Roger Daltrey said the "essence" of music is being lost due to the increasing use of technology.
At the launch event for new book 'Words Of Love', which tells the story of Buddy Holly's life, The Who frontman shared his thoughts on the current state of the industry.
Daltrey, who took part in the discussion alongside Yungblud and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones (who created the cover of Words Of Love ), expressed his concerns about the increasing reliance on technology, such as artificial intelligence, in the creation of music.
"There's something about technology... Personally, I feel we're losing the essence of the heartbeat. "Maybe it's because I'm older, but there doesn't seem to be much new music," the legendary musician explained.
"I think rock music has been very messed up because we've had to force and distort it for a mainstream audience and take it slower. Contemporary music is in a strange place, but it's exciting because really, I feel it's very democratic again," Yungblud commented.
"In the last four years, a lot of majors (labels) could control what was offered to us, but we know there are apps like TikTok, Instagram and all the others... I really think people can provide authenticity directly again. If you have a story to tell, you can tell it to the world too. You don't have to go through seven steps. The balance has never changed. I think that's what's really cool about how rock music right now, I really feel like it's finding its bounce and becoming hysterical again and that's exciting. It's getting younger again. It's really great," he added.
In 2023, Wood's colleague Keith Richards said that an artificial intelligence-powered hologram concert of The Rolling Stones "is bound to happen " at some point.
"Do I want it? It's something different. But I don't know if I want to hang around that long enough. But at the same time, it's not going to be up to me, is it?" he added.
Richards also said that using artificial intelligence in music is like a "toy city."
He explained, "AI is like any other thing. It can either be a tool or a toy."
Last summer, The Who's Pete Townshend was asked in an interview if he saw hologram concerts in the band's future.
"If somebody wanted to do it, I don't know if I'd stop them, but I don't want to be put on one of those networks," he replied.
Last month, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page lashed out at the UK government over its plan to copyright artificial intelligence and the impact it would have on music and the arts.
Paul McCartney also criticised the proposed changes, saying they would allow AI to rip off artists and lead to a "loss of creativity". | BGNES
