Thursday , April 9, 2026Good morning! 
“The shame around AI is causing more harm than help.”
I read that line a few weeks ago in a New York Times analysis of a controversy over AI use in literary publishing, and it haunted me.
Two years earlier, I’d reported on a broad coalition of music industry companies, trade organizations, advocacy outfits and music-makers backing Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, which banned unauthorized, AI-aided use of a performer’s vocal likeness. Representatives from so many different sides of the music business crammed into that press conference photo-op that they couldn’t all fit into a frame.
But the place of AI in music is a far more divisive matter than that moment of public consensus suggested, and its impact on the act of music-making transcends the abuse of voice cloning, as galvanizing an issue as that is.
Thanks to the illiteracy and ethical murkiness around AI, and the cultural value we place on originality in art and entertainment, people are reluctant to talk about it.
I’ve been on the lookout for exceptions.
WHAT TO KNOW
Kevin Griffin in his home studio wtih Jaren Johnston. Photo: Jewly Hight
A legal expert I spoke with predicted that the copyright infringement lawsuits major labels began bringing against AI music-generating platforms like Suno and Udio would likely result in the labels, but not music-makers themselves, getting their piece of the profits.
Ominous, but accurate.
I kept hearing about songwriters using AI to alter the voices on their demos to up their chances of successfully placing the songs they were pitching. But I couldn’t get anyone to go on the record about what was being done with AI behind closed doors by writers, producers and performers. And even Harvey Mason Jr., head of the Recording Academy, recently testified to its ubiquity: “I’ve seen AI in every studio, in every session.”
So when I got a press release about Soundbreak — a new AI music-generating platform launching in Nashville with songwriters behind it — it seemed too different to ignore.
Behind the app is Kevin Griffin, who came to fame leading the alt-rock band Better Than Ezra and became a player in the music business ecosystem of middle Tennessee. He decided to channel his concerns about apps like Suno into action.
“I can throw up my hands and say, ‘Here’s another thing that’s going to cannibalize my songwriting career.’ Or I can say, ‘I want to do something that advocates for me as a songwriter, and my peers.’”
What’s notable about Soundbreak is the fact that it’s built around a roster of established writer-artists who signed on to participate and help shape AI models that reflect their signature styles. And they get a portion of both the subscription earnings and song ownership when users choose to “co-write” with them.
I also got to test the app in a session with Griffin and his fellow hit-writer Jaren Johnston. Check out the results, and their perspectives on adapting to the AI era, in the full story today. Dive into the story
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How does the new Nissan Stadium bring things back around to the stadium problems that brought the Titans to Nashville? The new stadium under construction in Nashville embraces a trend the team once ran away from. Plus the local news for April 9, 2026 and HealthQ discusses AI at the doctor.
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MORE TO KNOW
- A state investigation has found nearly 60, quote, “willful violations” at the Bucksnort factory where a massive explosion killed 16 workers in October. The Tennessean reports the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is issuing more than 3 million dollars in penalties to the company, Accurate Energetic Systems.
- It’s time for more substantial work at the Nashville airport’s entrance.BNA is tripling the number of escalators and installing new, faster elevators. That’s to help transport more passengers more quickly between the ticketing, baggage claim and ground levels. The Nashville Business Journal reportsthe so-called “central core” of the terminal’s entrance will be closed for construction for 18 months. The rest of the terminal will be open as usual.
- Nashvillians will not get a credit to help pay for increased water bills after Winter Storm Fern, reports WPLN’s Cynthia Abrams. During the storm, residents were encouraged to drip their faucets for days on end. The mayor’s office put forth a proposal for Metro Water Service customers to receive a one-time credit, ranging from roughly $8 – $25. The program would have cost the city around $6 million. But, ultimately, the proposal was rejected by the council this week. Some councilmembers cited concern over the total cost of the program for what they called “a small amount of relief.” Following the council’s rejection, the mayor issued a statement, saying that Metro Water “could have tightened its belt” for the credit. He called the decision an “incredibly disappointing outcome.”
FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE
The 2026 edition was released today, and in this episode, we take a closer look at what the data reveals. Where is the city making progress, and where do disparities remain? More importantly, how can leaders and communities use this information to drive meaningful change?
We also preview the upcoming Community Needs Evaluation from Metro Social Services. Released yearly for the last seventeen years, this year’s report, “Affordability Issues for African Americans in Nashville: Enduring Legacies. Emerging Issues,” focuses on continued affordability challenges facing African Americans in Nashville.
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