Music Tectonics The Future of Music is Visual: With Ty Roberts
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May 21, 2025 Ty Roberts, founder of Gracenote and former CTO of Universal Music Group, shares his journey through the music industry. He highlights pivotal moments like Gracenote's influence on iTunes and his work with David Bowie on generative music. The conversation dives into the future of visual music experiences and the rise of AI in music creation. Ty discusses the potential for personalized live events using advanced technologies, and tackles issues around copyright and innovation in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
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David Bowie's Generative Music
- Ty Roberts worked with David Bowie and Brian Eno on a generative music CD-ROM in the mid-90s.
- The album would change every time it was played, but the record label only released a linear album version.
GraceNote and the iPod Launch
- GraceNote's CDDB database powered early iPod music ripping and identification.
- Apple secretly prepared for the iPod launch by requesting servers to support the database.
Steve Jobs and Album Covers
- Steve Jobs requested album covers for the iPod even though it was black and white initially.
- This led to CoverFlow, the first digital music product integrating album art visuals.