Would anyone notice Hozier striking?

By Brian Clegg

I see that the Irish musician Hozier has announced that ‘he would consider striking over the threat artificial intelligence poses to his industry.’ This was taken seriously enough by the BBC News to put it under their high profile Newsnight brand.

I’m also not sure how much music artists are truly under threat from AI. Hozier himself suggests he isn’t sure if AI-generated music ‘meets the definition of art’. More to the point, the music business is about a package, not just a song and AI would have to come on considerably to be able to deliver the whole thing. No doubt a few AI-generated songs could be successful in terms of streaming – but it seems unlikely the music business as a whole would suffer too much.

But even if the threat is serious, I can’t help but thing Hozier (dangerous autocorrect tendency to make him hosiery) has a weak grasp of economics. While I’m sure that Hozier fans would be disappointed by his disappearance from the scene, the reality is that the music business is not short of competition. If railway workers strike, travellers suffer because there are limited alternatives. However, if a single artist strikes, only a tiny percentage of music lovers will notice – and I suspect there are very few Hozier fans who don’t listen to anyone else.

Of course, the hope appears to be, as with the Hollywood strike, that this wouldn’t be a single individual walking out, but rather a large number of performers. Even with this comparison, though, I’d suggest the music business is very different from the movies. Hollywood is a dominant force – and there are relatively few big movies made. Thousands of songs emerge on the market every week – there’s always something and someone new. And though I don’t suggest it’s easy to become a music star, it takes far less (especially in the internet age) for a song to get out there and get noticed – especially, perhaps, if some of the bigger names are on strike.

When it comes down to it, Hozier striking would be a bit like your local independent coffee shop going on strike. It would be a shame for the regulars, but it’s not going to make much of a ripple in the market as a whole.

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Now Appearing is the blog of science writer Brian Clegg (www.brianclegg.net), author of Inflight Science, Before the Big Bang and The God Effect.