Jimmy Iovine, most known as a co-founder of Interscope Records and Beats Electronics (Beats By Dre) is in the music business for almost 50 years. He knows more than all the music executives and journalists write about, as he’s become from a music engineer to one of the greatest CEOs in the music biz, seen everything, met everyone and has the knowledge from within.

In a recent interview with Concequence of Sound he says about today’s music, AI and how TikTok and social media affect the industry:

 “I’m not saying it’s good or bad, but I think AI is going to be massive in songwriting on many levels. One, on a very basic level, if somebody is stuck and you want to experiment and get an idea.” He continues, “Two, is that not everyone, but too many people today are making records for TikTok. They used to make records for radio, but now it’s TikTok. That’s why all these pop records sound exactly the same. So if you’re making records like that, making records with this formula, then you’re going to start seeing big hits written and recorded with AI.”

He clarifies: “I didn’t say ‘great’ hits, I said ‘big’ hits. Because they’re following formulas.” Iovine then lays out a bit of his observations on the state of music today, positing that with streaming, AI, social media, and other new technological shifts, “fame has replaced great.”

“Artists are making so much money in so many different places, which is fantastic, but after they have a hit record, they can earn a lot of money on Instagram and all this stuff. I feel that a lot of people, a lot of artists, not all, but a lot of artists are taking their foot off the gas in the record making category. And that’s affecting the quality of the work. And I think you’re seeing that in a lot of different genres right now.”