I listened 1500 AI songs. Here's the truth...

After two months of rating and ranking hundreds of AI songs from hundreds of creators on UPCHART, here's what I've found:
 
1. Most of the 1500 songs submitted to UPCHART are excellent. I rarely rank anything less than 3 out of 5.
 
2. Some songs could be played on the radio as-is.

3. The sheer inventiveness of AI-generated songs is astounding: fantastic, original guitar and keyboard motifs and solos, unusual but interesting beats, soulful voices, atmospheres, and some of the best singing I've ever heard.

4. I haven't heard much repetition or slop at all. Most songs are distinct creations.
 
5. Many people are reworking old demos and songs into stunning modern productions - myself included.
 
6. Songs with human lyrics are better. Perhaps some of the slop accusations come from generic AI-generated lyrics.
 
7. Some of our creators are people with disabilities, who would never be able to play instruments. AI music gives them a freedom they thought they could never have.
 
8. Some of the best songs rework elements of legacy bands and extend them. For example: What if Pink Floyd were still making great tracks, with modern production? Familiar, but new.
 
9. We're seeing people build song-based communities. One creator wrote songs about the Roman Empire and invited others to submit their own, sparking discussions about the music and the history.
 
10. The biggest insight, though, has been about what creators actually want. More than simply wanting their songs to be heard, and more than wanting their songs to rise up the charts, what AI song creators want most is to be valued as creators and acknowledged as people - especially when they face unwarranted anti-AI criticism.
 
Creators want to tell, not just the stories behind their songs, but their life stories as well. Until UPCHART, there was no place to do that, so we've added spaces for creators to share and discuss the meaning behind their music - whether it's personal heartbreak, adventures they have had, or a character they want to embody. And they tell us how they struggled to create before these tools came along and how they feel when they can finally make the music in their head. It's a superpower to them. Reading their stories has changed the way we think about the business.
 
The creativity was always there. But now the community is real. And we're only getting started.

Mark Devlin is the CEO of UPCHART