Music Director Yoo Ye-geun: "AI Will Replace Music Production Within 5 Years... We Must Find Survival Strategies"
A wave of transition to artificial intelligence (AI) is sweeping across the globe. The music industry is no exception. With AI now fully entering the center of the cultural content industry, we met with Yoo Ye-geun, CEO and Music Director of YK Music Production, who has been making a significant mark in the domestic and U.S. film and game music industries, to hear his thoughts on the recent market.
Director Yoo, whom this newspaper met in person on the 19th, predicted, "Within the next five years, AI will virtually replace most basic music production," adding, "It will become increasingly difficult to make a living solely from composing in the future." He further explained that he feels a sense of crisis amidst the trend of AI becoming mainstream in the music industry.
He mentioned 'music editor' as a field where the lifespan of AI could be extended. He explained, "While 'music editor' is still an unfamiliar term in Korea, it has already established itself as a specialized profession in the United States," adding, "A music editor is not simply someone who arranges music, but someone who edits and processes music to match the rhythm of the work."
He continued, "Music editors require capabilities on a completely different level from simple operators (technicians)," adding, "While AI's music creation technology has already reached a significant level, how music enters and exits a scene, and how to maximize or suppress emotions, is still up to humans."
This implies that human senses are still needed at the subtle point where music harmonizes with the work and precisely touches the audience's emotions. Director Yoo emphasized, "At this point, rather, is the time for the expertise of 'music editors' to be newly highlighted."
Yoo Ye-geun, CEO and Music Director of YK Music Production. Photo courtesy of YK Music Production.
Director Yoo did not hesitate to make remarks regarding 'investment,' a topic somewhat unrelated to music. He stated, "I believe that musicians, in particular, must study investment to pursue the work they want to do," adding, "The reality for musicians continuing to create while struggling with financial pressure is so harsh that I consider studying how to manage and grow assets to be essential."
He, too, is managing his assets by investing alongside his current work. Director Yoo advised, "We must abandon the stereotype that investment is the exclusive domain of massive capitalists," and urged musicians to "properly manage and invest their assets to cultivate the power to select the works they desire, rather than merely as a means of survival in the AI era."
Director Yoo emphasized, "I will continue to maintain my hybrid position as both a music director and an asset investor," adding, "Doing so allows me to focus on the works I want to create and remain unshaken in the age of AI." He further stressed, "While the changes brought about by AI may appear as a crisis to musicians, we must seize this as an opportunity to open up new possibilities."
Director Yoo is a composer with 20 years of experience who graduated at the top of his class in composition from Seoul National University and majored in film scoring at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC). This year marks his sixth year as a music director. Over the years, he has proven his capabilities across a wide range of fields, from games to global OTT productions. Recently, he has been drawing attention in the domestic and international music industry as a new model of a musician adapting to the AI era.
Major works include contributing to the orchestral score for Neowiz's global hit 'The Lies of P' in the gaming sector, as well as producing music for Wemade's 'Night Crow' and performing key music work for Infold Games' 'Love and Deep Space'. In the video and broadcasting sector, participation in global streaming productions for Netflix and HBO Max was featured, and the composer worked on the drama 'Collision' for the Armenian streaming service Amflix.