How to be a Composer in an AI World

Apr 18, 2025

I did a lecture back at my old Uni last year on “How to be a composer in an AI world” and thought I’d write up some of my notes as a post. Anyway, here were my 10 quick suggestions for what young composers/artists of any kind could focus on, to flourish in this brave new world. Let me know if any of them resonate, or if you disagree.

1. Have an overview of the tech.
I played a couple of jaw-dropping examples from UDIO which concentrated a few minds. It does feel like the very least we can do is be aware of where the tech is at, currently, and the rate of change.

2. Learn about your rights.
As the copyright position of AI-generated music is one of the biggest barriers to it being used in more productions, now’s the time to join your local rights organisations and know how all that works PRS for Music & the Ivors Academy do great work.

3. This isn’t a time to be passive.
Even if as young artists your opinion changes often (mine still does now) I think it’s vital to practice forming + speaking your opinion, even if for some this feels unnatural. (This is of course not always a problem!).

4. Make Friends.
I think it will be real-world communities that will drive the next wave of artistic expression. Anything you can do to connect with friends, peers &, by extension, an audience for your work, will show a new direction for many.

5. Have a cultural life.
Lots of students I meet have responded to the pressures on them by becoming laser-focussed on subjects they think will help them ‘succeed’. I would suggest that the broader & richer your cultural world is, the better you’ll be able to adapt. Go wide!

6. Have a visual identity.
Bring on the cringe. For lots of composers, this is mortifying, but I’d like to see you, and also see what visually interests you. Your uniqueness is what’s valuable right now.

7. Play live.
There is almost always a way to develop a live element to your music-making. It can be tiny and quiet, if you prefer, but that is interesting in itself. We’ll have plenty of anonymised notes filling the air, I’ll be seeking out the human-made ones.

8. Explore Sustainable Finances.
You won’t be making a living in the same way we did, 20 years ago. And if you can’t sustain yourself, you won’t be able to let your music develop at the natural speed it may need to. What is the least you need to manage for a while?

9. Share your story.
If you can find your own way to share how you’re navigating the change that will become part of your art. Doesn’t have to be shouty YouTube videos, (plenty of those already), but do share. You’ll learn as you do.

10. Answer the ‘Why’ question.
This was the last, and always, for me, the most important question. Genuinely spend time sitting with the ‘why’ of what you’re doing. Is it money? Parental expectation? A need to be heard? Because it’s all you think you’re good at? All v common.

So that was a 90 minute lecture badly summed up in ten tips. Would love to hear your thoughts – t’s a fascinating time for sure

← older

Featured blog posts

How to be a Music Editor

As someone old enough to have been a music editor on Lord of the Rings, Love Actually and Children of Men, when I had some very interesting questions recently from someone just making their start in music editing, I thought I'd collect my advice on music editing in...

How to be a Composer’s Assistant

I was assistant to a really great composer, the late Michael Kamen, for 5 years or so. It was the most amazing, frustrating, bewildering, life-enhancing experience I could have hoped for. I feel like I’m still absorbing some of the things I learned from him, and from...

How to Get an Education

There are lots of people who are very happy to take your time and money for training in the music industry. These range from serious universities and colleges to one man band trainers working out of bedroom studios. I think it's a positive sign of the enormous amount...

Little Music Notebooks

Gotta love Moleskine. They do two sizes of music manuscript notebooks; a really small one that genuinely fits into a pocket, and a bigger one that alternates manuscript and blank pages. They are so cool. Nearly as covetable as the Sigur Ros hand-painted Moleskine...

Letters to a Young Composer

With apologies to Rilke, I'm collecting together a series of replies to some of the questions I've been asked, about the how, when and why of composing. Zen and the art of Pencil Sharpening, perhaps? Or the Composer's Way? In any case, I'll keep this page updated as...

How to Conduct an Orchestra

Have you tried conducting? If you ever get the chance, you should. It’s the ultimate game of ‘rub your tummy & pat your head’, and, apparently, takes as much coordination as flying a helicopter, except pilots don’t have to withstand storm-force heckling from the...

Free Manuscript Paper Templates

I've had a few enquiries about the customised manuscript paper I print for myself, that I use for different kinds of composition work. My own version has my name at the bottom in case I forget who I am during a late night, but I've left the PDF versions below blank,...

Working from Home

I resisted working from home for a long time. Our family seemed to benefit from some separation of roles, and I always felt I could be more present at home when I couldn’t just go and fiddle with something work-related at the weekend. But circumstances change, and it...

Keeping a Piano Diary

I’m fascinated by the daily rituals of other artists. The painters who get up at first light, whatever the season, the musicians who practice in hotel bathrooms to avoid complaints, and the writers who turn their daily craft into an act of disciplined service. More...

Soundtracking with Edith Bowman

I’ve always been a massive fan of Edith Bowman’s Soundtracking podcast. She’s interviewed so many great film-makers and composers and always draws out something of substance from people who have been interviewed many times before, so it was a real privilege to have a...