Gareth Emery Launches AI-Free Label Emotional Intelligence Records

A Stand Against AI-Generated Music

Gareth Emery has launched Emotional Intelligence Records, an AI-free label positioned as a direct response to what the producer describes as streaming platforms burying human music under synthetic content. The trance and progressive house veteran says the imprint grew from his discomfort with AI's impact on artists, particularly after encountering music apparently generated using his own work as training data without consent.

Emery reserved sharp criticism for platforms he accuses of acquiring infinite content for almost nothing while driving down the value of human work in the name of shareholder value. He describes a streaming economy populated by fake artists where key players seem happy to bury human music under infinite synthetic slop.

The Economic and Cultural Stakes

The label arrives as economic pressure mounts. An estimated $4.6 billion in annual artist revenue could be lost to AI-generated music by 2028, according to a recent study conducted by CISAC and PMP Strategy with participation from Deezer, who said AI represents a colossal, even critical, challenge for the music creation sector as a whole.

Meanwhile, controversial AI music platform Suno recently raised over $400 million and reached a $5.4 billion valuation despite facing contentious copyright lawsuits. The company's co-founder and CEO, Mikey Shulman, faced backlash last year after claiming in an interview that most people find the music creation process not really enjoyable.

Human Imperfection as the Point

At the philosophical core of Emotional Intelligence Records is Emery's belief that human imperfection is precisely what matters. Imperfections aren't the flaw, he wrote, they're proof a human was there. That sentiment targets a growing faction of listeners uneasy about music made by AI, selected by AI, and shoved down your throat by AI too.

The label's debut release drops July 10th: a track from Emery's LSR/CITY alias titled 'Burn It Down.'