Editorial 2026 – A Message from the Editor

Music and Its Future

Music has never stopped evolving. But what we are experiencing today is on an unprecedented scale and at an unprecedented pace. Creation, production, distribution, the music industry, audiences, and even the very definition of a musical work are undergoing profound changes. It is against this backdrop that MaMA returns, October 14–16, 2026, for two days of discussions and three nights of music in the heart of Pigalle and Montmartre.

Since its inception, MaMA has been committed to bringing together those who create, conceptualize, produce, distribute, and champion music: artists, producers, labels, publishers, managers, venues, festivals, media outlets, platforms, institutions, entrepreneurs, and professionals—both French and international. It is a space where experiences are exchanged, ideas circulate, and the collaborations of tomorrow can take shape. This vision is now more necessary than ever.

For behind the music industry’s growth indicators lies a much more mixed reality. Costs are rising, profit margins are shrinking, taking risks is becoming more difficult, and the models that enabled an entire generation of artists and entrepreneurs to emerge are being undermined.

At the same time, the music industry is becoming increasingly concentrated. A few major players possess considerable financial, technological, and media clout. Streaming platforms have become indispensable; algorithms influence content recommendations and visibility; and attention and data have become strategic resources.

This raises a crucial question: in the music of the future, who will still be able to take risks? Who will fund projects whose success cannot be immediately predicted? And above all, who will decide what we’ll be listening to in the future?

Added to this economic and digital revolution is the revolution in artificial intelligence. AI can be a powerful tool for creation, production, discovery, and dissemination. But it can also disrupt the value of artistic work, creators’ rights, their compensation, and the entire production chain. The goal is neither to naively celebrate this revolution nor to oppose it on principle. The goal is to ensure that innovation continues to serve creativity, artists, and the public. This requires upholding transparency, fair compensation, copyright protection, the traceability of works, and creators’ control over their work.

This transformation must also be accompanied by a genuine ecological and social transition. The music industry must continue to tour, produce shows, and bring audiences together while reducing its environmental impact. It must also examine its working conditions, the diversity of its professions, equality of opportunity, and the vulnerability of many organizations—particularly the smallest and least well-capitalized ones, which are often the first to disappear when economic pressures intensify.

Finally, we cannot envision the future of music without considering the future of culture more broadly. Budgetary constraints are increasing, funding is becoming more uncertain, and in several countries, freedom of creation and expression are facing new challenges.

We must remain vigilant. Culture is not an expense that can be cut when times get tough. It is an investment in our society: it generates economic activity and jobs, but above all, it fosters the exchange of ideas, brings people together, builds a sense of community, and contributes to the vitality of our democracy.

Music, more than any other art form, has the ability to transcend borders. It flows across countries, generations, languages, and cultures. It is at once a form of creation, an industry, a cultural heritage, an economic force, and a source of freedom. That is precisely why MaMA must continue to be a forum for debate.

With just a few months to go before the 2027 French presidential election, we must examine the role of culture in our vision for society: What are our goals for French creativity? What role should independent artists and entrepreneurs play? How can we preserve cultural diversity in the face of market concentration? How can we equitably share the value created by digital technology and AI? How can we support the ecological transition? How can we maintain a vibrant network of venues, festivals, and organizations across the country?

MaMA is not intended to provide answers to these questions. But it has a duty to ask them and to bring together those who can help answer them. For our industry lacks neither ideas, nor talent, nor energy. It has demonstrated its ability to reinvent itself. But it will be able to face the transformations ahead only on one condition: that we do not face them in isolation.

We need to foster greater dialogue among artists and entrepreneurs, independent creators and major players, French and international professionals, companies and institutions, and across generations. We must embrace debate, even when it involves conflicting viewpoints. We must defend our interests without losing sight of the collective good. And above all, we must continue to believe that the future of music is not defined solely by market forces. It is this conviction that lies at the heart of MaMA.

During the two-day convention, Paris will once again become the gathering place for a professional community that, despite the uncertainties, continues to create, take initiative, innovate, and take risks. Two days to listen, understand, debate, and discover. Two days, above all, to imagine the music of tomorrow.

Because the question is no longer whether the music industry will change. It is constantly changing. The real question is what kind of future we want to build together.

Welcome to MaMA 2026.

Fernando Ladeiro Marques

Chief Executive Officer