Helping an iconic indie label navigate the AI frontier

The music industry is undergoing a profound transformation driven by the rapid advancement of generative AI technologies. With over 120,000 new tracks uploaded daily to streaming services, independent labels like Locked On face an incredibly saturated and noisy marketplace. Furthermore, independent artists like Simone must navigate emerging challenges surrounding copyright infringement, unauthorised deep fakes, and the urgent need to protect their vocal likeness and digital identity.

Approached directly by the founder and CEO of the record company, we worked with him on a dedicated consultancy basis to define the label's strategic response to this technological shift. We developed a comprehensive AI x Music report exploring emerging trends, tools, and creative use cases across the industry, ranging from voice cloning to generative composition. To make this strategic intelligence instantly accessible, we built a bespoke AI-powered knowledge base using Google's NotebookLM and generated an automated podcast summary featuring two AI hosts discussing the report's core themes.

Building on this research foundation, we delivered bespoke creative thought starters specifically tailored for Locked On and Simone. These concepts included multi-lingual UKG edutainment formats, a chat interface trained on the label's iconic archive, and an ambient Pirate Radio ASMR broadcast. We also established clear workflows for integrating AI into day-to-day social media production and recommended ethical partnership models to ensure artist IP remains protected.

The strategic playbook provided the label with a definitive roadmap to safely and creatively integrate generative AI into their digital operations. By mapping out ethical AI licensing avenues, avatar deployment strategies, and proprietary content formats, Locked On and its roster are now positioned to unlock entirely new forms of creation, collaboration, and revenue while fiercely safeguarding their human artistry.