The 2024 Grammys were marked by debut musical performances and by Taylor Swift taking home a record-breaking number of wins.
But they were also defined by an industry focus on digital technology--namely artificial intelligence–and the inevitable and irreversible impact it is having on music.
“The Grammys are an annual checkup on what's happening in the industry,” says Linda Bloss-Baum, assistant director of Kogod’s business and entertainment program, who attended this year’s event. “You not only get a sense of different types of music but also the issues entertainment leaders are focused on.”
Bloss-Baum, who worked in tech, government, and public policy and public affairs before joining Kogod’s faculty, says AI is already significantly transforming how the industry sees creative work–and how musicians produce it. The Recording Academy’s just-released AI protocols, which categorize how AI can be used in Grammy submissions, is just one example.
Read on for more on what she tuned into at this year’s Grammys, and which trends and topics she deems must-knows for business and entertainment.
Artists have increasingly begun to use artificial intelligence to shape and refine their work, particularly during 2023 as the use of digital tools like ChatGPT proliferated.
“The recorded music industry is super concerned about the future of human creativity,” says Bloss-Baum. “If it's doable for machines to do this work, will we still have the next great Taylor Swift? Or will people be increasingly relying on AI for that?”
The Recording Academy, the GRAMMY’s parent organization, has stayed plugged into this trend–data that influenced it to implement its first-ever AI protocols for this year’s awards.
The Academy’s new rules state that only human creators can receive a GRAMMY–though artists can still submit AI music and content. Songs that incorporate AI voices or instrumentation may still be considered.
Bloss-Baum says this was a defining moment for the recording industry–especially for artists like Gen-Z up-and-comer JVKE, who crafts his performances with both audio and visual AI components.
She also notes the implications of these new policies on more global industry topics, like copyright law.