A local, indie musician called John Denton has spoken out about the impact AI is having on music artists.
Salford artists and venues could be impacted by the proposed £2m investment into Greater Manchester’s music sector. Music has long been at the heart of Salford, with the area having produced countless legendary bands and musicians, and the famous Salford Lads’ Club being right on our doorstep.
At the recent ‘Beyond the Music’ conference on October 9, Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, pledged a further £2m investment into Greater Manchester’s grassroots music venues across the city.
The Mayor, addressing the Creative Industries AI Summit while at Salford Quays, voiced a solution to technological advancement’s and their impact on the music industry.
Young Salford musician John Denton from Irlams-o’-th’-Height is a prime example of the power of grassroots music venues. Connecting to his Salford upbringing, John became the first recipient of the Johnny Marr Award in 2023, including personal guidance from The Smith’s alumnus.
John Denton said: “Since AI has come out, I think it’s fascinating people but I think that it’s a force for negativity in the world.
“What AI does is it, it takes like little bits from songs of that genre and then uses it to make, something, something new.
“I just think that’s a bit disgraceful really.
John feels that the use of AI in the arts is a cause for discouragement among artists trying to produce their own authentic work.
John continued: “It’s becoming so demotivating for some songwriters and artists.
“Some people like to go to AI, get a big batch of songs in, and then create a fake artists, fake photo, everything, as if they’re a real person. And some of these accounts have millions of followers and millions of listeners.
“So I think that this opportunity of funding could really help some people out and almost say to them, ‘you can do this’.”
An investment of £2m will allow music venues across Salford to facilitate local musicians and keep the music scene of Greater Manchester breathing.
The funding aims to improve rehearsal and production spaces across the city to encourage musicians and prioritise human creatives.
The Salford Lads and Girls Club has been a hub for bands and musicians for decades, with its obvious connection to The Smiths.
Leslie Holmes, Project Manager of the Salford Lads and Girls Club said: “It’s a big building and we’ve got a lot to do, so keeping it open is hard work and fundraising is a constant thing.
“Any extra funds we can get for things like music would be great for us.”
Watch the rest of Leslie’s interview here.
The hope is to broaden opportunities in Greater Manchester’s music scene, with an additional focus on improvement in AI literacy throughout the music industry.
Bev Craig said: “Greater Manchester is made of music, and music in Greater Manchester is for everyone. From small venues to world-class institutions, we’ve got one of the strongest music scenes in the world.”
“We’ve also heard from hundreds of musicians and industry professionals around their ambitions and concerns for A.I.
“I’ll do everything I can to support and secure the industry so that creatives have the freedom to take a risk, follow an idea, and build something.”
The pledged investment is set to go through the GMCA approval process in December.
