More on Bandcamp

I have been a big fan of Bandcamp for years now. I love that I buy my music and most the money goes to the artist direct. I was worried when they were bought out, but it seems like they are staying true to goal of “artists first”. And now they have banned AI from Bandcamp as well which is freaking awesome.

Keeping Bandcamp Human

“Today we are fortifying our mission by articulating our policy on generative AI, so that musicians can keep making music, and so that fans have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans.

Our guidelines for generative AI in music and audio are as follows:

  • Music and audio that is generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted on Bandcamp. 

  • Any use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is strictly prohibited in accordance with our existing policies prohibiting impersonation and intellectual property infringement.

If you encounter music or audio that appears to be made entirely or with heavy reliance on generative AI, please use our reporting tools to flag the content for review by our team. We reserve the right to remove any music on suspicion of being AI-generated.

With this policy, we’re putting human creativity first, and we will be sure to communicate any updates to the policy as the rapidly changing generative AI space develops. Thank you.”

This comment from Hacker News I think sums up AI art pretty well.

“Whenever I see defences of AI "art" people very often reduce the arguments to these analogies of using tools, but it's ineffective. Whether you use MS Paint, Photoshop, pencil, watercolor etc. That all requires skill, practice, and is this great intersection of intent and ability. It's authentic. Generating media with AI requires no skill, no intent, and very minimal labor. It is an approximation of the words you typed in and reduces you to a commissioner. You created nothing. You commissioned a work from a machine and are claiming creative authorship.” - frakt0x90

Back from a break

Took a break from posting anything on here but the itch is coming back so enjoy some music.

The Theremin!

Full disclosure, one of my bands has a lot of theremin in it ;)

“Eyck agrees that the sight of a human body manipulating invisible electromagnetic fields adds to the theremin’s otherworldly aura. The fact that it sounds like nothing so much as an unhinged soprano – listen again to the original Star Trek theme – adds to the unsettling effect.

“You don’t tune it to the A from the piano, but you tune it to your own body and to the surroundings,” she says, citing something called “body capacitance”. In this way the instrument is unique, “except for the voice, but that’s inside you”.

“With its sci-fi antennae bristling left and right, Russian physicist Leon Theremin’s novel invention of 1919 remains the only musical instrument you play without touching anything. “Aerial fingering” was the technique devised by the inventor’s original Lithuanian prodigy, Clara Rockmore, in the 1930s.”

Music Fridays!

Bill Evans Live '64 '75

Man, that is some nice brush work…..

Revised name of band to Dyerin

So I had to make a new render this AM ;)