A new study from Berklee College of Music, In Sync: Music and Video 2026—Video Creators, Musicians and the Age of AI, examines how video content and artificial intelligence are influencing music creation, distribution, and monetization. The research is based on a survey of 1,003 participants, including musicians, video creators, marketers, and music supervisors.
The findings indicate that video production is now closely tied to music career development. Among musician respondents, 75.9% said video content influences career outcomes, and 75.3% reported feeling pressure to produce video alongside their music. At the same time, monetization remains a challenge: 36.9% of musicians cited difficulties related to licensing and rights management, including cost, complexity, and inconsistent platform rules.
The study also shows a shift in how music is sourced for video content. Instead of traditional music libraries, creators primarily rely on platform-based tools and social media. The most common sources include TikTok and Instagram (45.5%), YouTube Audio Library (41.4%), and built-in editing app libraries such as Premiere, CapCut, and Adobe Express (34.6%). Personal music libraries (30%) and generative AI tools (19%) are also used.
Barriers to using music in video remain widespread. Overall, 86.6% of respondents reported challenges when attempting to use recognizable or commercial tracks. The most common issues include cost (42.9%), licensing complexity (33.6%), inconsistent platform rules (32.9%), and copyright enforcement systems such as Content ID (32.3%). Among musicians specifically, some reported limited knowledge of licensing platforms (31.4%) and sync opportunities (15.8%).
AI tools are being adopted across multiple stages of the creative process. Among musicians, reported uses include mastering and mixing assistance (32.8%), idea generation (32.5%), audio cleanup and stem separation (31.4%), lyric writing (30.9%), and creating backing tracks (26.2%). Some also use AI for visual assets such as cover art (25.4%). A smaller group (17.5%) reported experimenting with AI without releasing AI-assisted work.
Adoption of AI varies by experience level. More established creators are more likely to use AI tools, while earlier-career creators show higher rates of avoidance.
The study was conducted by Praxia Insights, with participants recruited through online groups and research platforms. Respondents were screened for relevance and compensated for participation. Adobe provided support for the project but was not involved in data collection or analysis.
The report was released in connection with Berklee’s AI Music Summit and reflects ongoing changes in how music and video production intersect in digital environments.
