Music is Getting Physical Again (in the Age of AI)- AlgoRhythms 2026

What if the most surprising thing happening in music right now isn't what AI is creating, but what fans are reaching for instead?  This week on Music Tectonics, we're bringing you highlights from the AlgoRhythms conference last month, where our team spent time on the ground talking to researchers and innovators about where the music industry is heading. First, Tristra NewYear Yeager sits down with Olivia Jones, senior analyst at MIDiA Research, whose latest report on fan behavior surfaces some unexpected data about how listeners are buying merch and discovering music.  Then, Adam McHeffey speaks with Valtteri Salomaki, CEO of Edge Sound Research, about Embodied Sound that turns any material into something you can both hear and feel. Val's work is rooted in a simple question: if a creator makes something, how do you know the listener actually experienced it the way it was intended?  Both conversations kept circling the same idea: as music gets more digital and more algorithmic, fans seem to be craving something more physical and tangible. Finally, we asked a handful of AlgoRhythms attendees whether AI makes them hopeful about the future of music creativity. The news How AI Rights Are Changing Record Contracts — and Why Music Attorneys Are Pushing Back AI Is Already Training on Music. The Real Question Is: Who Gets Paid? AI And Music Publishing Licensing – How Do We Get There? Social media doesn't feel social anymore – so where does online community go from here? 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!