How to use AI to create Spotify cover art for artists and musicians
In this post, we’ll explain how to use two of the top artificial intelligence artwork generators - Midjourney and DALLE to help you make album art for your music.
In our recent post how to use Chat GPT for artists and musicians, we shared how AI helped brainstorm song titles, lyrics, and melodies for a hypothetical song about “finding yourself through traveling the world”.
In this post, we’ll continue to use the same hypothetical song for the cover art examples.
Making Cover Art with Midjourney (Example):
Prompt: “Album art for a song about finding yourself through travel”
Midjourney will create 4 images for you. Then you will have the option to ask for upscaled high-quality versions (hit the U buttons) or more variations (hit the V buttons) of each image.
Here are the 4 images it gave me within a minute or two.
These all came out pretty cool and impressive. Not bad for a first try. So I went ahead and hit the "Upscale" button for each image. Results below.
These would all look great as a Spotify album or single cover.
Imagine the time it would take to make these from scratch.
Midjourney Cover Art #1:
Midjourney Cover Art #2:
Midjourney Cover Art #3:
Midjourney Cover Art #4:
Making Cover Art with DALLE 2 (Example):
Next, I tried DALLE 2 to create cover art for the same song.
Here was my first attempt.
Not bad, but I wasn't satisfied with any of the options, so I keep refining the prompt and trying new things until I got some results that felt better.
DALLE Cover Art #1:
DALLE Cover Art #2:
DALLE Cover Art #3:
DALLE Cover Art #4:
What are the legal implications of using AI-generated art?
This is a great question. With such a new and unprecedented technology, the legal situation seems to be fluid.
I’m no legal expert, but my general understanding is that while AI-generated art is not copyright protected, it can still be used for commercial purposes as long as this is within the terms of the AI company you are using.
However, since you cannot copyright it, this means you don’t own the art, it is public domain and can be used by others.
That being said, this is certainly a gray area and will continue to evolve in the coming months.
Common Questions
How can artists ensure their AI-generated cover art remains unique?
Artists should consider customizing the AI-generated artwork further, either by tweaking the initial prompts to generate more unique outcomes or by using the generated art as a base and then adding personal touches with graphic design tools.
Are there any ethical considerations when using AI-generated art for commercial purposes?
Artists should consider the implications of using AI-generated content, such as the potential lack of personal touch or the implications of not crediting human creativity in their artwork.
Can AI-generated cover art truly capture the essence of the music it represents?
While AI can generate visually striking images, artists may question whether these creations can encapsulate the depth and emotion of their music, a factor that might influence their decision to use AI for this purpose.
Final Thoughts
These tools are exciting. At the least, I recommend trying them out and having some fun messing around. You may find that AI becomes a great resource for you moving forward.
Personally, Midjourney is my favorite tool as I prefer the artwork it creates, however, some may find it technically challenging to use. DALLE is easier to use.
Keep in mind, that you can always use AI for inspiration and then create the artwork on your own in Photoshop or with a designer.
Want to make your own AI cover art?
Try Midjourney: Go to the Midjourney Quickstart Guide to learn how to get started.
Try DALLE: Go to the DALLE website and sign up
Additional AI Art Generators:
Note: many of these are free to try.
Looking to Promote Your Music?
Try our Spotify Playlist Pitching and TikTok Music Promotion services.
