From Instrument to Co-Creator: Authorship in Generative and AI Music
Abstract
This paper presents the evolving concept of authorship in music creation as algorithmic and artificial intelligence systems impact the musical market. Based on Philip Galanter's definition of generative art, the paper discusses about the authorship of music in different senerios: when it is generated by tools like Nyquist or AI models such as Suno. The argument is structured around three distinct ways of human-machine interaction: human-led creation where computers are used as instruments; human-guided creation, where algorithms are restricted to a predetermined range of randomness; and human-crafted prompts, where AI generates the music completely. Following the analysis of these cases and some complex instances, this paper concludes that authorship is decided by the location of creativity and intentionality rather than a fixed attribute. The analysis reveals that authorship belongs to different subjects accordingly to different methods humans used to use generative tools: following the primary source of meaning contribution. Ultimately, the paper argues that the central issue may not be the authorship itself, but the human need for music to serve as a bridge for shared meaning and emotional connection.
References
- Galanter, P. (2003). What is generative art? Complexity theory as a context for art theory. InProceedings of the 6th International Conference on Generative Art, 1–21. Taylor & Francis Online
- Dannenberg, R. B. (2005). Artificial intelligence, artificial creativity, and music. InThe Oxford Handbook of Computer Music. Oxford University Press.
- Roads, C. (1996).The computer music tutorial. MIT Press.
- Boden, M. A. (2004).The creative mind: Myths and mechanisms. 2nd Edition, Routledge.
- Ariza, C. (2005). Algorithmic and generative music: A survey and taxonomy. InProceedings of the International Computer Music Conference.
- Lewis, G. (2000). Too many notes: Computers, complexity and culture in Voyager.Leonardo Music Journal, 10, 33–39.
- Boden, M. A. (2010).Creativity and art: Three roads to surprise. Oxford University Press.
- Coeckelbergh, M. (2017). Can machines create art?Philosophy & Technology, 30(3), 285–303.
- Miranda, E. R. (2001).Composing music with computers. Focal Press.
- Hayles, N. K. (1999).How we became posthuman: Virtual bodies in cybernetics, literature, and informatics. University of Chicago Press.
- Liu, C. (2018). The poetry cloud. In M. Song & T. Huters (Eds.),The reincarnated giant: An anthology of twenty-first-century Chinese science fiction(pp. 143–173). Columbia University Press. De Gruyter Brill
- Meyer, L. B. (1956).Emotion and meaning in music. University of Chicago Press.
- Blacking, J. (1973).How musical is man?University of Washington Press.
- Langer, S. K. (1953).Feeling and form: A theory of art. Charles Scribner's Sons.