Andreas Carlsson: The Future of Music is Built on Co-Creation

“Musically, we are transitioning from being passive consumers to becoming integrated co-creators and listeners. We are moving away from the old royalty-based economy and emulating more of the sharing economy common in the gaming world,” says Andreas Carlsson in the latest episode of the Digital Influencer podcast.

With a resume that includes songs like “I was born to make you happy” with Britney Spears and “I Want It That Way” for the Backstreet Boys, among dozens of other international hits, Andreas Carlsson is one of the foremost songwriters and producers of our time. He was part of the enigmatic music studio Cheiron, alongside Max Martin and Denniz Pop.

His latest venture, Hyph, he describes as a virtual Lego box that will revolutionize music creation.

“We gather fantastic Lego pieces, known as stems in professional jargon, from musicians around the world. They are tagged in a unique way to be traceable, and on top of that, we’ve added a smart algorithm that understands musical mathematics. For the consumer, it means having this Lego box with an incredibly intuitive interface on their phone, and suddenly, after doing their cooking show or makeup tutorial, they can create fantastic music that is entirely guided by the visual experience,” he explains.

However, there is no trace of AI in Hyph.

“For the music industry, AI has mostly negative effects because a computer cannot establish copyright.”

By launching first in the USA, Hyph aims to reach the vast American market with its unique approach to music creation.

“The reason we are an American company and releasing in the USA is that it’s a very large market. We have analyzed hits in the American market, and they follow a certain musical pattern that differs quite a bit from the large K-pop and J-pop markets.”

Reflecting on the analog era of music creation, Carlsson vividly paints a picture of a time when studios were not high-tech marvels. “It wasn’t this high-tech studio that you experience today,” he recalls, describing a time of reel-to-reel tape, no autotune, and the necessity of brewing your own coffee.

The turning point in Carlsson’s career came when he opened for the Backstreet Boys after Peter Andre canceled.

“It was like stepping onto the runway when a 747 starts its engines,” he describes.

This meeting led to collaborations with Denniz Pop and Max Martin, shaping modern pop music. The rest, as they say, is history.

Andreas Carlsson’s insights paint a compelling picture of the evolving music industry, where technology meets creativity, and the digital tsunami breaks new ground for a new era of musical expression.

Listen to the entire podcast here starting Thursday, November 23, 2023.