Optimization is Not Enough: Are You Ready for Streaming's Reckoning?

This week, we're kicking off 2026 with our opening keynote from last year's Music Tectonics conference: "Optimization is Not Enough: Are You Ready for Streaming's Reckoning?"

In this keynote, Tatiana Cirisano from MIDiA Research joins Dmitri to ask a provocative question: Is the music industry so focused on optimizing streaming revenue that it's missing what comes next?

Tatiana argues that streaming has removed so much friction from music that it's accidentally removed fans' emotional connection (especially for Gen Z and Gen Alpha), and that music's real competitor isn't a new format but the attention economy (social video, gaming, etc).

We explore what the industry can learn from gaming's "productized friction," why Asian streaming services built around fandom might show the way forward, and whether platforms should actually make the experience harder, not easier. We also tackle audience questions about user-centric payment models, AI-generated music, and whether scarcity could return to digital music.

If you've wondered whether streaming is coasting on past success, this conversation will challenge how you think about music's future.

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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