Our next assignment for our Future of Work and Play class builds upon our research made last semester. We are expected to create an artefact that would exist in a future where our insight holds true. Our first week into this project, it is intended that we understand the system behind our insight. This will help us brainstorm potential ideas that would contribute to our insight's future.
System Map Development
The Present System
To start off, we had some time in class to brainstorm. I noted down all the people, places, and things that I could think of that related to my insight and the music industry. At the bottom of the page, I started brainstorming what a system map would look like for the ideas closest to my insight - using arrows to determine the material flow.
I did a few more scribbles of system maps to figure out what elements I wanted to keep. I decided to focus on the flow of industry leaders into producers into consumers. I drafted up a map on Miro so that my plan was conveyed more transparently.
I then took to Lucidchart so that I could achieve coloured straight lines for a cleaner look. I based my key chart off of a system map shown in class for Eco-Tourism.
I used square boxes to denote people. The diamond boxes characterized things. In this map, industry leaders output hardware and software. They also put money into developing AI for music tech and creating material to influence popular culture. The software and hardware get used by sound engineers and producers. The sound engineers and producers have the opportunity to work on music collaboration with or without musicians to output music. Musicians and producers also have the chance to create music without collaboration. Consumers pay money or give money through ad/streaming revenue for music. This money flows back to the music creators and then back to the industry leaders when these creators pay for tools. AI influences music and software. Music and music consumers influence popular culture - while pop culture influences music and industry leaders.
The Future System
To show how this map would be affected by my insight into the future, I decided to use a pen and paper. This way, I could have my current system map and my insight in front of me. The image has been enhanced for readability.
The changes in this map are shown by the stars on the lines. Software now has a greater material flow to sound engineers and producers. It also has an influence on the music collaboration process. AI now greatly influences music software and affects producers and music consumers. This is through the effect on tools, streaming services, manufacturing processes, modern media, and other areas of life that distribute or help create music. Music collaboration and producers now output a greater quantity of music. Music consumers can receive a more significant amount of music.
Idea Brainstorms
To start off my brainstorms for artefacts, I first made a bullet-point list of the significant changes in the future systems map. This is to find where new innovations are likely to be made.
AI influences music consumers, producers and heavily influences the software output by industry leaders.
Software is delivered in a greater quantity to sound engineers and producers.
Software influences music collaboration.
Music collaboration and producers generate a greater music output.
Music is abundant to consumers.
Potential Artefacts
Programs
1. A program that automatically mixes over profanity in songs.
2. A program that automatically translates a song into any language while still retaining the original song quality.
3. An AI tool that generates an entirely new song using existing songs.
4. A tool that can be used to deep fake someone's singing voice.
Voice Command Devices
5. A device that removes the technicalities in music creation and focuses on the process by using source separation of existing songs.
6. A speaker that streams music from voice commands.
7. A device that shows you new music based on the keywords that you give it. It assigns keywords to songs based on user input and AI screening.
Music Collaboration
8. Two instruments that are connected over the internet and mimic the music being played by the other.
9. VR music collaboration program that allows artists to be in the same virtual space.
10. A program that allows for a track to be easily worked on by multiple artists - alike to Google Docs.
Music Production
11. A 'Clippy' for music production software
12. An affordable midi-board-like device for low-budget producers.
Idea Evaluation
Using a rubric containing 4 specifications, I rated each idea. The specifications were Feasibility (Do I think I can prototype this?), Originality (Has this been discussed as a popular idea? I want innovative designs.), Helpfulness (Will this make people's lives better?), and Likelihood of Existence (Do I think this would exist in the future?).
#6, a speaker that streams music from voice commands, had a low feasibility score of 4/10. I would need to find a way to link voice commands to control an existing music app.
#10, a program that allows for a track to be easily worked on by multiple artists - like Google Docs, had a low feasibility score of 3/10. This is because I highly doubt I would be able to entirely create it. I would need to settle for only prototyping the interface or coding something small.
#7, #11, and #12 all had high feasibility scores. I decided to choose them to present at the progress check near the end of the week to gather feedback.
Final Concepts for Recommendation
A device that shows you new music based on the keywords that you give it. It assigns keywords to songs based on user input and AI screening.
For this idea, I would create a device that listens to and interprets your voice. You can give it keywords for any song. You can give it multiple keywords for songs or ask the device to show you pieces from a particular keyword. The device relies on user-inputted keywords attached to songs but can assign its own keywords based on artist, general information about the track online, and playlists that it is part of. The device will repeat the name of the song back to you when prompted.
An advanced ‘Clippy’ for music production software
This plugin will be a virtual tutor for music production software. It will give you helpful links when prompted and may also ask if you need assistance. This program will be geared toward newcomers to music software and can be turned off at any time. It will act as a ‘tutorial’ for your software.
An affordable midi-board-like device. This would be aimed at low-budget producers.
This midi board will have a simple design and be manufactured with low-cost materials. The idea is to make music hardware accessible for low-budget and newcomer producers. The design will likely be made with an Arduino where button presses track into software like other midi-boards.
