EXCLUSIVE So I did finally reach Dallas Little.
Little is the maker of three hits currently in the iTunes top 5 under the artist name “Eddie Dalton.”
“Eddie” is an AI fabrication, and kind of a genius work. Little is running videos on YouTube and iTunes and other platforms that seem like real songs (well I guess the songs are real), performed by ghosts. None of his “artists” are actual people. He’s created them with AI. I don’t know how he does it, but the product is so smooth that’s terrifying.
Little is known about Little. But he wants to be taken seriously. Hey — we know this is serious. There’s no real singer or instruments. There are personas which listeners think exists.
Dallas writes: “I don’t appreciate how my work has been characterized. Referring to it as a “content farm” and suggesting people are being misled is inaccurate; it presents opinion as fact rather than reporting. Every social media video is clearly labeled as AI-generated, and many listeners are fully aware of that and enjoy the music for what it is. All of the songs are written by me.”
So what happens next? He releases more music created out of thin air. You can upload anything to YouTube or Spotify. But will they allow this to be the future of music? Will Dallas Little, who’s obviously technologically gifted, proceed? Will “Eddie Dalton” make appearances to plug his music? We’re seeing the future right now.
One thing Little is wrong about: the videos are not marked “AI.” And I’m not convinced that the comments under each video are real of manufactured. But Little’s songs are excellent, totally recalling the heyday of soul. The feel of Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett, Johnny Taylor, is there.
