Financial Times Essay Reframes The AI Music Dispute As A Fight Over The Value Of Making Music

Published: 10/17/2026

Source: Financial Times

Musician and philosopher Jenny Judge argues that the AI music debate is not only about royalties and copyright; it is also about whether the process of learning, performing and creating music has value in itself.

This is an opinion essay, not a factual finding. Judge’s central distinction is useful: a prompt can efficiently produce an audio result, but efficiency does not replace the human experience of building skill, resolving creative friction and performing for an audience.

For AI music makers and marketers, the strategic answer is transparency and positioning. Present AI as one part of a documented creative workflow, explain the human decisions behind the work and avoid claiming that fast generation makes musicianship obsolete. That framing will not settle the copyright battle, but it addresses the cultural objection at the center of the essay.

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