Nordic Digital Music Survey 2026: Consumers demand control over AI-generated music as free listening remains widespread

The share of Nordic consumers using artificial intelligence has more than tripled in just two years, rising from 20% to 66%. As AI becomes more widespread, consumers are expressing clearer expectations about its role in music. They expect AI-generated tracks to be clearly identified, want the ability to filter such tracks out of recommendations and playlists, and support stronger safeguards for music creators whose works are used to develop AI services.

More than three in four Nordic consumers, 77%, believe AI-generated music should be clearly labelled on streaming services, up from 58% in 2024. Almost as many, 74%, want the option to filter it out of their recommendations and playlists.

“AI is now part of everyday life, but greater use does not mean unconditional acceptance. Nordic consumers are telling us clearly that they want to know when music is AI-generated, and they want a choice about whether it appears in their listening experience. Transparency and meaningful control must be built into the way music services use AI, alongside licensing models that return value to the creators whose work makes these systems possible,” says Karl Vestli, CEO of TONO.                    

The survey also finds that 77% of respondents believe composers and songwriters should be able to decide whether their music is used to train AI services, while 74% believe creators should be paid when AI companies use their music or voices to generate new content. Nearly two-thirds, 63%, also look to policymakers to ensure that AI services do not undermine music creators’ livelihoods.

Human-made music holds distinct value for many consumers. More than half of Nordic consumers, 54%, would prefer a streaming subscription offering only human-made music. However, just 21% would be willing to pay more for it, revealing a clear gap between the value consumers place on human-made music and their willingness to pay a premium for it.

“The consistency of public opinion is striking. Across the Nordic countries, people expect creators to be paid when their music is used, and a recent UK study points to similar attitudes among the British public. What people are backing is the straightforward principle behind licensing, with creators remaining in control of their work and AI companies paying for the music and other creative works they use. Policymakers now need to ensure that we have rules in place that support a fair and balanced AI economy built on licensing, so rightsholders do not have to rely on endless litigation,” says Gorm Arildsen, CEO of Koda.

Free listening remains a major part of music streaming

As many as 96% of people aged 12–65 across the Nordic countries use music streaming services. The share paying for a music streaming subscription has increased from 56% to 63% over the past two years, while the share relying solely on free or trial versions has fallen from 40% to 32%.

Despite this growth, free listening options still account for 61% of all time spent streaming music in the Nordic countries. Average daily digital music listening time has also increased, from 3.6 to 3.9 hours.

Spotify is now the most widely used music streaming service across the Nordics, used by 67% of respondents and overtaking YouTube at 65%. Finland is the only country in the survey where YouTube remains more popular than Spotify. In Finland, 73% of respondents use YouTube to listen to music, compared with 65% who use Spotify.

A similar upward trend can be seen in video streaming. The share using commercial video-on-demand services has risen from 83% to 90%, while the use of public service streaming platforms has increased more modestly, from 51% to 53%. Netflix remains the most widely used film and television streaming service across the Nordics, reaching 54.5% of respondents.

“It is encouraging to see more people choosing paid music streaming services. Nevertheless, free-tier usage remains widespread across the Nordic countries, despite consumers increasingly subscribing to multiple video-on-demand platforms. By subscribing to paid music services, consumers contribute more directly to fair compensation for the creators and artists whose work drives these platforms,” says Risto Salminen, CEO of Teosto.

Social media is reshaping music discovery across the Nordics, especially among teenagers

According to the Nordic Digital Music Survey, radio remains the single most important source of music discovery across the Nordic countries, but its influence continues to decline. In 2026, 18% of Nordic consumers said they discovered the last new song they really liked on the radio, down from 23% in 2024 and 39% in 2015.

At the same time, social media is becoming increasingly important. TikTok now matches streaming-service playlists and recommendations as a discovery channel, with both accounting for 12%, while Instagram has grown to 6%.

The trend is strongly shaped by age. Among young people aged 12–17, TikTok is by far the leading source of new music, accounting for roughly one-third of music discovery, followed by YouTube and recommendations from friends.

In contrast, listeners aged 30 and over are much more likely to discover music through radio and streaming-service recommendations. Among people aged 50–65, radio remains the dominant discovery channel by a wide margin.

 

Nordic Digital Music Survey 2026: Key Findings

• AI use has more than tripled in two years. The share of people using artificial intelligence in their everyday lives or at work has increased from 20% in 2024 to 66% in 2026.
• Consumers want transparency and control over AI-generated music. More than three in four respondents, 77%, believe music created by AI without human creative input should be clearly identified on streaming services and radio, up from 58% in 2024. Almost as many, 74%, want the option to filter AI-generated music out of playlists, recommendations and music discovery features.
• Around three in four support consent and compensation for creators. 77% believe composers and songwriters should be able to decide whether their music is used to train AI services, while 74% believe creators should be compensated when AI companies use their music or voices to generate new content. More than half, 54%, would prefer a streaming service offering only human-made music.
• Paid music streaming continues to grow, but free listening remains widespread. The share of Nordic consumers paying for music streaming subscriptions has increased from 56% to 63%, while the share relying solely on free or trial versions has fallen from 40% to 32%. Across the Nordic countries, 96% of people aged 12–65 use music streaming services and spend an average of 3.9 hours per day listening to digital music.
• Spotify has overtaken YouTube across the Nordic region. 67% of respondents use Spotify to listen to music, compared with 65% who use YouTube. Finland is the only country surveyed where YouTube, used by 73%, remains more widely used for music than Spotify, used by 65%.
• Social media is reshaping music discovery, especially among teenagers. Radio remains the largest single source of music discovery, at 18%, but its influence continues to decline. TikTok now matches streaming-service playlists and recommendations as a discovery channel, both at 12%, while Instagram has grown to 6%. Among 12–17-year-olds, TikTok accounts for roughly one-third of music discovery. Among people aged 50–65, radio remains the dominant discovery channel.

READ THE FULL SURVEY HERE

About the survey

The Nordic Digital Music Survey is conducted every two years and examines digital music consumption among consumers in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The survey was commissioned by Koda, TONO and Teosto and conducted by YouGov.

Data was collected between 26 June and 26 July 2026. A total of 4,033 respondents aged 12–65 participated in the survey. The results were weighted by age, gender and geographical region to ensure national representativeness.

For more information

TONO, Norway
Kristian Dugstad
T: +47 984 36 031
E: kristian.dugstad@tono.no

Koda, Denmark
Sira Berry
T: +45 26 96 84 64
E: svb@koda.dk

Teosto, Finland
Johanna Laitinen
T: +358 40 192 1900
E: johanna.laitinen@teosto.fi