You're right to avoid artist names — describe the SOUND, not the person. Every artist's style breaks down into components you can prompt directly.
1. Deconstruct the artist into 4 parts:
- Era:
early 70s,mid-90s,2020s - Instruments:
jangly 12-string, Hammond organ, brushed drums - Vocal:
nasal tenor, conversational delivery - Production:
dry, close-mic, lo-fi tape warmth
Four components = the artist's fingerprint without the name.
2. Steal the arrangement, not the identity: anthemic chorus with gang vocals, verse-whisper to chorus-explosion dynamics — structural tricks are uncopyrightable and instantly evocative.
3. Name the SCENE, not the person: Seattle grunge 1993, Motown 1967, Nashville outlaw country — scenes carry the sound; names carry the risk.
4. If you must reference, keep it to private notes, not the prompt. And if a generation comes out sounding LIKE a specific famous song, don't release it — soundalikes get flagged.
5. The goal is influence, not imitation. The best 'sounds like X' songs take X's ingredients and bake a new cake. Your listeners will hear the influence; lawyers won't hear the infringement.
Good luck! Hank founder of SonorixPG