> Stripping all of that out, and jumping to a "finished" product, is, well very product focused, but to me completely devoid of art or musicianship.

This hits very close to the philosophical core of the AI debacle.

All hardcore fans of AI just want things done. The process is of no interest to them.

This is truly an eschatologic problem of desire. Consider:

Some people want to grab their result, attain satiation, have orgasm, and die, right now.

Others would much rather enjoy the process, the meal itself, indulge in gentle act of love in tune with the partner, and just keep on living their lives, continuously.