Postscript on the Musics of Control

Yinuo Chen
Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, PMLR 303:1-16, 2026.

Abstract

This paper traces how “control” is socially coded in contemporary music technology, and offers an account of the circuit of control to bridge the conceptual gap between the sociopolitical and the technical. Formally, the paper adopts a triptych that deliberately echoes Deleuze’s influential “Postscript” in title and cadence: Historical, Logic, Programming to progress its analysis. The analysis redirects attention from the controllability of intelligent systems to the social formations through which control is allocated and recognized. To frame this shift, the paper theorizes the gear economy—a lens set alongside the much-frequented concept gig economy in sociology—to explain how AI-music tools (e.g., Suno, Udio) are legitimated through existing music gear markets. The claim is coalition rather than addition: AI tools fold into pre-existing markets that price and credential controllability. On this basis, the paper calls for design-oriented ethical interventions that speak to technologists, producer-musicians, and the general public, making the circuit of control visible and reconfigurable, and redirecting control toward humans so that AI music tools augment rather than shrink creative agency.

Cite this Paper

BibTeX
@InProceedings{pmlr-v303-chen26a, title = {Postscript on the Musics of Control}, author = {Chen, Yinuo}, booktitle = {Proceedings of Machine Learning Research}, pages = {1--16}, year = {2026}, editor = {Herremans, Dorien and Bhandari, Keshav and Roy, Abhinaba and Colton, Simon and Barthet, Mathieu}, volume = {303}, series = {Proceedings of Machine Learning Research}, month = {26 Jan}, publisher = {PMLR}, pdf = {https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mlresearch/v303/main/assets/chen26a/chen26a.pdf}, url = {https://proceedings.mlr.press/v303/chen26a.html}, abstract = {This paper traces how “control” is socially coded in contemporary music technology, and offers an account of the circuit of control to bridge the conceptual gap between the sociopolitical and the technical. Formally, the paper adopts a triptych that deliberately echoes Deleuze’s influential “Postscript” in title and cadence: Historical, Logic, Programming to progress its analysis. The analysis redirects attention from the controllability of intelligent systems to the social formations through which control is allocated and recognized. To frame this shift, the paper theorizes the gear economy—a lens set alongside the much-frequented concept gig economy in sociology—to explain how AI-music tools (e.g., Suno, Udio) are legitimated through existing music gear markets. The claim is coalition rather than addition: AI tools fold into pre-existing markets that price and credential controllability. On this basis, the paper calls for design-oriented ethical interventions that speak to technologists, producer-musicians, and the general public, making the circuit of control visible and reconfigurable, and redirecting control toward humans so that AI music tools augment rather than shrink creative agency.} }
Endnote
%0 Conference Paper %T Postscript on the Musics of Control %A Yinuo Chen %B Proceedings of Machine Learning Research %C Proceedings of Machine Learning Research %D 2026 %E Dorien Herremans %E Keshav Bhandari %E Abhinaba Roy %E Simon Colton %E Mathieu Barthet %F pmlr-v303-chen26a %I PMLR %P 1--16 %U https://proceedings.mlr.press/v303/chen26a.html %V 303 %X This paper traces how “control” is socially coded in contemporary music technology, and offers an account of the circuit of control to bridge the conceptual gap between the sociopolitical and the technical. Formally, the paper adopts a triptych that deliberately echoes Deleuze’s influential “Postscript” in title and cadence: Historical, Logic, Programming to progress its analysis. The analysis redirects attention from the controllability of intelligent systems to the social formations through which control is allocated and recognized. To frame this shift, the paper theorizes the gear economy—a lens set alongside the much-frequented concept gig economy in sociology—to explain how AI-music tools (e.g., Suno, Udio) are legitimated through existing music gear markets. The claim is coalition rather than addition: AI tools fold into pre-existing markets that price and credential controllability. On this basis, the paper calls for design-oriented ethical interventions that speak to technologists, producer-musicians, and the general public, making the circuit of control visible and reconfigurable, and redirecting control toward humans so that AI music tools augment rather than shrink creative agency.
APA
Chen, Y.. (2026). Postscript on the Musics of Control. Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, in Proceedings of Machine Learning Research 303:1-16 Available from https://proceedings.mlr.press/v303/chen26a.html.

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