Universal Music Group CEO & chairman Sir Lucian Grainge has addressed the future of AI and music at Nvidia’s GTC (GPU Technology Conference).
The session on Building The Future of Music and AI saw Sir Lucian in conversation with Richard Kerris, general manager and vice president, media & entertainment at Nvidia. The tech giant is a leader in artificial intelligence computing and the world’s most valuable company based on market capitalisation, as well as being a partner with UMG on responsible AI.
Kerris was previously Lucasfilm’s CTO, global lead for Apple’s entertainment industry developer ecosystem, and he served as a technical advisor to the Rolling Stones for their 50 & Counting tour.
Universal Music Group has been proactive in addressing AI’s potential in recent years, including both important initiatives on responsible AI and licensing opportunities with key players in the sector.
The conference session explored how technological innovation accelerated by artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of music and creative industries.
It was a chance for Sir Lucian to share his experience of engaging with artists on tech innovation and a focus on his vision for an AI partnership, where technology and creativity can work together at scale.
Here, Music Week shares some of the highlights from the session…
1 WORLD FIRST FOR MUSIC AT NVIDIA's GTC
The session with Sir Lucian Grainge was the first time the world’s most valuable company had invited a music exec to what CEO Jensen Huang called the “Super Bowl of AI”.
During the conversation, Sir Lucian emphasised the importance of both embracing change and respecting human artists when it comes to AI.
Recalling his early role as an A&R talent scout, he recalled that “it was always about the next new move and the next genre and the next style. And it's exactly the same now. [Change] is in my DNA, in terms of what the next move is.”
“Every single piece of technology that's come along has ended up in growth and joy and partnership,” said Sir Lucian. “We know – and you know - that [artists] need respect. I respect them, and that's part of why having people like you around is going to be very important, because you respect them as well.”
“I love change. I love disruption,” he added. “I like it in my company… It's the same with technology. We've always done everything that we can to lean in. It’s the same with music. My north star is investment in people… in talent… in ideas… in music.”
2 UMG’S ARTIST-CENTRIC APPROACH TO THE 'POWER OF POSSIBILITY'
Richard Kerris gave Universal Music Group and Sir Lucian credit for being first to enter deals with Spotify and Facebook – moves that played a significant role in redefining modern music industry economics for artists and labels.
Sir Lucian recalled the early unlimited music deal with Nokia’s Comes With Music in 2008: “I could just see that we had to anticipate a change in behaviour, that we needed to start to look at the consumer for life, lifetime behaviour and lifetime value, as opposed to just transaction.”
An artist has the right for their voice and for their lyrics to be their work… the guardrails are about artistic expression, respect, monetisation
Sir Lucian Grainge
Reflecting on the industry’s evolution, he said: “There's been so much technology… CD, vinyl, UGC. When you look back at sampling, when you look back at the Fairlight, you look back at drum machines. I remember the first time being in the studio, and the drums were played on a keyboard. Get your head around that, at the time!
“And in terms of music creation, synthesizers were going to be the end of musicians. It was going to be the end of orchestras. Well, guess what? Music started to be created with those machines.
“In terms of the creative community, as long as they're respected, as long as there are guardrails, as long as they're not taken advantage of stylistically and creatively… they will see over this next period what the power of the possibility is, and how it's going to change their relationship with their audience.”
He gave a stark reminder on what those guardrails need to include: “An artist has the right for their voice and for their lyrics to be their work… the guardrails are about artistic expression, respect, monetisation.”
3 PREDICTIONS ON AI-DRIVEN FAN EXPERIENCES
Sir Lucian gave a glimpse into the kinds of “hyper-personalisation” fans can expect with AI.
“This is the most intriguing, optimistic, exciting time,” he said. “What the range is, what the funnel is over the next period, I have no idea how vast it can be. It can be an artist from 40 years ago, or it can be an artist that we signed this afternoon, where a fan is actually interacting with [their music] and hyper-personalising it within a computer game. So,when they're driving, they make a turn on a racetrack, it syncopates to the chorus or the verse or the lyric, that means something to them.”
4 UMG’S ARCHIVE AMBITIONS
Sir Lucian described UMG’s Archive Project as encompassing “all of the past and bringing it to light in the context of today”.
In January, it was announced that CNN is producing a series exploring UMG’s vaults, with Fred Armisen as the host.
Sir Lucian talked about how UMG has 10 million physical assets including photographs, two-inch tapes, quarter-inch tape and 10 million recorded music and publishing copyrights.”
“This is what companies like ours need to be doing,” he said. “I see it as almost a duty, to be honest, I care deeply about that power of possibility and what the future holds, and how we can actually work with the people that have created it, actually share it with more and more people and give it more context.”
