Journeys: an experiment in AI and Music Part 1

This week’s podcast is in two parts. It is a departure from the usual pattern, looking at the use of AI in the generation of music. There are legal and ethical issues, especially in the area of creativity and intellectual property, and we shall return to these at the end of Part 2 of the Podcast. This podcast is built around Journeys, a music and AI project developed by the Hi-Fi Hobbyist., featured in full on the main website at Hi-Fi Hobbyist dot net, as a virtual vinyl album with two sides, a cover and an album booklet with lyrics and further images. Within the “Journeys” project, the Hi-Fi Hobbyist acts as human creator, sets creative direction and has overall control, and views the use of AI as an instrument to achieve the desired outcomes in words, music, and images. The song lyrics are based upon ideas researched from historical and personal sources by the human creator. He maps out the narratives, then turns them into lyrics that fit the structure and meter, with the help of AI. The music is generated by the Mureka AI tool in response to detailed instructions provided by the human creator. Typically, Mureka generates four options, and then human creator then selects the most suitable version. Part 1 of the podcast presents Side 1 of the virtual vinyl album. Side 1 is made up of a series of songs about journeys based upon the historical events of the Highland clearances. It contrasts the journeys through life of those clearing and those being cleared. The music is in a Celtic style and draws upon the message and musical style of 7:84 Theatre Company's iconic The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil. Each song is linked to a historical event from the Scottish Highlands in the 19th century, although some artistic licence is employed.