My Position on AI Music in My Playlists

Long answer: I know this is a polarizing topic. I don’t particularly enjoy topics that make people feel like they have to choose a side, but this one is close to home.

I’ve spent over three decades creating music. That experience has given me a deep appreciation for what goes into a recording—not just the technical work, but the effort to make something soulful and personal. Something that holds a part of you. A reflection of your inner spirit.

For that reason, it’s difficult for me to place AI-generated music alongside the work of artists who have spent years developing their craft.

Why I Give Priority to Human-Made Music

I know prompting takes some understanding and experimentation. I use AI assistants for research, analytics, drafting, editing, and even image generation. So this isn’t a blanket rejection of every use of AI.

But I don’t personally want to listen to AI-generated music, and it isn’t what I want to share through my playlists.

I don’t want to put a song generated from a prompt in front of a song someone spent three weeks writing, recording, arranging, mixing, mastering, and revisiting.

You preview it. Make changes. Rearrange something. Mix it again. Listen again. Eventually, you reach that moment when it feels ready to be shared with the world. Set free.

That process means something to me.

It isn’t that every worthwhile recording needs to take weeks. It’s the human expression and creative decisions behind it that I want these playlists to support.

And the work starts long before that particular song. You spend years developing your skills and finding your voice. Eventually, you create something you feel is ready to share.

“Ready to share” means something different to each of us. I’m not trying to define what that means for anyone else.

Then comes the work of getting it heard. You share it, listen to the response, and learn from the feedback. You take that experience back into the studio and repeat the process. Over time, you evolve as a musician and a creator.

Those are the people I want to support: artists putting in the work every day, every month, year after year, to share something they love.

Where I Draw the Line With AI Tools

There’s an important distinction between AI-generated music and AI-assisted production tools.

I don’t use generative AI to compose, write, or arrange my music. Those creative decisions come from me.

I do use tools with AI-assisted features that help with parts of the production process. For example, a tool might help me find a particular drum sound, snare, vocal effect, or synth preset. That can make searching easier, but I’m still choosing the sounds, playing the parts, and deciding how the piece develops.

For me, that’s closer to using AI to help research something on the web. It helps me find what I’m looking for; it doesn’t create the music in my place. I’m still creating an original piece of music, guided by the intention I bring into the session.

How I Use Assistance During Mastering

I also use AI-assisted tools during mastering. Having a tool analyze one of my finished recordings and help me move toward a similar sonic character in a new piece can be useful.

But accepting an automated mastering preset isn’t the same as finishing a master. For me, it’s a starting point. I still need to listen, make decisions, and refine the result.

Does it preserve the space in the music? Does it feel balanced? Is something becoming too sharp, too loud, or too crowded?

Those are still decisions I need to make.

That’s where I draw the line: tools that support my work, rather than generate the composition or performance for me.

Examples of AI-Assisted Production Tools

To make the distinction clearer, I’m talking about tools that analyze audio and help with processing decisions—not tools that generate a song in my place.

iZotope Ozone is one example on the mastering side. Its Master Assistant can provide an initial setup that you can review and adjust. For me, that kind of assistance is a starting point, not a replacement for listening and finishing the work.

LANDR Mastering Plugin PRO is another good example, it analyzes your track and offers a few unique directions for your mastered track.

And tools like sonible’s smart:bundle offer another example: using audio analysis to suggest processing settings while leaving the creative decisions with the person making the music.

I’m including these as examples, but you can find many more on sites like PluginBoutique.

Some links in this section are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission.

What This Means for Playlist Submissions

To sum this up, please save time and avoid submitting AI-generated tracks for playlists consideration.

Using AI-assisted tools for sound discovery, mixing, or mastering doesn’t automatically make your music ineligible. My concern is with music where generative AI creates the composition or performance, rather than tools that help you produce your own work.

If you’re unsure whether your process fits, briefly explain how you used AI when you submit your music.

This isn’t about telling everyone what they should listen to or how they should create. I just wanted to be clear about what I choose to support through the playlists I curate, helping artists get discovered.

Maybe my position will change in the future. Right now, this is the boundary I’m comfortable with, and it reflects what I want these playlists to support.

Keep Reading

• What I Listen for When Choosing Music for My Hand-Curated Playlists

• Explore My Curated Playlists

All articles