Live music and AI performances

BY LUCAN WRIGLEY 

Photo by Adobe Stock

As artificial intelligence continues its development in creative spaces, its impacts in the space of music become more prevalent. 

From Spotify populating their playlists with AI songs to the creation of new artists like Timbaland’s Tata Taktumi, artificial intelligence has begun to encroach on the territory of human musical acts. 

However, one space AI music may have trouble developing into is live events, but the ability to put synthetic actors on a stage has precedent, so the question remains: how will it be executed?

AI artists not having a physical form is obviously a challenge to overcome, but performances in this vein still have been accomplished in the form of hologram performances. However, holographic recreations of artists have faced significant backlash over the years. 

From mixed thoughts surrounding Tupac Shakur’s return to stage at Coachella 2012 to the warranted hatred of Whitney Houston’s disturbing stage revival, holograms are often not well received because of the attempt at inducing nostalgia in fans due to the uncanny nature of the performance. 

The draw of live performances is being able to see a great artist on location and hear the creative recontextualization of their music in a live setting. Artists can interact directly with fans, use their energy to motivate and inspire the crowd, and subvert expectations that fans have for the songs they’ve heard a multitude of times.

Even a megastar like Taylor Swift was still present onstage during the Eras Tour, and interacted with fans by waving, pointing or famously meeting with a lucky fan at the end of her song, 22, for every show she played.

However, using artificial intelligence, synthetic performers bypass the negative reaction from reviving a cherished performer and could theoretically have real time interactions with fans, even if physical ones are impossible. It is not a question of technology, but rather a question of the response that people will have.

In a paper investigating motivations for attending live music events, several unique motivations for attending live music events became apparent; togetherness, escapism, discovery, proximity, novelty, and specificity (Mulder & Hitters, 2021). 

These motivations may all still exist at a show or festival with an AI artist performing, and it is worth noting that the novelty of AI performances are extremely potent in these early times. But it is not unfair to say that this kind of novelty will likely wear off after a short period of time and expectations will return to a state of normalcy.

As the scene develops, issues pertaining to these motivations will be handled by those attempting to market AI artists, but only time will tell if the methods they use to connect with potential fans are effective.

One example that shows off the potential drawbacks of synthetic performances is ABBA Voyage, a virtual concert residency greenlit by and presenting the members of ABBA as they were during their prime. A Youtuber going by the name honest attended one of these events, and stated that while he enjoyed himself, not even being a particularly big fan of ABBA, it felt like an expensive “ABBA-themed party,” speaking to the experience of watching holograms perform instead of humans (honest, 2025).

But as their prevalence becomes greater, the reality of AI artists gaining fans with genuine emotional attachment becomes far more possible.

And just as the contemporary use of AI in music has received widespread criticism, it is not difficult to assume that there will be similar critics in the future who will have investment in the humanity of what they and others are listening to.

REFERENCES

Mulder, M., & Hitters, E. (2021). Visiting pop concerts and festivals: measuring the value of an integrated live music motivation scale. Cultural Trends, 30(4), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2021.1916738

honest. (2025, March 10). The Creepy Rise of Hologram Concerts [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWfR218Yfik.