A recent feature on the West Midlands edition of ‘BBC Introducing’ has prompted lots of debate and some anger within the music community, as it put the spotlight on a track almost entirely created using AI. Appearing in the programme’s Artist Of The Month spot, Papi Lamour spoke to presenter Theo Johnson about his AI-generated track ‘Be Inspired’.
Birmingham-based artist Mollyxo was among the first to criticise that move, subsequently telling Rolling Stone, “I’ve spent time uploading song after song to ‘BBC Introducing’, doing gigs, working with songwriters and producers and spending 20 years of my life learning how to be good at music”.
For Lamour to quickly find himself in the ‘BBC Introducing’ spotlight with his AI-generated music, she adds, “is just so disappointing - it made me wonder what I’ve put in all this work for”.
In the pre-recorded ‘BBC Introducing’ interview broadcast earlier this month, Lamour explains that - while he wrote the lyrics for ‘Be Inspired’, having been inspired by a BBC article on Black History Month - the rest of the track was created using generative AI tools.
Lamour, who has a degree in computer science, explains “I wrote the song and then programmed it, and used one of the AI tools to do the rest”. With those generative AI tools, he goes on, a person can come up with a concept for a track and then basically “commission a virtual band” to compose and record it.
For his part, Johnson admits he’s never interviewed anyone before who has gladly admitted that AI created their track. He then speaks very positively of Lamour’s release, which he says is “sonically amazing” and “pitch perfect”.
People using AI to generate music around a concept they have come up with, or lyrics they have written, is interesting of course. Though ‘BBC Introducing’, a show that exists to champion and support new music talent, is probably not the place to be putting that trend in the spotlight. Especially given how many new artists and new tracks there are to champion and support, and how little air time there is available.
When speaking to Rolling Stone, Mollyxo adds, “I’ve spoken to a lot of artists who have dealt with BBC Introducing West Midlands and we want to understand how a pre-recorded interview where AI music was the focus made it to air. They could have made a decision to say, actually no, we’re not going to add this”.
New music website TuneFountain has also criticised the decision to give Lamour’s track attention as part of the ‘BBC Introducing’ programme, writing that - with so few slots available on the BBC to champion new artists - to dedicate one of those slots to “a system spitting out AI-generated songs instead of a musician working nights and weekends to record their debut is indefensible”.
It then adds that Lamour’s track itself “was ultimately disappointing”, it being “anodyne and cliched, a generic blend of production tropes that sounded like a shallow imitation of modern pop trends”. Which means, “on quality alone”, ‘Be Inspired’ should “never have reached 'BBC Introducing’s top feature slot”.
Responding to the criticism, the BBC says its programmes are keeping a close eye on developments around AI and music, but that its priority is “supporting the UK music industry”. As for the decision to feature AI-generated ‘Be Inspired’ on BBC Introducing, “each track is considered based on its musical merit and whether it is right for our target audience, with decisions made on a case-by-case basis”.