Country music star John Rich recently weighed in on the impact of artificial intelligence on the music industry, and he's not exactly losing sleep over it. In a candid interview, Rich expressed more concern about the current state of country music than the potential rise of AI-generated tunes.
He posed a provocative question: "Could AI actually produce worse music than some of the country artists out there today?" Rich stopped short of naming specific artists but implied that the bar isn't particularly high.
Rich firmly believes that AI can't replicate the magic of legendary songwriters, referring to them as "Albert Einstein-level honky-tonk geniuses." He challenged the notion that AI could ever create a song with the emotional depth and complexity of George Jones's classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today."
While acknowledging that AI might be able to churn out generic-sounding songs, Rich pointed out that this is already a prevalent issue in contemporary country music. He doesn't see AI as a major threat, suggesting that artists who want to stand out should focus on creating unique and authentic music that AI can't replicate.
Rich also touched upon his own brand, Redneck Riviera whiskey, emphasizing its values of faith, family, patriotism, and hard work. He contrasted his brand's focus on traditional values with other brands that have embraced more contemporary marketing approaches.
