Epidemic Sound

Read the full findings: https://www.epidemicsound.com/data-trends/sound-of-creativity-reports/future-creator-economy-report-2026/ What actually stands out in the creator economy in 2026? According to The Future of the Creator Economy Report 2026, based on a survey of 3,000 professional creators in the UK and US, it comes down to taste and uniqueness. 94% of creators already use AI tools, and 89% feel pressure to use them to keep up with the speed, scale, and expectations of the industry. AI has become a key part of creators' workflows, but human creativity and judgment are what now define value and determine who stands out. What you’ll learn in this video: Why 94% of creators use AI, and what they actually use it for Why Gen Z creators are the most AI-sceptical age group Why 75% say human-made content is becoming a premium How creators are building owned audiences and direct revenue The data shows creators using AI for workflow support rather than finished output: enhancing content and marketing (46%), generating ideas and scripts (44%), editing and production (43%), and audience insights (33%). 82% say AI enhances creativity when used responsibly. As output scales, distinctiveness becomes harder, which is why 75% say human-created content is becoming a premium, rising to 81% among creators with more than 500,000 followers. Sound is central to that: 83% say human-made sound drives a stronger emotional connection than AI-generated alternatives, and 79% say music drives engagement and revenue. Epidemic Sound's catalogue is 100% human-made and rights-cleared, so creators can soundtrack with intention and publish anywhere without copyright claims. The report also shows an industry professionalising. 41% of creators want to build a sustainable independent business, and more than 7 in 10 are actively developing owned audiences through channels they control, such as newsletters and Discord, while 37% prioritise deep loyalty over the widest reach. The risks are less well managed: 73% say unclear licensing could limit future opportunities and 53% say it has already cost them brand deals, yet only 13% treat licensing as a key driver of success. The takeaway is to let AI absorb the repetitive work and compete on point of view, craft, and sound chosen with intention. Q&A section: Why is human-made content becoming a premium in the AI era? Human-made content is becoming a premium because AI has increased the amount of content produced, making distinctiveness harder to achieve. Taste, uniqueness, and human creativity is what now separates content that connects from content that is ignored. 75% of creators say human-created content is becoming a premium, rising to 81% among creators with more than 500,000 followers. Why is music selection important to content’s success? Audiences can tell when a track was chosen deliberately rather than used to fill silence. 79% say music drives engagement and revenue, and 76% say it can make or break how content performs. Lastly, 83% of creators say human-made sound builds a stronger connection than AI-generated alternatives, What is an owned audience, and why is it important? An owned audience is one a creator reaches directly, through channels they control such as a newsletter, a private Discord, or a membership, rather than relying on a platform algorithm for distribution. More than 7 in 10 creators are actively building owned audiences, and 37% prioritise deep loyalty with a smaller audience over the widest possible reach. Timestamps: 00:00 - The creator economy is heading for $1.3 trillion 00:31 - How AI is reshaping the creator economy 00:48 - Epidemic Sound's Future of the Creator Economy Report 2026 01:12 - 94% already use AI, and 89% feel the pressure to keep up 01:32 - What creators actually use AI for 01:44 - The age twist, Gen Z are the biggest AI skeptics 02:06 - Why human-made content is becoming premium in the age of AI 02:31 - 83% feel a stronger connection to human-made music 03:00 - The value of community 03:15 - How creators are building owned audiences and direct revenue 03:45 - The takeaway: let AI handle the boring work, lead with your unique point of view 04:10 - Over to you: where do you land on AI? • Instagram: https://instagram.com/epidemicsound/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@epidemicsound • X: https://twitter.com/epidemicsound/ • Facebook: https://facebook.com/EpidemicSound/

How do brands use music to shape culture instead of just following it? At Cannes 2026, Epidemic Sound's Gracie Schram hosted a panel with Roberto Stanichi (Mattel), Dario Spina (Paramount Media Labs), Rich Ting (TDW+Co) and Andrew Choi, singer-songwriter on KPop Demon Hunters, on what separates a brand that participates in culture from one that drives it. In this panel, you'll learn: How Mattel turned toy brands into worlds people want to join rather than products they consume Why music and brand integrations work when they enter at the scripting phase, not in post How K-pop fandom turns audiences into participants, and what other brands can copy from it When to chase a cultural moment in 48 hours, and when to leave it alone Barbie worked because Mattel handed real creative control to Greta Gerwig instead of protecting the toy, and got a film with something to say. That is the whole test for Stanichi: people don't want to consume brands, they want to join them. It turns a brand into a world that needs an entry point, and music is usually the easiest one to build. Write music and brands into a story at the scripting phase and they belong to it. Add them in post and they interrupt it. Ting takes the same idea to the fan side, where the audiences that matter are not watching but making the chants, the edits and the merch themselves. The risk, in Spina's words, is that marketing has gotten very good at measurement and much worse at meaning. Epidemic Sound's catalogue is heard 3.5 billion times a day on YouTube and TikTok alone, which makes music one of the few things that reaches that kind of scale without a brand buying attention. The examples run from the Barbie soundtrack, which makes the film's argument rather than advertising it, to Fall Out Boy scoring Hot Wheels Let's Race, Brian May of Queen writing for Masters of the Universe, and MTV and the VMAs using a stage to lift artists instead of borrowing from them. How do brands use music to shape culture? Brands use music to shape culture by joining a moment that is already happening rather than advertising at it. The music has to be part of the story rather than a layer on top, which is why Mattel treated the Barbie soundtrack as part of the film's argument, and why Hot Wheels went to Fall Out Boy and Masters of the Universe to Brian May of Queen. What does it mean to treat sound as brand IP? Treating sound as brand IP means giving a brand's music the same care and consistency as its logo, and commissioning it at the start of a project rather than buying it as a post-production line item. That is Rich Ting's argument, and his reasoning is that a track which belongs to the brand keeps working long after the campaign stops. His example is Soda Pop, which he says passed 500 million Spotify streams. What can brands learn from K-pop fandom? Brands can learn from K-pop fandom that an audience will do far more than watch if you give it something to join. Andrew Choi describes arenas where the crowd runs programmable glow sticks in sync and invents its own chants for songs, so the fandom becomes part of the performance rather than the audience for it. None of that participation was bought. Should a brand chase cultural moments or stay timeless? Chasing a cultural moment only works on top of a voice the brand has already settled, so consistency comes first and speed second. That is how Spina's team got a native Diet Mountain Dew spot made in 48 hours around a live moment. Stanichi's counterweight is that a brand approaching 70 years old cannot chase everything, and what lasts is what it keeps saying consistently. Chapters 0:00 Introductions and why culture is the panel's subject 1:15 What it means for a brand to shape culture rather than follow it 2:37 Roberto Stanichi on authenticity as the condition for everything else 4:05 Dario Spina on storytelling and when a brand partnership makes sense 5:31 People don't want to consume brands, they want to join them 6:56 Andrew Choi on K-pop fandom as participation 8:14 What brands can learn from K-pop’s 360 approach 10:47 Rich Ting on audiences and fanbases participating 12:51 Inside the Barbie soundtrack, Fall Out Boy for Hot Wheels, Brian May for Masters of the Universe 15:19 3.5 billion plays a day on YouTube and TikTok: what the internet sounds like 16:44 The importance of having a story behind the song 18:29 Rich Ting on sound as brand IP, not a post-production expense 20:09 Soda Pop and what a song does for a brand after release 21:39 Trend-chasing vs. Trend-setting 22:03 How Diet Mountain Dew got a native debate spot made in 48 hours 23:29 Timeliness vs timelessness for a brand almost 70 years old 24:48 A cultural undercurrent brands should act on 30:27 Closing Learn how Epidemic Sound works with brands and agencies: www.epidemicsound.com