A masterclass on using AI without losing authenticity.

This podcast includes the full Alabama Crimson Tide's New Song - Roll Baby Roll to close the show - our goal is to help you rethink creativity momentum and how to use AI tools without compromising your voice.

We also include the Top 3 AI Tools For Music Production Below.

You will learn:

• Why not creating is the most dangerous mistake a creator can make
• How AI can amplify talent instead of replacing it
• What separates tool users from true creators
• How to accelerate output without sacrificing quality
• Why ownership of ideas still matters more than technology

In this episode of Close The Deal, Ewell Smith sits down with veteran producer and filmmaker Steve Scaffidi to explore creativity reinvention, AI powered momentum, and why the real risk is quitting, not evolving.

Steve Scaffidi's  Top 13 Close The Deal Mindset Success Quotes:

Mindset

 1.  “ The most dangerous thing a creator can do is not create ”
 2. “ Don’t quit even when it feels like the door has slammed shut ”
 3. “ If you can hear the music, you already have the gift ”
4. “ Momentum comes from action, not permission ”
5. “ Tools don’t create vision, people do ”

Creativity and Craft

6. “ If you can write a poem, you can write a song ”
 7 . “ These are glorified demos but they open real doors ”
8.   “ The work still matters the tools just speed it up ”

Marketing and Ownership

  9. “ You need a hook before you need perfection ”
10. “ If you misuse AI,  people can feel it immediately ”
11. “ Speed creates leverage when paired with intention ”
12.  “ Producers who ignore AI will get left behind ”
13. “ Creativity belongs to the person willing to just do it. ”

TOP 3 AI Tools For Music Production

Suno (Steve's favorite)
https://suno.com
Creates full songs with vocals and structure when guided by a human songwriter.

Udio
https://www.udio.com
Delivers high quality music with rich instrumentation and strong production depth.

Soundraw
https://soundraw.io
Generates customizable royalty friendly instrumental tracks for creators and brands.

The Creative Cost of Not Creating

The silent danger creators ignore

Steve Scafffidi opens with a statement that stops most creators in their tracks. The most dangerous thing a creator can do is not create. Not failure. Not rejection. Not criticism. Silence. Over decades in music television and live production, Steve has seen talent stall not because of ability but because of hesitation.

He tells a story of a friend who calls himself a writer but has been working on the same screenplay for thirty years. The idea never died. The execution did. That gap between intention and action is where most creative dreams quietly disappear.

Why momentum matters more than perfection

Creating is not about waiting until conditions are perfect. It is about putting something on the field. Steve emphasizes that creative momentum compounds the same way business momentum does. Each completed project sharpens instinct and confidence.

Creators who wait for validation often never start. Creators who ship imperfect work learn faster than those who plan endlessly.

A lifetime of credibility

Steve Scaffidi is not new to production. His resume spans MTV music videos, major concert productions, and work with icons like Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Gladys Knight and George Jones. He understands craft, collaboration, and the grind of traditional production.

That background matters because his embrace of AI is not naive or reckless. It is informed. He knows what real musicianship and production require.

The problem with the old model

Traditional music production demands time money and coordination. Studio musicians schedules and budgets slow the process. Steve shared how he once spent a year trying to get a single collaborator to move a project forward.

For many creators that friction kills momentum. Not because the idea lacks merit but because execution becomes exhausting.

AI as a Tool Not a Crutch:  Writing still comes first

Steve is clear about one thing. AI does not write his songs. He does. Every lyric every hook every structure comes from him. AI becomes the instrument that brings the song to life not the author of the idea.

This distinction matters. Audiences can sense when work is generated instead of created. Authenticity still shows up even when technology is involved.

Unlocking dormant creativity

Before discovering AI powered music tools Steve had written over two hundred songs that never left paper. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed his songbook the emotional toll stopped him from writing for years.

In the last ninety days alone he has written over fifty songs. Not because he suddenly became more talented but because the barrier between idea and execution disappeared.

Speed Changes Everything (from one song to a catalog)

What once took months now takes days. Steve describes these songs as glorified demos but that framing understates their value. A catalog changes how creators show up in conversations with artists labels and collaborators.

Instead of pitching an idea verbally he can now send a link and let the work speak.

Why acceleration creates leverage

Speed allows experimentation. Experimentation creates learning. Learning builds confidence. This cycle fuels momentum. Steve’s Alabama anthem Roll Baby Roll gained thousands of views quickly not because it was perfect but because it existed.

Creators who move fast gain optionality. Those who wait gain doubt.

Marketing Lessons Hidden in Music

Start with the hook.  Steve approaches songwriting like marketing. He begins with the hook. Roll Baby Roll came before the verses. Just like content creators need a compelling opening musicians need a memorable anchor.

Attention is earned in seconds. Whether in music or business the hook determines whether people stay.

Know the audience first.  Steve worked backward. Alabama fans first. Football fans second. General music fans third. Every creative decision tied back to who would care and why.

This mindset applies to every creator regardless of medium. Creation without audience awareness is just noise.

Reinvention Is a Choice

It is never too late:  Steve’s YouTube channel is called Ain’t Too Late Music for a reason. Turning seventy did not stop him from experimenting. If anything it freed him from fear.

Reinvention does not require abandoning experience. It requires reapplying it with new tools.

The lesson he would tell his younger self: If Steve could go back he would tell himself one thing. Do not quit. Injuries ended his football dreams. Quitting shaped his creative detours. Yet those experiences now fuel his persistence.

The fire that drives him today was lit decades ago by disappointment.

Closing Reflection

Creators do not lose relevance because of technology. They lose relevance when they stop creating.  AI did not replace Steve Scafe. It unlocked him.

The future belongs to those willing to use new tools without surrendering authorship.