The Data Age Has Transformed Music with Aram Sinnreich & Jesse Gilbert

The age of Mass Data is here. From music discovery based on algorithms, to small artists using fan location data to plan tours, to AI-generated music, data is changing just about every aspect of the music industry. In this episode, Tristra talks to Aram Sinnreich and Jesse Gilbert, authors of The Secret Life of Data. Jesse and Aram show us that today’s music and culture is increasingly set by data. We discuss the scary implications of this new age, how AI-models learning from musicians brings a host of worries around copyright and exploitation. But we also discuss the exciting possibilities, including an explosion in collaboration in music making. 

Some things mentioned in the show today:

Aram and Jesse's book, The Secret Life of Data

Aram's website: http://sinnreich.com

Jesse's website: http://jessegilbert.net

Cellist Zoë Keating

The visual microphone

Platforms like Wordpress and Tumblr selling your posts to train AI

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!