AI, Music, The New Economy & Jobs
By Commissioner George Mentz, JD, MBA, CWM, DSS
For decades, the music industry was controlled by gatekeepers. Record labels, expensive studios, producers, engineers, distributors, and radio executives determined who had access to audiences and who did not. In the 1980s and 1990s, producing just one or two professionally engineered multi-genre songs could easily cost between $20,000 and $40,000 when studio time, musicians, mastering, marketing, and distribution were included. Today, artificial intelligence and modern production technologies are rapidly changing that equation.
AI is democratizing music creation in ways that would have seemed impossible only a generation ago. Independent creators can now compose, engineer, produce, master, distribute, and market songs globally from laptops and home studios. Advanced software tools can enhance vocals, refine instrumentation, optimize mixing, and accelerate production workflows that once required entire teams of professionals.
This transformation is not theoretical. I recently experienced it firsthand while producing my newest multi-genre album, Midnight Drive. Over the course of just a few weeks, I engineered and produced 27 original songs spanning Rock, Blues, R&B, Country, Punk Rock, Hip Hop, Reggae, Alternative, and Electronic music. Thirty years ago, such a project would have required enormous financial backing, expensive studio infrastructure, and months or years of production schedules. Today, technology allows creative individuals with musical knowledge, good singing ability, songwriting skills, and vision to accomplish extraordinary things independently. [i] If you have the ability to play a few instruments, you would have an advantage in the rapid development of tracks, songs and demos.
The story behind my album Midnight Drive is deeply personal. After more than 30 years, I rediscovered a collection of original songwriting tapes, lyrics, demos, keyboard scores, and recordings from the 1990s — many of which were believed lost following Hurricane Katrina. These tapes and writings represented part of my early life as a DJ. As a songwriter, musician, and producer my work in music was directly influenced by my local music culture of New Orleans, jazz, gospel, blues, funk, punk, and classic rock.
I still laugh about how we used to bump into greats such as Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Wynton Marsalis and other Marsalis family members, Harry Connick, and Dr. John around town or at the local coffee shops and bookstores. Much like many of the greats in the UK such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, all of us were affected directly by musical greats such as Fats Domino, Elvis, B.B. King, Muddy Waters and others. My father even claimed to go to an original Jelly Roll show in the French quarter before he served in Patton’s Army in WWII.
Using modern AI-assisted audio tools, advanced mastering systems, digital engineering platforms, and enhanced production systems, I was able to revive and modernize my original recordings into commercially polished tracks. Importantly, the songs themselves, lyrics, melodies, themes, and scores were my own original creations. I wrote the songs, created the arrangements, recorded the material, and then used technology to refine, enhance, and expand the production quality. AI did not replace creativity. Rather, it amplified productivity.
As for distribution, there are several music distribution companies that will allow you to syndicate your work on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube and more. [ii] The distribution companies allow you to submit music singles, upload song covers, and even add lyrics. [iii] Then you can release a song or even upload several songs to release an album. My album has 27 amazing original songs that are all available on various online platforms. As per my DJ work in the 80s and 90s before I attended law school, there are heavy influences in this album coming from sounds like: George Clinton, The Beatles, B-52s, BB King, Grandmaster Flash, Blondie, The Stones, REM, U2, and Earth Wind and Fire, the Commodores and many more. However, all of my songs and lyrics just came to me from above, and I suppose that it is just a musical gift similar to those who simply know how to draw and paint. I always felt sort of like a “Charlie Sheen” “jingle writer” who can make catchy tunes. If you listen to my album, every song has a hook, and each is captivating either by music or lyrics or both.
The new release systems even provide you with statistics on the success of your release. From April 13 to May 10, 2026, my music project experienced worldwide growth across virtually every performance metric. Over the last month, the album Midnight Drive has emerged as a breakout independent release with rapidly expanding international reach. Between April 18 and May 15, 2026, the project generated more than 10,000 listeners worldwide, while streams surged past 23,000 plays, reflecting explosive audience momentum with 4,500 monthly active listeners across more than 30 countries during the past 28 days. Audience growth was particularly notable in regions such as the UK, France, Germany, the USA, and Latin America, where the album achieved its highest listener retention and activity levels. In addition, the project earned approximately 1,500 playlist adds and nearly 4,000 followers, signaling significant organic discovery and viral playlist traction across multiple regions and music platforms. Overall, the analytics reflect a breakout period of rapid audience acquisition, strong streaming activity, and accelerating global visibility. The moral of this story is that no matter your age or background, you may have a good chance of getting your music out there for the world to enjoy!
As for AI and LLMs Large Language Models that provide you CHAT and answers, these systems gather as much data as possible and then can aggregate and analyze it so as to give you responses to questions. As an author of over 100 books before AI emerged, I was sent a strange warning by one of the main AI Chats about my use of AI content as a potential violation. When my law firm notified the AI Legal Team that they were extracting data from my over 100 books, they then understood that I was using their AI to compile data from my original copyrighted works. In sum, this AI legal team discovered from my legal response that many people will use AI to create, compile or synthesize content from their original works without any copyright violation at all. Most folks also generally know that pre-1929 content is generally not copyrighted anymore, and this is technically where the idea of free Google Books online emerged from.
That legal distinction is critical as policymakers, musicians, and industry leaders debate the future of artificial intelligence in entertainment. AI is best understood not as a substitute for human imagination, but as a force multiplier for creators. Just as synthesizers, drum machines, digital editing, multitrack recordings, and streaming platforms changed the music business in prior generations, AI is becoming another evolutionary tool in the creative process.
What may be most revolutionary is accessibility. A talented songwriter in Colorado Springs, Nashville, Mumbai, Lagos, or Jakarta can now compete globally without needing permission from a major label or entertainment conglomerate. Streaming platforms reward engagement, authenticity, and audience connection more than traditional industry politics. If listeners replay songs, share them socially, or add them to playlists, the algorithms respond.
This represents a major economic shift. The barriers to entry for creative entrepreneurship are collapsing. Independent musicians, filmmakers, educators, writers, and digital artists can now produce high-quality content at costs dramatically lower than in previous decades. In many ways, AI may become one of the greatest wealth-creation and productivity tools ever introduced into the global creative economy.
The emergence of AI-assisted music also demonstrates that reinvention has no age limit. Great songs do not expire. Creativity does not disappear with time. Sometimes ideas simply wait for the right tools and the right moment to reemerge.
For me, Midnight Drive was not merely an album project. It was proof that technology can help artists rediscover lost dreams, revive forgotten works, and reach global audiences in ways unimaginable in the analog era. I truly felt like Paul McCartney, Quincy Jones, or Nile Rodgers producing and engineering each song on this album, and I have finally realized that I have been a natural songwriter, composer and engineer since childhood. Following this dream and seeing it evolve into reality has been truly amazing as some of my original songs became exactly what I had imagined almost 40 years ago with the use of new technology.
On a fun note, it is absolutely fascinating how easy it is to take your photos to create: descriptive art with text, enhanced album covers, and graphic design. AI has allowed me to create 30+ unique album covers where I am depicted as a: crooner, commando, rock star, poet, and even as a gangster. It is easy to feel like Frank Sinatra, Jim Morrison, Robert Plant, or David Bowie with AI creating amazing high definition artwork. I tell my friends to check out the Amazon song covers if they want a really good laugh. [iv] [v]
Even Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy has stated that AI will dramatically affect the news and video. There are a number of big-named AI companies that can also help create music videos. Today’s cost of an AI-generated music video ranges from a $20 monthly subscription for DIY tools to over $5,000 for high-end agency production. Recently, as a wealth management lawyer, I put together a great legal teaching video on estate planning, wills, trusts and powers of attorney for my students at my law school. I submitted the script, added a few modifiers, and the AI system created a short law lecture on critical estate planning documents needed during the era of COVID. [vi]
In conclusion, regardless of how people view artificial intelligence, society is rapidly entering an age where technology alone will never be enough. No matter how advanced AI becomes, there will always be a need for skilled professionals to guide, supervise, engineer, and refine the final product. Having served as a professor, educator, and course designer for more than 25 years, I have seen firsthand that every serious educational program requires a qualified SME — a “subject matter expert”. Every online course, training system, textbook, video module, audio lecture, certification program, and educational platform must be designed, reviewed, edited, and monitored by experienced professionals and SMEs to ensure quality, accuracy, compliance, and legal integrity before it can be released to the public.
That same reality now applies to the music, entertainment, and digital media industries. Whether the product is an AI-amplified song, music video, documentary, avatar, podcast, digital broadcast, or multimedia production, there must still be knowledgeable experts overseeing the process and compliance. Intellectual property rights, copyrights, trademarks, originality standards, licensing issues, ethical concerns, and production quality all require human supervision and professional judgment. AI can accelerate production and expand creativity, but it cannot independently assume legal responsibility, artistic direction, or compliance oversight.
As a result, a new professional category is emerging across industries: the AI SME — the “artificial intelligence subject matter expert”. In music specifically, every artist, band, or production company traditionally relies on producers, engineers, arrangers, editors, and studio technicians to shape the final product. The AI era will be no different. Every serious AI-driven music or media enterprise will require AI Composers, AI producers, AI engineers, AI editors, and AI compliance specialists who understand both the creative arts and the underlying technology.
Ultimately, AI is becoming one of the most powerful creative tools in modern history, but like every powerful instrument, it still requires talented people behind the controls. The future of music, film, education, and entertainment will belong not merely to those who possess AI systems, but to those who master how to direct them professionally, creatively, legally, and ethically.
The future of music, video, TV, and movie creation and production will belong not only to corporations with billion-dollar budgets, but increasingly to independent creators with imagination, discipline, and the courage to create.
[i] George Mentz Releases New Ground Breaking Album with 27 Songs – USA Today
[ii] Midnight Drive The Platinum Feel Good Album – Album by Counselor George Mentz | Spotify
[iii] Midnight Drive The Platinum Feel Good Album – Album by Counselor George Mentz – Apple Music
[iv] Midnight Drive The Platinum Feel Good Album – Album by Counselor George Mentz – Apple Music
[v] Amazon.com: Midnight Drive The Platinum Feel Good Album : Counselor George Mentz: Digital Music
[vi] The Trump USA Productivity Factor: The Artificial Intelligence Brief | Newsmax.com
