The Death of Art

There was a time when becoming a musician required years of practice and ya know... talent? Musicians were people who spent time pouring their souls into notepads and songs.

Today, apparently, all it takes is a reality TV show contract, a phone, AI, and zero shame... because TLC's 1000-LB Sisters star, Amy Slaton is apparently on her way to getting a record deal. In one of the most painfully embarrassing displays in pop culture, we recently had to witness Amy sit down with an "execlative producer" and step inside of a professional recording studio.

In earlier episodes, she proudly claimed she has "written" between 70-300 songs. Incredible feat for someone who can't even speak or spell and once referred to Leonardo da Vinci as "Little Enardo DaVinci" and her stomach as "The Sixteen Chapel". Let's be fucking clear... Amy Slaton hasn't written 300 songs. She hasn't written even one song. The train wreck we are all witnessing isn't creative expression, it's devaluation of artistic talent, powered by AI and handed to someone who lacks the foundational skills of the art.

ChatGPT prompts are not "songwriting"... and that's what Amy did. The curtain was pulled back on national TV, revealing the lack of effort she's putting into her "baby child". We saw shots of Amy staring at her laptop and telling ChatGPT to generate lyrics about the local sites over berry picking because she's "never even picked berries in her life". So, this shows she didn't 'write' any of the lyrics, because if she did... why would it even include something she has 'never done'?

She then copied and pasted her lyrics into some AI music generating app (we don't know what it's called considering TLC blurred it out) that popped out 'her' song, "Pounds Hollow". So... apparently... ChatGPT prompt + copy + paste + AI music app= "I wrote a song!"

To call this lazy process "songwriting" or "art" is an insult to every musician or writer who has dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears to learning their craft. Inputting a prompt doesn't make you a songwriter any more than ordering a pizza or defrosting a TV dinner makes you a chef.

I can't stress enough the fact that Amy Slaton can barely spell or articulate a basic sentence on camera, yet she walks into meetings with producers claiming ownership over something she had no hand in creating. Love that.

Anyone who has watched the show or has seen any of the Slaton sisters YouTube videos knows the difference between what Amy sounds like in real life and what she is claiming to be her in Pounds Hollow. And if you haven't seen or heard her, I invite you to watch this clip.

Amy actually trying to sing in her natural voice is off-key as hell, while her new single, Pounds Hollow has a completely fake voice that is not even hers. But yet, she is shamelessly taking full credit on streaming platforms everywhere as the primary artist while talented indie artists struggle to ever even see five minutes with a producer or afford studio time. Seems fair.

I tend to side with her brother here, she didn't do it.

I can't help but wonder if TLC is footing the bill for her delusions... and if they are, I wonder how much they're paying these professionals to humor her for personal gain. How does an unknown, talentless person walk straight into a high-end recording studio where artists like Rascall Flatts have recorded and secure time with a producer without a shred of a real life demo tape to back it up?

In the real world, no legitimate music executive would give her the time of day. So, I'm curious how far these reality networks will go to have content for their story lines. We've seen this before by the way on Life After Lockup. Lifetime reportedly offered Ken Urker a $10,000 engagement ring to propose to Gypsy Rose Blanchard for the sake of televised drama. He apparently refused which is hilarious to me because Gypsy belongs in prison, not on reality TV... but that's a story for another day.

Anyways, I can't help but wonder if this music producer nonsense in just TLC's version of the same setup. Are network executives writing big fat checks behind the scenes so studio owners and consultants will smile and nod politely while Amy babbles on about her 'baby child'?

It's a cringey subplot that genuinely angers me... but it's also a depressing sign of where culture is headed. Generative AI was supposed to handle tedious tasks, so humans had more time to paint, write, make music, and be creative. Instead, it's stripping the heart out of the art and handing lazy people the illusion of 'creativity' without having to put in real work.

The lesson being broadcast to the public is this: if you want to succeed in life and break into any industry that requires creativity, don't waste your time practicing an instrument or learning how to sing or write or make movies or paint etc... just gain 1,000 pounds, get a TLC show, throw all your chickens into an AI app, and pretend to possess talents that you clearly don't.

Behold, her baby child, Pounds Hollow.

What do you think? Do you like listening to this? Is this what the future of music looks like?