Artists & Songwriters Using AI - Human-Led Music Registry

I bought HumanInTheSong.com this weekend. I’m starting a public pilot around a much larger framework I’ve been developing for one of the biggest questions I think the music industry is going to have to answer fast: When AI is involved in a song, how do we know where the human creativity actually is? I want to be clear upfront: I am very pro-AI. I think AI is going to become one of the most powerful creative tools artists, writers, producers, and independent creators have ever had access to. But as someone who has spent much of my career in A&R, artist development, scouting, and creative strategy, I still come back to an artist-first belief: The tool should serve the human idea. Not replace it. Not fake it. Not bury it. Most of the AI music conversation seems to fall into two extremes: Ban it, detect it, police it. Or celebrate anything AI makes as “the future.” I think there is a missing middle category: Human-led music made with AI tools. Songs where the lyrics, idea, structure, melody, chords, direction, or emotional intent clearly come from a person — and AI is used transparently as a tool for production, arrangement, vocals, demoing, or execution. That includes artists and writers who may not be traditional singers or producers, but are still deeply involved in the writing, direction, emotional intent, and creative decision-making behind the song. That is very different from prompt-only output, undisclosed impersonation, unauthorized voice cloning, stolen lyrics, or mass-upload spam. So I’m building the first public layer of this under the name Human in the Song. The initial version will be intentionally focused: - a human-led AI music standard - a submission process for creators - a reviewed-song registry - a curated Spotify playlist - simple badge language for songs that pass review The broader initiative goes deeper than a playlist. It is about authorship, transparency, creative process, proof of human contribution, and discovery for artists using AI honestly. I’m not publishing the full framework yet, but I do want to begin the conversation publicly and start connecting with the right people. This is not anti-AI. It is anti-fake. The goal is not to pretend AI is not changing music. It obviously is. The goal is to create a clearer lane for the artists and writers using AI honestly, creatively, and transparently. My next essay will go deeper into this idea: why I believe AI can be an incredible creative tool, but why music still needs a visible human center. I’m looking to talk with artists, AI music creators, songwriters, music attorneys, publishers, distributors, rights people, curators, and builders who are thinking about this same problem. If that is you, or someone comes to mind, I’d love to connect. HumanInTheSong.com Coming soon.