The Artist Economy: Episode 09 — Ride the Waves Till the Cows Come Home

AI music is getting licensed. Now the harder question begins.

Suno says its new model was trained on licensed music. Universal is building AI-powered fan remixes. Distributors are introducing new AI and fraud checks. The fight is moving beyond whether AI belongs in music toward who controls it, who gets paid, and what artists should actually consent to.

Meanwhile, Ella Langley proves that release calendars don't matter when audiences keep listening—and somehow that conversation led us to create an AI surf anthem about cows.

Along the way, we ask:

• What is your music actually worth as AI training data?
• Would you license your voice for fans to remix?
• Should artists own their own AI models?
• Are release calendars putting artists on a hamster wheel?
• Where's the line between using AI creatively and deceiving an audience?

In this episode, we dive into AI’s impact on music, from Suno’s licensed models and AI voices to new industry rules, artist strategies, superfans, Spotify’s music video push, and featured artist Tyler Herwig’s “Romcom Gone Wrong.”

Key Takeaways

• AI isn’t going away, but artists don’t have to accept the first deal they’re offered.
• Permission, compensation, and ownership are three different things.
• Listen to your audience and test songs with your real fans to see what truly connects.
• Don’t rush to your next release—keep building new contexts around a song that’s working.
• Ride the wave: your next hit doesn’t always need to be your next release. Sometimes, you just need to ride the wave till the cows come home.

---

→ Build your fanbase and music career with Modern Musician.

→ Ready to build your audience? Book Your Breakthrough Session.

→ Want your music featured on The Artist Economy? Submit your Music Moment.