The AI Bullet Train AI continues to be the most disruptive force in music. Bromley expects more rapid-paced development in the world of AI music . “We will see more ‘AI artists’ making debuts, more market deals between content aggregators and AI companies, and more surprises that no one is expecting,” he writes .
But AI also raises important questions about authenticity. “When does this process become inauthentic? There is no easy answer. There is no black and white, only shades of grey,” Bromley notes . He encourages tolerance, pointing out that “the fans will decide what they want to listen to. For every AI artist, there’s Harry Styles, Björk, The Postal Service, OutKast and The White Stripes to reckon with. If people look at these icons of art and decide robots make better music, we have bigger problems” .
Industry leaders are calling for “the three Cs” as it relates to music creators: Clarity, Consent, and Compensation. The Music Artists Coalition has established this mandate . Progress is also expected on the NO FAKES Act in Washington, which would establish a much-needed federal right of publicity against deepfakes that erode trust in what we see .
The Ticketing Battles Will Continue Every year brings a new wave of state and federal bills attempting to strip artists of their right to control ticket pricing for their fans. These bills are funded by “consumer groups” backed by the secondary ticketing market . Bromley argues that “there is no consumer advocacy group greater than music artists, whose entire careers are focused on building and fostering a fan base” .
On the other side of the coin is Live Nation/Ticketmaster, which will be presenting at trial against the DOJ, defending an ongoing FTC litigation, along with other private lawsuits. Bromley notes that his personal experience is that Live Nation has been “an excellent partner, oftentimes going out of its way to solve problems or provide non-contractual incentives to artists on tour” .
The Creator Economy The creator economy is expected to reach a value of $480 billion by 2027, backed by social media giants like YouTube, Meta, and TikTok . The ecosystem expands to concentric rings of streamers, consumer goods, video podcasts, and native branded advertising. “Where they aren’t is traditional television, which has been eclipsed in attention by all of the above,” Bromley writes .
These creators have changed the way people interact with media. It has changed the way media companies budget and measure success. It has changed how advertisers spend. Watch for savvy music artists to take advantage of this engagement wave in 2026 .
Artist Advocacy 2025 saw artists increasingly using their platforms for advocacy. Chappell Roan’s speech at the Grammys regarding healthcare for music workers was followed by her donation to Backline, which was followed by Noah Kahan and Charli xcx . Billie Eilish called on billionaires to give money to “people that need it,” followed by her donating her entire tour profits (valued at over $11 million) to organizations supporting food access and combating the climate crisis .
Bromley expects more of this in 2026 and welcomes it. “Let’s embrace it as the constant, lock arms in artist advocacy and blaze through,” he writes
