor Swift. And it would quickly look at every Taylor Swift song that’s ever been written, anything she’s ever said in public, everything that’s ever been written about her, and then from there spit out some text that’s in line with those patterns.

So, the computer doesn’t understand, yet anyway, what it’s saying. It just makes predictions based off of what the data shows. But, contrary to what you might expect, I’m not here to talk about how you can use AI to create music.

I want to show you how you can use AI to help streamline and automate the non-musical stuff that takes up so much of your time. Really what I wanted to see is if I could use AI to write my product descriptions for me, because I really hate doing those. Okay, so the way Jasper is set up is they have these different templates for different kinds of copy editing, right? So, there’s a template for blog posts, a template for Google Ads, a template for company bios, and so on.

So, not really knowing what I was going to get, and not really knowing what to expect, I just went ahead and clicked on the blog post template and asked it to give me a blog post about Arrange.me, Hal Leonard, self-publishing sheet music, choral music, JW Pepper, and just a couple other keywords. Not really any direction beyond that. And here’s what it gave me in about 30 seconds.

I had over a thousand words on the benefits of self-publishing sheet music through Arrange.me and MyScore. So, listen to this. All of this that you’re about to hear was generated by the computer.

Have you heard about the benefits of self-publishing sheet music? With the rise of digital sheet music services, it is now easier than ever before for composers to publish their own works. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why self-publishing through services like Arrange.me or MyScore might be the right move for you. Keep reading to learn more.

What is self-publishing? Self-publishing is a process by which authors create and distribute their own books without relying on traditional publishing houses. In the case of sheet music, composers can use a service like Arrange.me or MyScore to upload their compositions, set pricing, and receive royalties from sales. This is an attractive alternative to traditional publishing houses because it allows composers to keep all of their rights and retain 100% of their royalties.

Benefits of self-publishing through Arrange.me and MyScore. The two most popular digital sheet music services are Arrange.me and MyScore. Both offer similar features and benefits that make them ideal tools for self-publishing your compositions.

Here are some key features that both services offer. Easy uploading of your compositions. Both services allow you to easily upload your compositions in PDF format so they can be sold as digital downloads.

This makes it simple to get started with self-publishing as there are no complex steps or fees involved in setting up an account. Set your own prices. Both services also allow you to set your own prices for your compositions so you can maximize your profits.

You can also choose whether or not you want to offer discounts on bulk orders or subscription packages for customers who purchase multiple pieces from you at once. Distribution networks. Once uploaded, both services will distribute your works through their extensive networks including Hal Leonard, American Choral Directors Association, JW Pepper, and other popular choral music retailers around the world.

This ensures that your work will reach a wider audience than ever before. Conclusion. Self-publishing sheet music through services like Arrange.me and MyScore makes it easy for composers to get their work out into the world without relying on traditional publishing houses.

These platforms offer features such as easy uploading, setting your own prices, and distribution networks that make them ideal tools for getting started with self-publishing. So, if you’re a composer looking for an effective way to publish your works, consider self-publishing today. Wow.

Now, obviously, there were some inaccuracies in there, right? Arrange.me doesn’t let you offer a subscription model to your customers. You don’t get to keep 100% of your royalties. You know, the American Choral Directors Association is not going to distribute your works for you, right? But on the whole, it sounded pretty good.

And the thing is, that only took about 30 seconds, and it gave me more than 1,000 words on the subject. And the thing is, you could just hit refresh over and over again, and it’ll give you a new variation of the article until you find one you like. Now, obviously, that sounds like a robot.

But, you know, with a little bit of editing and tweaking, you could take that text, copy it into Word, change a few things, make sure the information is correct, and you’ve got yourself a solid article. So, at this point, my eyes are popping out of my head. Like, this is super cool.

But at the same time, I’m thinking, How Leonard’s a big company. J.W. Pepper’s a big company. They’ve got a lot of content out there on the Internet.

They’ve got a lot of ads that they’ve run, probably, that the robots can go and find and copy phrases from. So, my next thought was, What happens if I give it the prompts, Garrett Breeze, Show Choir, Choir, GarrettBreeze.com, BreezeTunes.com, HolidayChoirMusic.com? I basically just gave it my websites and my name, and I wanted to see what would come up. And here is the article.

How Garrett Breeze is revolutionizing choral music education. Garrett Breeze is a choral music educator and composer with a vision to make learning choral music easier and more accessible for teachers, church musicians, choir directors, and band directors. Through his company, BreezeTunes, Garrett offers an extensive catalog of sheet music, as well as arranging services for both classic and contemporary show choir and holiday choir music.

I’m not going to make you listen to the whole thing, but here’s the conclusion. Whether you need help choosing pieces, arranging them specifically for your group’s needs, or just need some extra inspiration in your classroom, Garrett Breeze has exactly what you need. With his vast catalog of sheet music, high-quality arrangements tailored to fit any skill level or budget, and top-notch customer service, you won’t find a better resource for show choir or holiday choir music anywhere else.

So go check out his website today, and get started on revolutionizing choral education with Garrett Breeze. I mean, I don’t know. That kind of makes me sound awesome.

It’s a little bit over the top, but you know, if you take that and you edit it and you cut out some of the more flowery language, that’s a solid music bio. You know, a lot of musician bios in concert programs are super boring and super dry, and maybe something like this isn’t such a bad idea. Alright, so the next thing I wanted to try was to see what it would say about a piece of music that it didn’t get a prompt to.

Because there wasn’t any way to say, listen to this audio or look at this YouTube video and describe it. I don’t think the technology is there yet. So what I did is I went to the product description template and I just said, write a description about a choral arrangement by Garrett Breeze.

That’s all I said. And this is what it gave me. Garrett Breeze’s choral arrangement has been critically acclaimed for its ability to blend traditional and modern styles in a way that is both beautiful and captivating.

His masterful approach to combining voices of different ranges, utilizing dynamics, and building upon complex harmonies creates an unforgettable listening experience that can leave even the most experienced choral conductors awestruck. Okay, maybe that’s a little much. But again, you can click refresh and get new prompts and new variations of it until you find something you like a little better.

Here’s another one I thought was fun. Garrett Breeze’s choral arrangement is a magnificent display of musical artistry. His use of soaring melodies, lush harmonies, and intricate rhythmic patterns creates an engaging and captivating soundscape.

The harmonies blend perfectly to create a rich tapestry of vocal colors that lasts long after the music has ended. Garrett’s choral arrangements often take on a life of their own, utilizing complex voicings to create unique textures and drive the complexity of his compositions to new heights. Every note serves a purpose, every phrase carries emotion, and each section brings something special to the overall piece.

By combining classical techniques with modern sensibilities, Garrett Breeze creates truly unique choral arrangements that are sure to leave listeners mesmerized. From the powerful opening statement to the delicate coda, audiences will be enthralled from start to finish. With Garrett Breeze’s choral arrangements, even the most seasoned listener can find something new and exciting every time they listen.

Now obviously, the computer is just BS-ing through its teeth right now. I mean, the delicate coda? Come on. But, some of that’s pretty good.

And you know, one of the things I struggle with is just the amount of content we have to come up with sometimes. You know, if you’re going to publish ten pieces, then you have to come up with ten different product descriptions, and it’s really hard to sit down and write ten different product descriptions that don’t all sound exactly the same. So, I really think there’s some benefit here to using some sort of a generator to give you ideas, to be sort of your first draft.

You know, the bottom line is I want more time to work on music. I didn’t become a composer to sit around all day writing ad copy. And so if this is something that helps me write more music, I don’t know.

It’s something I’m really going to have to consider using. So where is all this going, and what do we do about it? I think the main thing is for us not to have an adversarial relationship with technology. The music industry has this long, proud history of ignoring and resisting and fighting every technological change that ever came its way, and it hurts them every time.

Things are a little bit different now, since we’re all so dependent on technology in general as a society. But there’s still a lot of resistance out there. I mean, we’ve still got people in the publishing industry arguing about whether or not it’s okay for customers to download PDF files.

In the meantime, AI programs are being used to write and produce hit songs. So the technology is only going to get better, and faster, and cheaper. Instead of spending your energy on fighting the technology, resistance is futile.

figure out how you can adapt, and how you can use it to your advantage. Are the robots coming for our jobs? I don’t know. Probably.v