Look what they've done to my song, Ma

Meanwhile another singer/producer called Frank Ocean has been left all at sea after a new ditty fans were led to believe was his, was sold on Spotify or something of the ilk. Apparently, some other people with ponytails and nothing better to do had, in fact, used artificial intelligence tools to analyse snippets of Mr Ocean's previous work in order to create something in his stylieee. Word has it, it fooled vast swathes of listeners. It would have been funny if they'd confused Frank with Billy and concocted a rap version of Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car. Didn't happen, unfortunately.

All of this shenanigans has, as you might expect, led to much harrumphing and manufactured outrage from within the music industry.

"How dare they use technology to make formulaic hits with minimal human input!", they wail, simultaneously throwing their wobbly toy Elvises out of the pram.

Hang on a minute, fellas. That's exactly what you've been doing for decades with your auto-tuning devices, pre-programmed rhythms and samples of more talented people's work. It's a bit rich that you're now complaining that artificial intelligence has taken things just a little bit further than you'd taken them yourselves anyway.

I, for one, have absolutely no sympathy for record companies. They opened Pandora's box years ago and now that the consequences have come back to bite them, they stamp their feet like spoiled toddlers in risible fits of confected righteousness.

Unlucky, boys. Be careful what you wish for.