According to Mikey Shulman, Suno’s CEO, we’re not having fun. On a recent podcast, he said, “It’s not really enjoyable to make music now. It takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of practice, you need to get really good at an instrument or really good at a piece of production software. I think the majority of people don’t enjoy the majority of time they spend making music.”

Suno is a site where people can type in prompts and AI generates a song. The site says it’s “building a future where anyone can make great music. Whether you’re a shower singer or a charting artist, we break barriers between you and the song you dream of making. No instrument needed, just imagination. From your mind to music.” The site also says, “From idea to hit.”

We can discuss overpromising and underdelivering some other time, but how did Mr. Shulman conclude that people don’t enjoy the time they spend making music? Maybe it’s projection—“I find this learning music thing difficult, so probably everybody does.”

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But this won’t be a “musician dumps on people who play with AI music” column. Many people don’t have the time or discipline to become musically proficient, yet they want to do more than just listen to music—now they can. That’s great. And, AI is quite good at creating one-off novelty songs. Feed in the prompt “create a new age-style composition about violent flatulence set to a blues progression with heavy metal ukuleles and sung like Billie Eilish,” then stand back. The occasional novelty song can be hilarious.

But “from idea to hit?” Seriously? I listened to every song on Suno’s home page. I wouldn’t listen to any of them again. They weren’t “bad;” they just weren’t compelling or interesting. Watching some rando catch a baseball simply isn’t as exciting as watching the Dodgers play the Yankees. I’m always glad when people can have fun with music, regardless of expertise, but consider two troubling aspects.

THE TIDE THAT SINKS ALL BOATS

According to an article from Reuters, “Deezer said more than 20,000 AI-generated tracks are uploaded on its platform each day, which is nearly twice the number reported four months ago. ‘AI-generated content continues to flood streaming platforms like Deezer and we see no sign of it slowing down,’ said Aurelien Herault, the company’s innovation chief.”

If uploading music was a needle in a haystack, now it’s a needle on Jupiter, if Jupiter was a haystack. Those AI vanity uploads make it harder for listeners to find what they want, perpetuates a lack of originality (AI can only re-package the past), and siphons potential royalties from artists who hope for some income. A separate haystack…er, platform, for AI songs is one solution, but that’s another topic for another time.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER FUN?

The second troubling aspect is scarier: promoting the idea that learning to be a musician isn’t enjoyable, so you want machines to do it. For me, there’s nothing like the satisfaction of recording a song that touches someone’s soul. Some people absolutely love my music, some don’t, but neither one matters.

My reward is a journey of emotional expression, personal improvement and pleasure. While there’s little scientific proof that recording music creates beneficial changes in your brain and body, I’m convinced that it’s only a matter of time before science proves that exercising musical creativity is as beneficial as exercising your body.

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And above all, being a musician is fun. Sorry, Mr. Shulman, you just don’t get it. The journey is more important than the destination. Climbing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park is a triumph of overcoming insanely difficult conditions to attain something rare and beautiful. Having a helicopter drop you off on the top of Half Dome…well, you get the same view, and, hey, you can take a selfie! But it’s not the same process.

Nor must you be a virtuoso to enjoy creating your own music. I know a DJ who learned bass because “bass loops suck.” Is he Jaco Pastorious? No. Does he play parts that fit perfectly with the music? Yes. Does he have fun playing bass? Absolutely.

AND IF YOU GET BORED…

Talking Heads’ song “Found a Job” describes a couple who can’t find anything worth watching on TV. Their solution is to make their own shows:

“Judy’s in the bedroom, inventing situations /

Bob is on the street today, scouting up locations….

If they ever watch TV again, it’d be too soon for them /

Bob never yells about the picture now, he’s having too much fun…

So think about this little scene, apply it to your life /

If your work isn’t what you love, then something isn’t right /

Just think of Bob and Judy, they’re happy as can be /

Inventing situations, putting them on TV.”

It’s easy to create something. Whether people use AI, or paste samples while a soulless algorithm vomits chord progressions, is, in fact, creating music. And microwaving a frozen dinner is creating food.

But I don’t find either one enjoyable. The next time you’re playing with music and technology, ask yourself, “Are we having fun yet?” Algorithms don’t have fun. ■