Berklee Study Reveals Video Has Become Essential to Music Careers
Berklee College of Music has released a new report, In Sync: Music and Video 2026—Video Creators, Musicians and the Age of AI, the first study to explore the economics of video content and the impact of AI from both the video creator and musician perspectives. More than 1,000 video creators, musicians, brand marketers, and music supervisors were surveyed about how they choose, source, license, and produce music for video content across social media.
The study reveals that video has become essential to music careers, with 75.9 percent of respondents saying it directly shapes career outcomes and 74.8 percent reporting pressure to produce it alongside their music. Yet many musicians struggle to monetize that work: 36.9 percent cite at least one licensing or rights-management barrier, with cost, confusion, and inconsistent platform rules as the most common obstacles.
The report also finds that social platforms have replaced traditional industry libraries as the primary source of music for video content. The top three sourcing channels are not dedicated music libraries: 45.5 percent save sounds from TikTok and Instagram, 41.4 percent use the YouTube Audio Library, and 34.6 percent use the native library inside their editing app. Generative AI tools are also emerging as a sourcing option, with 19 percent of respondents using them to find or create music for video content. Beyond sourcing, AI is being used across the creative workflow, from ideation and technical assistance to lyric generation, mastering, mixing, and finished audio, while respondents also report meaningful concerns about quality, ethics, rights, and audience perception.
The study was released by the Berklee Emerging Artistic Technology Lab (BEATL) in conjunction with AI Music Summit (AIMS), taking place June 3–5 on Berklee’s campus. As AI tools become increasingly integrated into creative work, Berklee commissioned the study, conducted by Praxia Insights with support from Adobe, to better understand how creators are adapting, sourcing content, and navigating questions of rights, ethics, and sustainable careers in a rapidly evolving media landscape. Berklee and Adobe will present the findings at the summit on June 4.
Mark Ethier, executive director of BEATL, said: "Video creation is now a core part of building a music career, and AI use is growing as creators face increasing pressure to produce more content on faster timelines. Berklee's role is to ensure artists remain at the center of these changes by equipping students to understand new technologies, make informed creative and ethical decisions, navigate evolving licensing landscapes, and build sustainable careers grounded in their rights and values."
