---
title: "The Future of Music is Closer Than You Think"

description: "What can we do to prepare? What skills do we need to survive? I think there are three simple (yet crazy hard) skills that will endure, regardless of robot takeover or software company supremacy."

status: complete

date: 2025-08-12

kind: solo

guestSlugs: []

listenUrl: "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/The-Future-of-Music-is-Closer-Than-You-Think-e36mfqg"
appleUrl: "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-future-of-music-is-closer-than-you-think/id1567355195?i=1000721618806&uo=4"
spotifyUrl: "https://open.spotify.com/episode/33koTAFJ2AMK28XcW4bGeo"

topicsDiscussed:
  - "AI"
  - "Creativity"
  - "Music production"
  - "Developing musical taste"
  - "The role of producers"
  - "Navigating industry changes"
  - "Identifying musical trends"
  - "Tech and artistry"
  - "Embracing weaknesses"
  - "Future skills for musicians"

hostNote: |
  The subtlety of having taste is about asking what problem you're actually trying to solve, and that question doesn't go away no matter how good the software gets. I think there are three skills that survive the current disruption, and none of them are about keeping up with tools.
  
  Being **clever** is about seeing systems: spotting the gaps, reading trends before they saturate, knowing which problem you're actually working on. Being **creative** is about range, not in a limiting sense, but understanding what is genuinely yours versus what you're borrowing and how far you can stretch either. **Taste** is the hardest to articulate, and I spend the most time there: it's less about preference and more about judgment under constraint.
  
  The episode doesn't predict who wins the AI race. It maps the durable capacities underneath whoever does, so you know what's worth developing regardless of which software company ends up on top.

selectedMoments:
  - label: "Introducing the three essential skills for musicians"
    startSec: 102
    note: "I outline the key concepts for artists navigating an AI-driven future."
  - label: "The importance of being clever in the music industry"
    startSec: 156
    note: "I discuss identifying gaps and trends."
  - label: "Finding your unique creative voice"
    startSec: 234
    note: "I encourage artists to understand their strengths."
  - label: "The evolving role of musicians"
    startSec: 600
    note: "I reflect on musicians as producers and creators."
  - label: "Crafting your vision in music"
    startSec: 663
    note: "I emphasize the importance of personal vision."
  - label: "Being authentic in your artistic expression"
    startSec: 318
    note: "I talk about transforming weaknesses into strengths."

excerptQuotes:
  - text: "Everything that's going on with AI, with sampling, with all of the software companies that are obviously a very big deal in music..."
    startSec: 96
    reviewed: true
  - text: "Being clever, being clever I think is more about seeing the systems..."
    startSec: 138
    reviewed: true
  - text: "Finding about like what is you, like where's your range?"
    startSec: 320
    reviewed: true
  - text: "The subtlety of having taste is about what problem am I actually trying to solve?"
    startSec: 655
    reviewed: true

faq:
  - question: "What skills do musicians need for the future?"
    answer: "I discuss the importance of being clever, creative, and having good taste as the essential skills for musicians to adapt to an AI-driven future."
  - question: "How can artists embrace their weaknesses?"
    answer: "I suggest that artists can turn their weaknesses into strengths by understanding their unique voice and using those qualities to connect with their audience."
  - question: "What do you forecast for musicians in relation to AI and technology?"
    answer: "I believe musicians will increasingly need to become versatile in technology, much like software engineers, as AI becomes an integral part of music creation."

transcriptPublished: false

draft: false
---