If a Record Label Called Me About AI Tomorrow, I Wouldn’t Tell Them to Fight It
A strategic framework for record labels to embrace AI while protecting artists and creating new revenue streams.
If a Record Label Called Me About AI Tomorrow, I Wouldn’t Tell Them to Fight It
By Jamilah N. Lawry, professionally known as Nina Capone
Founder & CEO, My Biz Consulting LLC
If a major record label called My Biz Consulting tomorrow and said:
“Jamilah, AI is moving too fast. What do we do?”
My first answer would probably be:
Stop panicking. We need a strategy.
That is the Philly girl in me.
We are not standing in the middle of Broad Street yelling at technology to turn around and go back home.
It is already here.
So now we need to figure out how to make it work for the business, protect the artists, create new revenue, improve operations, and still make some incredible music in the process.
Because I'm an artist, too.
I understand why creatives are nervous.
But I'm also a business strategist and technologist.
And when I look at artificial intelligence entering the record business, I don't just see disruption.
I see an entirely new operating model waiting to be designed.
First, I Wouldn't Start With AI
That's probably the first thing that would surprise the label.
I wouldn't walk into the boardroom talking about which AI software everybody should buy.
Absolutely not.
Before we start throwing technology at the company, I want to know how the company currently operates.
Where are artists getting stuck?
Where is money being wasted?
How long does it take to move a song from concept to release?
Where are approvals slowing down?
How much repetitive administrative work is happening?
How are catalogs being managed?
How are rights being tracked?
How does A&R gather information?
How much does artist development cost?
How much of that process could technology improve without destroying what makes the artist unique?
Now we have a real conversation.
Because AI without a business strategy is just another subscription somebody in accounting is going to ask about six months later.
Then I Would Build Three Lanes: Protect. Produce. Profit.
That's where I would start having fun.
Not the entire strategy—you would have to hire My Biz Consulting for that part.
But conceptually, I would organize the label's AI transformation around three very simple questions.
PROTECT
What absolutely must remain protected?
Artist voices.
Likeness.
Masters.
Publishing.
Songwriting credits.
Intellectual property.
Unreleased recordings.
Creative files.
Contracts.
Confidential company data.
Before giving everybody access to AI tools, the label needs rules.
Who can upload what?
Which platforms are approved?
What happens to the data?
Can an artist's voice be used to train a model?
Can a producer upload unreleased stems?
Can marketing generate an artist's likeness?
Who approves that?
This becomes part technology governance, part rights management, and part artist protection.
And suddenly AI stops being the Wild West.
It becomes infrastructure.
PRODUCE
Now we get creative.
Imagine an internal Artist AI Studio.
Not a room full of robots replacing producers.
Relax.
I'm talking about an environment where artists, producers, and engineers have access to approved AI-assisted tools designed to help them experiment.
An artist comes in with a hook.
She hears strings behind it but doesn't have an orchestra.
Let's prototype it.
A rapper wants to hear three different drum arrangements before the producer spends hours rebuilding the session.
Let's test them.
A singer has a complicated vocal idea with stacked harmonies.
Let's map it.
An engineer wants to clean up a rough demo enough for the A&R team to clearly hear the potential.
Done.
Now imagine taking that concept across an entire roster.
AI becomes a creative accelerator.
Not the artist.
Not the producer.
Not the songwriter.
The accelerator.
And there is a major difference.
PROFIT
Now you know I'm eventually going to ask:
Where is the money?
Because innovation without monetization becomes a very expensive science project.
If I were advising a label, I would want to explore entirely new AI-enabled revenue categories.
Artist-approved fan experiences.
Licensed remix environments.
Interactive catalogs.
AI-supported localization for global releases.
Catalog discovery tools.
Personalized fan experiences.
Artist-approved synthetic voice applications.
New licensing structures.
Gaming.
Film.
Creator collaborations.
Brand partnerships.
Educational applications.
Imagine certain artists allowing approved uses of their voice under very specific licensing conditions.
The label manages the rights.
The artist approves participation.
The technology company pays for access.
Everybody understands the rules.
And everybody who is supposed to get paid gets paid.
Now we're talking business.
I Would Build an AI Playground Before an AI Department
This is one of those areas where corporate thinking can accidentally make innovation boring.
You do not need 47 meetings and a 92-page AI policy before somebody is allowed to experiment with a snare drum.
You need controlled experimentation.
I would create an internal innovation environment where selected artists, producers, engineers, marketing teams, executives, and technologists could test ideas safely.
Call it a lab.
Call it a sandbox.
Call it whatever fits the label's culture.
Personally, I'd make the place look like somebody combined a recording studio, a tech startup, and South Street at midnight.
But that's me.
The important thing is that experimentation happens inside boundaries.
Some ideas will be terrible.
Good.
We learned something.
Some will save time.
Some will save money.
And one or two might accidentally create an entirely new division of the company.
That is what innovation is supposed to do.
A&R Could Get Very Interesting
AI should never replace the person who walks into a tiny club, hears an artist perform, and thinks:
There is something special here.
That instinct matters.
Culture matters.
Taste matters.
Experience matters.
But imagine giving that executive better intelligence.
Instead of looking only at streams and social followers, you could analyze patterns across audience engagement, fan retention, geographic momentum, playlist behavior, catalog growth, live activity, and hundreds of other signals.
Then the human makes the decision.
Technology brings information.
People bring judgment.
That's the relationship I want.
Because I don't want an algorithm deciding who the next Nina Capone is.
I might have a few questions.
I Would Also Change Artist Development
This could be one of the biggest opportunities.
Labels traditionally invest significant money developing artists.
What if some of that development becomes more efficient?
An emerging artist could test musical directions before expensive sessions.
Experiment with visual concepts.
Analyze audience response.
Practice arrangements.
Build demos.
Explore international versions.
Develop marketing concepts.
Organize their creative catalog.
Study their own performance data.
Suddenly, artist development becomes more iterative.
Less guessing.
More testing.
And when the label decides to put serious money behind something, everyone has more information.
That does not eliminate risk.
Music is culture.
There will always be an element nobody can predict.
Thank God.
Otherwise, every record would sound like it was created in an Excel spreadsheet.
And Yes, There Would Be an AI Council
But please don't picture twelve executives sitting around discussing ChatGPT once every quarter.
I would want artists in the room.
Songwriters.
Producers.
Engineers.
Attorneys.
Technology leaders.
A&R.
Marketing.
Rights management.
Finance.
Security.
And probably one person who asks uncomfortable questions.
Every company needs that person.
The purpose would be simple:
What can we responsibly do now?
What should we experiment with next?
What should we absolutely not do?
That conversation has to evolve because the technology will keep evolving.
The Label Could Become the Trusted AI Environment for Its Artists
Now here's where I think labels could completely flip the narrative.
Instead of artists seeing labels as the companies trying to stop AI…
What if artists saw their label as the safest place to use it?
Imagine signing with a company that gives you:
Approved creative technology.
Rights protection.
AI education.
Secure production environments.
Voice and likeness management.
Licensing opportunities.
Technology specialists.
Data intelligence.
And access to experimental tools independent artists may not have.
Now the label has created a new value proposition.
That's important.
Because as artists gain more independent capabilities, labels will have to continually answer one very uncomfortable question:
Why do I need you?
AI gives labels an opportunity to create a much better answer.
This Is Bigger Than Music Production
That is the part I would probably spend the most time explaining to executives.
AI is not simply a music-making tool.
It affects the entire enterprise.
Legal.
Finance.
Marketing.
Distribution.
Production.
Catalog management.
A&R.
Human resources.
Operations.
Analytics.
Customer service.
Brand partnerships.
Licensing.
Artist relations.
Cybersecurity.
This is organizational transformation.
And that's why simply assigning somebody the title Head of AI isn't enough.
Congratulations.
Now what are they transforming?
Where is the roadmap?
Where are the controls?
Where are the performance measurements?
Where are the new revenue models?
Where is the artist education?
Where is the risk framework?
Where is the implementation plan?
You know—the boring stuff that actually makes the exciting stuff work.
That's where My Biz Consulting lives.
My Advice to Labels Would Be Simple
Don't become the company standing outside the future asking it to leave.
Own your part of it.
Protect the intellectual property.
Protect the artists.
Educate the workforce.
Experiment responsibly.
Build proprietary capabilities.
Develop licensing models.
Create new products.
Measure what works.
Throw away what doesn't.
And keep the artists involved.
Because artificial intelligence does not have to become the technology that dismantles the record label.
Handled strategically, it could become the technology that forces the record label to evolve into something much more valuable.
And if I were sitting across from that executive team?
I'd probably smile and say:
“Now that we've stopped being scared of AI… let's figure out how we're going to make some money with it.”
Welcome to Philly.
We brought a strategy.
Jamilah N. Lawry, professionally known as Nina Capone, is the Founder & CEO of My Biz Consulting LLC, a vertically integrated business solutions firm. A recording artist, media executive, entrepreneur, and technology strategist, Lawry works at the intersection of business infrastructure, artificial intelligence, entertainment, and organizational growth.
