Our 2026 predictions: New Acts, Big comebacks, Gig ticket laws, and more

So what will 2026 sound like?

In this episode, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams and journalist Emma Wilkes look into their crystal balls (and the release schedules). 

Tips on which artists should break through and the corporate barriers they’ll need to navigate.

Beyond tipping season, we explore the strange absence of shared musical moments, the growing anxiety around AI-generated music, the slow unravelling of trust in big tech platforms, and whether changes to ticketing, touring, and grassroots funding might start to rebalance power (and money) back towards scenes.

There are also predictions - some cautious, some hopeful, some deliberately ridiculous. This episode tries to map the forces underneath the surface…the things that will shape what we hear, how we find it, and what it means to care about music in the first place.

The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction: What will music be like in 2026?
02:30 - New bands, tipping season, and who breaks through next
06:50 - Scenes, genres, and the collapse of old categories
12:00 - Cities as culture: Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton, Beirut
16:40 - Resilience, mental health, and sustaining music ecosystems
20:40 - Grassroots levies, touring economics, and venue survival
26:00 - Ticketing, regulation, and the slow response to abuse
28:20 - AI, platforms, and the erosion of trust
30:30 - Predictions: returns, collaborations, and surprise records
35:20 - Tech futures, headphones, and augmented concerts
38:50 - Hope, uncertainty, and what comes next

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources:

FanFair Alliance - ticketing transparency and anti-touting campaigning

Music Venue Trust - grassroots venue support and levy campaigning

UK Government - ticket resale reform & consultation

Action Fraud -  advice on ticket scams and resale fraud 

Subvert - artist / label-owned music platform

Bandcamp - direct-to-fan model and editorial writing

The Jump - Shirley Manson's podcast

Vespertine - Björk's podcast