The United States Supreme Court recently rejected copyright eligibility for artistic content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The decision stemmed from the Thalmer v. Perlmutter case from March 2, 2026 and ruled that any work of art created entirely by AI cannot have copyright status. Thinking back to my recent Symphony (In the Age of Artificiality) (2019-2025), I explained that I applied an “Electronic Voice” in the final movement of the piece. I created the text for the “Electronic Voice” via the text2speech.org website. That website does not, however, implement generative AI. It functions as more traditional “Text-to-Speech” (TTS) conversion programming instead. The computerized voices available on the website also do not apply more realistic emotional inflections that "sound" human. The website also requires human effort. I physically typed the text into the given space on the website, chose a computerized voice to narrate the words, and downloaded the narration as an audio file to include for my electroacoustic orchestral piece. The end result produced electronic speech that I intentionally wanted to sound cold, and monotone and eerie to complement the overall theme for the Symphony about invasive technology in the arts.
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(The following is an expansion of materials that I wrote on LinkedIn earlier this month. My original posts concentrated on how to identify potentially misleading conversations and online scams when trying to collaborate, market music, or other business purposes. The information and guidelines that I provide are based primarily on my personal experiences as a composer and musician and do not necessarily reflect the same situations for everyone.)
I wrote several discussions in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic concerning rules that composers should follow in relation to collaboration projects and online etiquette. Six years later I must expand on what I have said, albeit in relation to how I have structured my website and musical output. As someone who runs a self-publishing music company registered through the American Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP), I create every aspect of a given musical score or audio recording and digital publication for distribution on my Patreon. I assemble each publication myself and provide the necessary title page, “Table of Contents” (if applicable), program notes, score, and back matter so that the digital publication gets treated like a book.[1] I primarily use the Audacity music editing freeware to create and edit audio files of my electronic and acoustic pieces. The processes that I follow require much attention and effort. That is why I usually try to make it a habit to direct potential clients to my website if they are interested in my work. While I originally included a questionnaire that I created through Google Forms, I deleted and replaced it with a basic form on my “Contact” page. I also manage a SoundCloud page and a YouTube channel to post my works available for purchase. I keep track of which people interact with and respond to my music. With that said, the potential for fake audience engagement through “bots” tend to become more prominent: especially in an era where anything generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming normalized. Here are some warning signs that can indicate potential scams: 1) The business or person in question writes first, often without context. 2) Language barriers aside, their messages are filled with too many grammatical and typographical errors or they give the impression that they are desperate for attention. 3) The conversation starts out as polite, but the tone quickly shifts to something that sounds too good to be true. 4) The person on the other end asks questions like “Can I ask you something?” or “Can you do me a favor?” These kinds of questions can indicate potential harassment and are usually code for “Give me your money!” 5) The person falsely claims to have a family member in your field of expertise and is offering paid work for a large sum of money by randomly mentioning a contract that requires an immediate signature. 6) Someone asks for personally sensitive information and does not stop until they get what they want. That attitude usually indicates a complete disrespect for privacy. 7) The conversation indicates a collaboration, but you find yourself having to do all the work while they do nothing but come up with excuses. 8) Someone asks you to pay them for your work. 9) Conducting thorough searches online reveals that the company that they claim to work for does not exist. I have one final point before concluding this post. If you are on SoundCloud or YouTube and you follow or like my work, please refrain from sending messages about "music promotion" and "audience growth." I am going to assume that you're trying to spam me with dubious paid services scam tactics. Those kinds of messages are also incredibly rude and disrespectful to artists, many of whom already devote their time and energy to their craft. The last thing that they want to do is to pay for something that does not deliver or truly benefit them. [1] While I initially used the Finale music notation software program to compose music, I have switched to the MuseScore 4 music notation freeware since around 2022 or 2023. It has been three years since I started compiling tracks for the Iberian, Latin American, and Caribbean Elements in Video Game Music project. I have already amassed hundreds of musical tracks from games across myriad arcades, consoles, and computers from the past four decades. My process for collecting the VGM tracks has relied on active listening for instrumentation and genres related to music cultures from Spain, Portugal, Latin America: criteria that I have discussed in a multi-part series regarding the project. I also adapted to the sudden shifts in video game music preservation when the Nintendo Music smartphone application released in October 2024. Given the bulk and purpose behind my ongoing work, I needed to renovate the page on this website and categorize everything to provide greater clarity for researchers in ludomusicology or those who are curious about video game music. I have divided my project into the following main categories so far. I will continue adding to these extant parts. Whenever necessary, I might include more categories depending on the overall progress of the project:
[1] This part functions as a brief description about the multimedia edutainment software program for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). [2] This list concentrates primarily on licensed games created exclusively for Nintendo consoles in collaboration with third-party video game developers. for piano and (optional) narrator
Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988) Copyright © 2026 by ZEKE SPILLED INK MUSIC (ASCAP), Savannah, GA Video created by the composer using Microsoft Clipchamp video editor- "Black and White" filter and text applied with fading effects Not made with A.I. Text by Thomas Jefferson, Public Domain Photograph by Maria G. Sanchez- Taken at Wormsloe State Historic Site in Savannah, GA in 2011 VST playback via MuseScore 4 Score Recording and score available for purchase on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/on-legacy-of-151553495 Program Notes: I created On the Legacy of Independence (2026) shortly after reading the book 1776 by the historian David McCullough (1933-2022). My piece functions as a commemorative reflection on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the “Declaration of Independence” and the formation of the United States in 1776 during the American Revolution (1775-1783). The process behind writing On the Legacy of Independence originally began with ideas that I eventually discarded in favor of going in another direction. My early attempts focused on setting the entire “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson to music and including quotations from popular songs from the era: most notably, “Free America,” which used the same tune as “The British Grenadiers.” After realizing that such attempts would prove distracting or had been overdone by other musicians and composers, I concentrated instead on the following excerpt from Jefferson’s historical document: … We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…. I initially wanted to apply this text musically by turning it into an art song for voice and piano. I later decided against that idea and transformed the syllabic and rhythmic contents from the textual fragment from the “Declaration of Independence” as a “song without words” for solo piano or a composition for piano and optional narration (I present the words in the score as italicized segments for context). The piece also includes moments throughout where I rhythmically and harmonically set the word “independence” like a fanfare and feature rhythmic patterns in the lower registers of the piano to sound like drums. In framing On the Legacy of Independence in that way, I avoid romanticizing colonial American history. My work underscores the gravity and significance in understanding that the “Declaration of Independence” had been written during war with Great Britain and serves as a reminder of the necessity for democracy in our own trying and uncertain contemporary times. |
AuthorDMA. Composer of acoustic and electronic music. Pianist. Experimental film. Archives
April 2026
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