Mark another one down. Generative AI apps and services appear to be having a notable effect on artists offering freelance mastering services in the music industry.
Several producers who offer mixing and track mastering on a freelance basis have told 5 Mag that work in this field has, as one put it, “dried up.”
Mastering tracks has been a small but important side-hustle for experienced music producers for many years. As one well-known Chicago producer explained, a professional mastering session might take just a few minutes and earned between $20 and $30 per track — an important way to diversify income at a time of dwindling royalties and uncertain bookings.
“Are distros actually making a profit of this? I think they’re using it as a loss leader to attract more distribution clients.”
Distributors Jump In
AI-based mastering is not a new phenomenon — Landr, a company founded back in 2014, is a pioneer in the field — but distributors have now elbowed into the market. A year ago, DistroKid began offering their clients access to an AI-based mastering service called “Mixea” for a fee of $99 per year. And just a few weeks ago, another distribution giant, TuneCore, unveiled its own AI-powered mastering service, TuneCore Mastering, which charges artists a flat $5 per track.
Both DistroKid and TuneCore’s AI mastering services have a drag-and-drop interface which to the end user can seem almost magical, and offer integrated mastering as part of the workflow for artists using their distribution service.
The quality of AI mastering is a matter of opinion. It might be noted though that with most new technology, a service doesn’t have to be equal to or better than what an industry veteran could do. It just has to be cheaper, and “good enough” to pass muster for the buyer.
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A Side Hustle No More?
And aside from the convenience, freelance mixing seems to be getting priced out.
One producer who asked not to be identified told us his mastering work had “dried up” over the last six months. He notes an increase in the number of clients hiring him to master their tracks for vinyl — something which still requires an expert touch, given the expensive price of badly mastered tracks pressed to vinyl — but it doesn’t offset the digital-only labels that have dropped off the radar while still putting out tracks.
“Are distros actually making a profit of this?” another asked. “It doesn’t make any sense as a business. I think they’re using it as a loss leader to attract more distribution clients.”
The same producer says he often hears from prospective clients who seem to balk at the cost of a human touch. “I can’t go lower than AI” on price, he says.
In a few years, with mastering tightly bound to distribution, new labels might not even know this was once done by humans (and still could be).
If AI devours the freelancing mastering field, it would confirm the first studies on the effect of generative AI on creative work. Freelance designers, copywriters and others have experienced a notable decline in both jobs and earnings since the public release of ChatGPT, according to a paper published by the University of Pennsylvania and tentatively confirmed by several other researchers. The decrease in earnings-per-job suggests generative AI is not just lowering the demand for creative work — it is also denigrating the value of the work as a whole.
Photo by Steve Johnson
5 Mag Issue 215
Out August 2024
NEW FUTURISM: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #215 featuring Rick Wade on AI, art and the future of making music, Tilman, James Chance, Chicago house history, Cajmere and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!
[…] AI Comes for Music Mastering. Ravenomics: Cheap AI mastering from distributors is pricing out a modest but important side hustle […]