Blab Music
Local Michigan Musician Uses AI to Cut Production Time and Cost
Roger Lee Bandeen, a veteran musician from Cadillac, Michigan, has begun using artificial‑intelligence tools to turn his handwritten compositions into finished recordings in a fraction of the time and money that a traditional studio would require.
According to the Cadillac News article, Bandeen says the AI software—Sun, a generative music platform that launched in December 2023—helps him generate full‑band arrangements and vocal tracks from the sheet music he writes. He drafts all melodies, chord progressions, song structures and lyrics by hand, then transcribes the parts into notation that Sun can read. The program assigns individual instruments, emulating styles ranging from bluegrass to jazz, and produces a demo that Bandeen can review in a single day.
Bandeen’s career began in the 1960s with a rock‑and‑roll group called Seventh Chord, where he played brass and keyboards. The band toured the state on a Greyhound bus but never recorded original material, and it eventually disbanded. Since then, he has continued to write and perform music, keeping a large collection of handwritten scores in binders at his home studio.
He explains that hiring session musicians and renting studio time in Nashville—an industry hub for country and pop production—has been prohibitively expensive for a local artist without industry connections. "Nashville is a closed society that doesn’t pay as much attention to musicians that operate outside the area," he said. "I can produce a demo in a day. I don’t have to have a studio. All I need is a laptop now."
Bandeen argues that the AI’s role is comparable to the use of digital instrument samples, a practice that has existed for decades. "It all comes from human input," he said. "It’s not like it hasn’t been played before… How is that different than using samples?" He notes that the AI learns from a database of previously recorded songs to mimic the style he requests, so the final product remains a human‑created composition.
The musician also points out that other artists, including pop singer Teddy Swims, have publicly praised AI for its creative potential. "Some artists will talk about it candidly and others won’t," Bandeen said.
A legal issue that remains unresolved is the ownership of works that incorporate AI assistance. Bandeen says that, as it stands, he could be grouped with artists who let an AI write an entire song. He believes the law should distinguish between a piece that is fully written by a human and one that is merely assisted by AI. "I think that’s unjust," he said.
He has recently finished a bluegrass‑inspired track that references Northern Michigan’s Great Lakes, Traverse City and the East Bay. The song has not yet been released, and he is considering the best distribution channel.
In summary, Roger Bandeen demonstrates how AI tools like Sun can empower independent musicians to produce professional‑sounding demos quickly and cheaply. While the technology offers clear advantages, questions about copyright ownership and industry acceptance remain.
The story illustrates a growing trend in which artists outside major music centers use AI to bridge resource gaps, a development that may influence how independent music is created and distributed in the coming years.
According to the Cadillac News article, Bandeen says the AI software—Sun, a generative music platform that launched in December 2023—helps him generate full‑band arrangements and vocal tracks from the sheet music he writes. He drafts all melodies, chord progressions, song structures and lyrics by hand, then transcribes the parts into notation that Sun can read. The program assigns individual instruments, emulating styles ranging from bluegrass to jazz, and produces a demo that Bandeen can review in a single day.
Bandeen’s career began in the 1960s with a rock‑and‑roll group called Seventh Chord, where he played brass and keyboards. The band toured the state on a Greyhound bus but never recorded original material, and it eventually disbanded. Since then, he has continued to write and perform music, keeping a large collection of handwritten scores in binders at his home studio.
He explains that hiring session musicians and renting studio time in Nashville—an industry hub for country and pop production—has been prohibitively expensive for a local artist without industry connections. "Nashville is a closed society that doesn’t pay as much attention to musicians that operate outside the area," he said. "I can produce a demo in a day. I don’t have to have a studio. All I need is a laptop now."
Bandeen argues that the AI’s role is comparable to the use of digital instrument samples, a practice that has existed for decades. "It all comes from human input," he said. "It’s not like it hasn’t been played before… How is that different than using samples?" He notes that the AI learns from a database of previously recorded songs to mimic the style he requests, so the final product remains a human‑created composition.
The musician also points out that other artists, including pop singer Teddy Swims, have publicly praised AI for its creative potential. "Some artists will talk about it candidly and others won’t," Bandeen said.
A legal issue that remains unresolved is the ownership of works that incorporate AI assistance. Bandeen says that, as it stands, he could be grouped with artists who let an AI write an entire song. He believes the law should distinguish between a piece that is fully written by a human and one that is merely assisted by AI. "I think that’s unjust," he said.
He has recently finished a bluegrass‑inspired track that references Northern Michigan’s Great Lakes, Traverse City and the East Bay. The song has not yet been released, and he is considering the best distribution channel.
In summary, Roger Bandeen demonstrates how AI tools like Sun can empower independent musicians to produce professional‑sounding demos quickly and cheaply. While the technology offers clear advantages, questions about copyright ownership and industry acceptance remain.
The story illustrates a growing trend in which artists outside major music centers use AI to bridge resource gaps, a development that may influence how independent music is created and distributed in the coming years.
