Better Than Ezra Launch Contest for Fans to Write New Song with AI

Alt-rock veterans Better Than Ezra have launched a contest inviting fans to use AI to write a new song for the band.

On March 31st, frontman Kevin Griffin, who co-founded the AI music platform Soundbreak, announced the contest and its details on social media.

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“I’m excited to announce something that’s never been done before,” said Griffin. “Better Than Ezra is teaming up with Soundbreak AI to do a songwriting contest. Go on soundbreak.ai, write with me, or write with [bass guitarist] Tom Drummond. Come up with your best idea, your best song. And on May 15, Tom and I are going to go live on our socials and announce the winner of the Better Than Ezra Soundbreak songwriting contest, and we’re going to record it, and it’s going to be the next Better Than Ezra single.”

Griffin launched Soundbreak in February. Created in partnership with Soundverse, the platform allows users to co-write songs using officially licensed AI songwriting models from their favorite artists, while giving those artists rights and compensation. When it launched, the songwriting models were created in collaboration with artists like Michael Fitzpatrick of Fitz and the Tantrums, Jaren Johnston of The Cadillac Three, and David Ryan Harris.

This competition will surely add fuel to the ongoing conversations about what the role of AI in making music should be. There has been a mixed reception from musicians, who either embrace AI or criticize its negative impact.

One artist who has sung AI’s praises is Boy George, who revealed last month that he’s used ChatGPT to write five albums and that he thinks it’s “really helped me as a lyricist.”

“AI is brilliant. Nothing to fear,” said Boy George during a taping of Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast. “I say to everyone, if you get replaced by a robot, you weren’t trying hard enough… Obviously, I care about people losing their jobs… But there’s so many great things.”

Teddy Swims similarly shared praise for AI in November, calling it a “beautiful tool.” While speaking at SXSW Sydney, Swims called the technology “truly amazing” and “super helpful” when he used it during writing sessions to change song lyrics.

On the other side of the fence, there’s SZA, who has referred to music generated by AI as “weird, stereotypical struggle music.”

In a March interview with i-D, SZA claimed that AI is being implemented “disproportionately with Black music,” saying, “Why am I hearing AI covers of Olivia Dean, when Olivia Dean just came the f–k out? She can’t even collect the streams. I’m also really offended by the type of Black music that’s coming out of AI.”

For more, read Kiana Fitzgerald’s report, “The Grifters, Dreamers, and Robots Behind AI-Generated Music.”

Better Than Ezra are gearing up for headlining shows throughout the spring and summer; get tickets here.