AI is blowing up music. How should the Grammys handle it?

AI is blowing up music. How should the Grammys handle it?

From Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

June 1, 2026 · 1h 6m

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of AI on the music industry and features an interview with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

I last talked to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr in 2024 — when it was obvious that generative AI would upend the music industry, but not exactly clear how that would happen. Now, Harvey says AI is “omnipresent” in music production. So what kinds of tools are musicians using, in what way, and what kind of music is it making for us? Is it any good? And how do we identify, and take care of, actual human musicians in this mess? Read the full interview transcript on The Verge. Links: Why the Grammys need to change, with CEO Harvey Mason Jr | Decoder Is ‘blue dot fever’ a real problem for the concert industry? | Los Angeles Times USA v. LiveNation-Ticketmaster: All the news | The Verge The future of country music is here, and it’s AI | The Verge Poll: AI is transforming how we think about music | Hollywood Reporter Inside the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ era of AI in music | Rolling Stone Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane. Learn more about your ad…

People in this episode

Host: Nilay Patel

Guest: Harvey Mason Jr

Topics covered

  • AI in music
  • music production
  • Grammys
  • generative AI
  • musicians' tools

Keywords

  • AI
  • music industry
  • Grammys
  • generative AI
  • musicians
  • music production
  • tools

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Recording Academy, The Verge, Vox Media Podcast Network, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone

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