Suggested links

Blog

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy, audio and social.

Why have we yet to hear an AI-generated hit?

Tatiana Cirisano

6 Aug 2026

Cultural trends Streaming Artists

The biggest fears AI stokes are most often rooted in displacement. Generative AI music models are trained on vast quantities of existing music and capable of producing songs that are catchy, enjoyable, and even beautiful.

5 min read

Cover image for Why have we yet to hear an AI-generated hit?

“Seems like AI slop”: Is LinkedIn leading the shift towards authentic content?

Hanna Kahlert

6 Aug 2026

Product Strategy Social media Social

Since ChatGPT first launched in November of 2022, AI-generated and augmented content has flooded social platforms. Initially lauded as a new tool to superpower creators and marketers alike, AI has instead exacerbated a pre-existing problem: an overwhelming amount of content that has left everyone st...

3 min read

Cover image for “Seems like AI slop”: Is LinkedIn leading the shift towards authentic content?

Why music is not enough for an artist fan club

Kriss Thakrar

31 Jul 2026

Cultural trends Instagram Deezer

With 90,000 AI-generated tracks uploaded to Deezer every day(at time of writing), AI-generated music now constitutes the majority of new releases on the platform. Music was an oversaturated world before AI, with 60,000 tracks released a day in 2021, but a threefold increase in five years makes that ...

3 min read

Cover image for Why music is not enough for an artist fan club

What it takes to make a music streaming subscriber switch services

Tatiana Cirisano

30 Jul 2026

Clients only

Business Strategy Spotify Streaming

For years, choosing a music streaming service was perhaps less of a decision than an accident. At least in Western markets, the major DSPs have offered similar catalogue, feature sets, and user interfaces, giving consumers little reason to choose one over another.

4 min read

Cover image for What it takes to make a music streaming subscriber switch services

The other side of the UGC coin: fans as part of the creative process

Hanna Kahlert

29 Jul 2026

Cultural trends YouTube Fandom

Algorithmic personalisation and niche scenes have seemingly undermined mainstream culture . Labels struggle to break new superstars and Hollywood productions have fallen into a repetitive cycle of remakes and franchises.

3 min read

Cover image for The other side of the UGC coin: fans as part of the creative process

Niche is the new mainstream: Marketing in an AI-saturated social landscape

Hanna Kahlert

22 Jul 2026

TikTok Instagram Social media

Social feeds are saturated with content – both original and AI-powered. In this competitive attention landscape, brand activations and traditional advertising are struggling to cut through. Simply getting a brand name out in the market is no longer enough to build loyalty.

4 min read

Cover image for Niche is the new mainstream: Marketing in an AI-saturated social landscape

Why dedicated fans are trading infinite choice for trusted curation

Laura Fisher

16 Jul 2026

Audience Insight Streaming Radio

The story of digital music has been one of expanding choice. Streaming's initial proposition was for the crate-diggers – a way of bringing the passion of music discovery into the digital age. However, the number of passive listeners on DSPs quickly outnumbered dedicated fans and the model optimise...

4 min read

Cover image for Why dedicated fans are trading infinite choice for trusted curation

The biggest album launches happen off streaming – here’s how it can win them back

Olivia Jones

15 Jul 2026

Marketing Strategy Spotify TikTok

Album marketing rollouts are moving to centre stage as a growing number of artists and labels incorporate interactive experiences into their digital album promotions. For example, with Olivia Rodrigo’s recent release you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love , TikTok launched an in-app experience ...

3 min read

Cover image for The biggest album launches happen off streaming – here’s how it can win them back

Gender inequity in creative industries is a structural problem. It's time we addressed it like one

Laura Fisher

10 Jul 2026

Cultural trends Artists Music

Gender inequity in creative industries is often treated as a series of one-off incidents – individual acts of bias, isolated pay gaps, or a singular unsafe workspace. This fragmented view is, itself, part of the problem.

4 min read

Cover image for Gender inequity in creative industries is a structural problem. It's time we addressed it like one

The future of the music creator economy

Mark Mulligan

9 Jul 2026

Audience Insight Streaming Creators

AI is a black swan event for music, intertwining the futures of the creator economy and the music industry. The number of gen AI music monthly active users (MAUs) nearly tripled between 2023 and 2025, adding nearly nine times as many users as the global base of musicians over the same period.

5 min read

Cover image for The future of the music creator economy

Social media first principles: What it takes to go beyond the algorithm

Hanna Kahlert

8 Jul 2026

Business Strategy Social media Creators

The formula for success on social platforms changes regularly, much to the frustration of emerging creators and marketers alike. This is a natural consequence of content saturation. The moment the code gets cracked and everyone follows the same rulebook, that rulebook stops delivering anything that ...

4 min read

Cover image for Social media first principles: What it takes to go beyond the algorithm

Instagram’s aging userbase: Why the under-16 social ban could be an advantage

Hanna Kahlert

3 Jul 2026

Clients only

Audience Insight Social media Social

Australia’s social media ban for under-16s has set off a domino effect. The UK has announced a social ban of its own set for Spring 2027, with many other countries also considering measures On the surface, the under-16s bans will simply cause teens to wait until they are old enough to make account...

4 min read

Cover image for Instagram’s aging userbase: Why the under-16 social ban could be an advantage

AI attitudes by DSP: See which platform’s users embrace AI the most – and why

Tatiana Cirisano

2 Jul 2026

Clients only

Audience Insight Streaming Music streaming

Over the last few weeks, much has been written about music streaming platforms’ approaches to AI transparency, moderation, and adoption, which are often vastly different . Just as DSPs differ in their approaches to AI, it turns out that their userbases differ widely on their attitudes towards th...

6 min read

Cover image for AI attitudes by DSP: See which platform’s users embrace AI the most – and why

Now’s the time to have your say: Audio creator survey still open

Laura Fisher

1 Jul 2026

Audience Insight Creators Audio creators

The response to MIDiA's audio creator survey has been brilliant, so thank you to everyone who has already taken part. But, if you haven't yet, there's still time to have your say. Following a successful first year, we're back and once again inviting spoken-word audio creators to share their experien...

2 min read

Cover image for Now’s the time to have your say: Audio creator survey still open

Why now is the time for the creator right

Mark Mulligan

26 Jun 2026

Business Strategy Creators Artists

YouTube’s Lyor Cohen and the Recording Academy’s Harvey Mason Jr. recently penned an op-ed for Variety in which they made the case for the NO FAKES act being seen as the starting pistol rather than the finish line.

4 min read

Cover image for Why now is the time for the creator right

Understanding the significance of a play: What the AMP’s new measurement framework means for the audio industry

Laura Fisher

25 Jun 2026

Clients only

Audience Insight Spotify Creators

Podcasting has spent much of the last decade trying to prove its value through metrics inherited from a fundamentally different era of digital media. That era may finally be coming to an end. On 4 June, the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting (AMP), an industry task force established to address g...

3 min read

Cover image for Understanding the significance of a play: What the AMP’s new measurement framework means for the audio industry

Video creation has never been easier – so why does it feel harder? Share your experience in our survey

Ben Woods

24 Jun 2026

Audience Insight Creators Creator economy

There has never been a better time to make video. The barriers to creation have collapsed. Editing software that once cost thousands is available on subscription. AI can generate transcripts, captions, thumbnails, clips, and even entire video sequences.

2 min read

Cover image for Video creation has never been easier – so why does it feel harder? Share your experience in our survey

What do young people do without the doomscroll? Why social media bans present an opportunity

Hanna Kahlert

23 Jun 2026

Cultural trends Fandom Social media

The United Kingdom is set to enact bans on social media for under 16s by spring 2027, with further restrictions for 16 and 17-year-olds under consideration. It will also likely affect how adults use social platforms as age verification measures and algorithmic adjustments take place.

4 min read

Cover image for What do young people do without the doomscroll? Why social media bans present an opportunity

Superfandom in an anti-social media world

Kriss Thakrar

19 Jun 2026

Clients only

Fandom Streaming Social media

For the past five years, TikTok and digital reach have largely dictated music marketing. For many artists, success has meant being an influencer first and an artist second. The idea of “ 1000 true fans ” shifted from cultivating a dedicated audience willing to buy tickets for your shows to focus...

3 min read

Cover image for Superfandom in an anti-social media world

Social versus sponsorship: brand building in 2026

Hanna Kahlert

17 Jun 2026

Marketing Strategy Fandom Social media

Social media is the go-to form of marketing in the digital age, resulting in a predicted combined $737.1 billion in annual revenue by 2031 per MIDiA’s forecast . It’s not hard to see why: social offers quick returns and easy measurement, including reach, time spent, click-through rates, and purc...

4 min read

© 2026 MIDiA Research Ltd. All Rights Reserved.