Hi,

This past week has been a devastating one with the tragic California wildfires and I know a lot of people who have been affected in different ways. Many had to evacuate with some losing their homes or losing the homes of their family members. Everyone knows someone who has been affected in some way. With so much of the music industry based in Los Angeles, it’s been encouraging seeing people come together online to share resources and try to help those in need.

At the bottom of this newsletter are resources for those who need it - I’m continuing to donate and trying to help where I can. Sending lots of love to everyone affected.

The topic of AI has continued to grow in conversation over the last few years and it seems poised to really break out this year. Much of the conversation I’ve seen has been around the development of AI agents to improve and optimize workflow. (I feel like “AI agents” are the buzzword of 2025).

I came across an interesting AI case study in music recently and thought it’d be worth focusing on for this week’s newsletter.

This newsletter highlights:

• AI use cases in the music industry

• Resources for those affected by the California wildfires

• 10 music industry job roles

Let’s dive in ⬇️

Over the last few years, I’ve come to really appreciate and enjoy Lofi music from a multitude of perspectives.

I really became aware of the Lofi landscape during the pandemic in 2024 when there was an emergence and growing popularity. Lofi music reached new visibility and awareness while serving as the background music for so many folks who were stuck in the house on the computer. It provided a calming backdrop while they worked, interacted with friends online, and spent increasing amounts of time on the computer.

As I did more research and dove into the genre, I found that I actually enjoyed the music - it was incredibly calming and almost therapeutic. Many of the instrumentals sounded the same to me but the sound itself had a relaxed atmosphere to it.

As I dove down the rabbit hole of who these Lofi channels were and the key players in the game, I became fascinated with the ecosystem.

The consistent branding, the sound, the distribution that these platforms were building was impressive - they were essentially building their own businesses while growing these massive YouTube accounts and Spotify playlists.

While looking for new Lofi music recently, I stumbled on this video:

@gee_derrick

Do u think its real?? #lofi #ai

A TikTok user had discovered a Lofi channel called “what is?”

He noticed that despite the channel only being started a few months ago, it already had over 100,000 subscribers and uploads with impressive views. While looking closer, some of the comments alluded to the music being made with AI.

The music industry, specifically hip-hop, has already seen its fair share of AI uses already (ie Drake “Heart On My Sleeve”) but an entire channel and business potentially being built off AI got me thinking and pondering a bunch of questions.

_{1) If this is AI, should the channel be able to monetize?}

If this channel is indeed uploading all music created with AI, is it fair for YouTube to still allow it the ability to monetize with AdSense or Content ID? Should YouTube automatically demonetize entire channels uploading songs entirely created by AI?

Where does the line between creative freedom and artistic expression get drawn?

Is it fair to all of the other musicians across the world putting in the time and effort to create art?

_{2) Should YouTube penalize channels who don’t note content made with AI?}

YouTube already gives the option to tag videos as “Altered or synthetic content” (which shows up in the description) but should there be penalties for channels who ignore this and don’t record their answers truthfully?

_{3) The evolution of content ID}

It’ll be fascinating to observe how YouTube’s Content ID evolves to identify content made with AI.

Content ID changed the game for identifying and monetizing music on platform and the same will likely happen with AI generated content.

AI is getting so good at making music seem realistic, how will Content ID be able to tell?

_{4) How does the Lofi community feel about this?}

I wonder if they would support it as long as something is denoted as AI or do they only support original works? Where’s LoFi Girl when we need her?! Ugh, sigh.

In all seriousness, if that channel is building an entire business around AI music, it poses a serious risk to the creator ecosystem necessitating artistry in order to build a platform and monetize.

If this is the future of the creator landscape, it leaves a lot of unanswered questions (with many of them being scary).

What do you think? If that channel is AI, are you in favor of it?

Thanks for reading, until next time.

_{California wildfire resources}

1) Therapists offering Pro Bono Therapy sessions: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uAMVz8TQMzShQeuEA6kmOP0jyRN7qe1Iiqb6JOLTPqg/edit?gid=303232729#gid=303232729

2) A list of +200 folks in the music industry who need help, along with their names, GoFundMe links, and contact information: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jyJ-NM2qP-iRk1LJ8l3dc7e0M3IhHlo3E7Agvo9JOAQ/edit?gid=0#gid=0

3) GoodRX is offering free telehealth visits with code "LA-GOODRX-CARE": https://www.goodrx.com/care

4) AirBnB and 211LA partnered up to offer free temporary housing: https://care.211cs.org/public-survey/86c5adf88e2a29c103df24ba5f48cd3f6cf9a9171207a15954dbb8b9649429f0

5) The MusiCares Foundation is offering assistance -

If you’ve been working in the music industry for 5+ years and need help, they are offering:

•$1,500 in financial assistance

•$500 in food vouchers

Contact information:

Email: [email protected]

Phone #: 1-800-687-4227

_{Music industry job opportunities}

1) Senior Music Booker & Promoter - Hootananny Brixton

Salary: Unlisted

Location: London, UK

Apply HERE

2) Outreach Intern - Songfluencer

Salary: Academic Credit

Location: Nashville, TN

Apply HERE

3) Head of Marketing - IMS - Beatport

Salary: £50.0-60.0k (Annually)

Location: London, UK

Apply HERE

4) 2025 Music Business Internships- TSE Entertainment

Salary: Unlisted

Location: Multiple Locations

Apply HERE

5) Head of Marketing- cosmopop GmbH

Salary - Unlisted

Location: Mannheim, Germany

Apply HERE

6) Digital Marketing Strategist - Benchmob

Salary: Unlisted

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Apply HERE

7) Staff Writer - EDM.com

Salary: Unlisted 

Location: remote

Apply HERE

8) Production Manager - The Dome Virginia Beach -  Live Nation Entertainment

Salary: Unlisted

Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Apply HERE

9) Intern, WME - Contemporary Music - Endeavor

Salary: $17.50 Hourly

Location:  New York, NY

Apply HERE

10) Music Department - Assistant - CAA

Salary: $20 -$22 Hourly

Location: Multiple locations

Apply HERE