BubbleUp CEO Coleman Sisson, 50 years in tech, says stop panicking about AI
A tech veteran who has spent two decades working with acts like BTS and the Eagles has a message for musicians scared of AI: calm down. Coleman Sisson, founder and CEO of BubbleUp, laid out the case in a guest column, arguing AI is the next tool in a 50-year line of them, not the end of the line.
A man who has seen this before
Sisson wrote his first software program 50 years ago. He bought a Heathkit personal computer in 1981 while coworkers joked he would use it to manage recipes, watched the IBM PC and the spreadsheet reshape business, then the internet, Google, the iPhone and social media each arrive as the thing that would change everything.
He points the same lens at music. The industry has absorbed microphones, amplifiers, drum machines, Pro Tools, CDs, downloads and streaming, he writes. Each time the fear was that the tech would replace musicians or flatten creativity. Each time, he says, it expanded access and grew the amount of music being made.
His argument: AI is leverage, not a replacement
Sisson’s read on AI is that it amplifies people rather than erasing them. “It doesn’t eliminate the need for expertise; it amplifies the value of people who know how to use it well,” he writes.
His personal rule comes from watching cycles play out: “We consistently overestimate the short-term impact of new technology and underestimate the long-term impact.” So his approach is to adopt early but apply it for concrete gains, using AI to refine presentations, read financial reports, review contracts and pressure-test ideas.
After fifty years of watching technology cycles come and go, I'm not worried about AI. I'm adding it to my toolbox.
Where the optimism needs an asterisk
Two things sit underneath the piece. Sisson runs a company that sells artists technology, so a call to relax about tech lands from an interested party, and the column ran as a sponsored guest post. That does not make him wrong, it just frames who is talking.
The bigger gap is what “stop panicking” skips. There is a real fight in AI music, and it is not about whether to use the tools. It is about AI companies training on copyrighted songs without permission, the question at the center of the label lawsuits against Suno and Udio and the fights over sealed training data.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Coleman Sisson?
Coleman Sisson is the founder and CEO of BubbleUp, a music technology and marketing company. He started programming 50 years ago and has worked alongside every major tech cycle since, from early personal computers to the internet, smartphones and AI.
What is BubbleUp?
BubbleUp is a company that has spent more than 20 years building fan engagement, earnings and audience growth for major artists, including BTS, the Eagles, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Kelsea Ballerini and Doechii.
What is Coleman Sisson's argument about AI in music?
Sisson argues AI is leverage, not a replacement. He says the music industry has absorbed waves of technology before, from drum machines to streaming, and that artists and teams who learn AI early and apply it pragmatically will gain the most from it.
Does Coleman Sisson's case address AI music's copyright fight?
No. Sisson argues musicians should not panic about AI as a creative and productivity tool. His column does not address the separate fight over AI companies training on copyrighted music without permission, which remains a real and unresolved concern for artists.
About the author
Covering AI music tools, industry shifts, and news for music creators and professionals. Twice-weekly newsletter at aimusicpreneur.com.
