What will the music industry look like in 2025?

5 predictions for the year to come – and how you can make 2025 your best year yet…

2024 was a year of seismic shifts in the music industry – but what does 2025 have in store for us?

The key to staying ahead of the curve in such a fast-paced industry is to embrace the changes that are coming our way, so we’ve rounded up our predictions for the year so you can make it your best yet!

Prediction #1: AI continues to grow

Let’s tackle the obvious right out of the gate: AI isn’t going anywhere.

Its tendrils have reached almost every possible industry already and the music industry is far from immune.

From AI music generation to AI album artwork and everything in between, the use of AI in creating and promoting music is increasing by the day.

We won’t dive too much into our stance on AI (which we’ve explained here for our artists and labels), but there’s no avoiding the fact that AI will continue to play a role in the music industry in 2025 – and we suspect it’ll play a bigger role than it did in 2024.

We might see the first 100% AI-generated pop hit go viral on social media. We might see a posthumous AI-generated release from a deceased superstar. We might see live shows performed by holographic AI musicians.

When it comes to AI, the sky is the limit.

But, while AI definitely presents opportunities for artists to increase their release frequency and explore new creative approaches to making music, there are risks too.

2024 saw scepticism in some areas of AI – and we predict that 2025 will see an increase in that scepticism, particularly in the music world.

AI presents huge challenges for the way music is protected. AI learning models are being given almost unrestricted access to huge catalogues of music – often without the consent of the artist who created that music. AI-generated music uses tracks created by real human beings (like you) who’ve put blood, sweat and tears into their creative art, and turns them into tracks that are released (and earn money) without any attribution to the original artists who influenced the AI model.

While it would be difficult to directly tie an AI-generated track back to a single source of inspiration, it’s clear that AI piggybacks on existing content (i.e. your music catalogue) to create its ‘new’ content – without crediting the sources of inspiration. Plus, if streaming platforms are inundated with AI tracks being released faster than a normal human can even say the word AI, your tracks are competing with a huge landscape for attention – which means fewer streams and lower royalties for non-AI artists.

It’s an incredibly complicated world, but the point is that we expect (and hope) that 2025 will see increased awareness of the downsides to using AI to generate music – and an increased focus on protecting the work of artists and channelling royalties where they’re rightly earned.

AI as a tool to support the creation and promotion of music is one thing. But 100% AI-generated music that relies on uncredited sources is another – and something we expect to be discussed with even more focus in 2025.

Prediction #2: Artificial Streaming continues

Artificial streaming isn’t a new phenomenon by any means – but 2024 saw streaming platforms like Spotify cracking down on illegitimate streaming in an attempt to straighten out the distribution of streaming royalties.

Can we expect the same in 2025? Absolutely.

As we’ve already seen, AI isn’t going anywhere – and with AI facilitating easier access to technology, creating bots and scripts that artificially stream music is no longer the reserve of high-level coders and tech experts. Which means that artificial streaming is likely to rise alongside AI.

With Spotify’s crackdown and increased awareness of the red flags of artificial streaming throughout 2024, we hope that 2025 sees fewer artists falling into the trap of paying for promotional services that promise ‘legitimate’ streams (that definitely aren’t legitimate at all).

However, with AI’s ability to curate playlists and artificial streaming’s ability to target playlists, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more artists being targeted by artificial streaming without having fallen into a streaming scam trap. The key will be for artists to keep tabs on their streaming stats and take proactive action to mitigate the impact of artificial streaming if they spot a spike in their trends.

For more on the dangers of artificial streaming, spotting the signs in your stats, and what to do if you find yourself targeted by the bots, read our guide to artificial streaming here.

Prediction #3: the rise of the SuperFan

Making a living as an artist isn’t always easy. You’re at the mercy of streaming platforms, algorithms and you’re competing with thousands of new tracks released every day.

Something we expect to see a lot more of in 2025 is the diversification of income streams for musicians – and that means building an engaged community of SuperFans.

What is a SuperFan? It’s exactly what it sounds like: a fan who’s super engaged with your work and invests time, money and energy into supporting your career.

There’s so much music available on streaming platforms that many listeners end up listening to your work passively. Which is great for one-off streaming revenue, but not so great if you’re hoping to build a devoted community of fans who’ll keep coming back for more.

SuperFans, on the other hand, are people who will play your music on repeat, buy your merch, travel to see you perform live, like and share everything you post on social media, and sing your praises to their friends and family.

For the long-term success of your music career, they’re infinitely more valuable than the few extra streams you might achieve from a third-party playlist placement.

In 2025 and beyond, fans are going to become increasingly aware of the challenges facing independent artists (thanks in part to artists being more transparent and open about the realities of making it in the music industry) and will be looking for ways to support their favourite artists in a more intimate way.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see the rise of artists using platforms like Bandcamp, Ko-fi, Patreon, etc. and producing and selling merch to give their SuperFans another way to support them financially.

Prediction #4: discovering music algorithmically

Discovering new music is easier than ever. There’s a huge amount of new music released every day and it’s accessible to anyone anywhere in the world with an internet connection and a streaming app.

In 2025, we’re likely to see an increase in listeners discovering new artists through algorithms – on social media, that means seeing ‘viral’ sounds popping up more often than ever, and on streaming platforms, that means listening to music through ‘made for you’ playlists curated by background technology.

As an artist, you don’t have loads of control over whether algorithms recommend your music or not – but you do have some.

Making sure your metadata is correct, having a strong social media presence and build a community of fans who’ll listen to and share your music are all must-dos in 2025. And, if your tracks are eligible, it’s also worth thinking about using Spotify Discovery Mode to get your music into even more algorithm-listening-ears.

If you’re new to Discovery Mode, give our Guide To Spotify’s Discovery Mode a read.

Prediction #5: video content is King

As humans, we’re visual creatures. And just because we’re in the audio game doesn’t mean visuals don’t matter.

For years now, social media has been placing a heavy emphasis on video content – and that’s not going to change in 2025.

What we think will change is how many artists maximise the use of video content in their promotional efforts – both on social media and on streaming platforms.

We’re not necessarily talking about fully-produced music videos that cost thousands to make and look like cinematic spectacles (although if you’ve got the budget and the skills, go for it!). A video shot on your phone of you creating your track can build the same connection with your listeners – and help you to appease the social media algorithm gods too.

Streaming platforms are recognising the demand for video content too, with Spotify’s Canvas and Apple’s Motion leading the way. We wouldn’t be surprised if other streaming platforms follow suit in 2025 – and we hope that more artists will start producing video content to release alongside their music.

So, are you ready for 2025?

We unfortunately don’t have an actual crystal ball for 2025, but we’re pretty confident in our predictions… Building a career in the music industry isn’t for the faint-hearted, but armed with a positive attitude and a commitment to preparing for and embracing change, we’re confident 2025 can be your best year yet!