For many people, AI-generated music is already part of their listening experience. At the same time, a clear majority want transparency: two-thirds of the population aged 16 and over are in favour of clearly labelling AI-generated music.
A majority of the population (58 per cent) also supports the idea of remunerating musicians and composers when their works are used to train AI. An equal number view AI as a threat to artists’ livelihoods. Potential political risks are also recognised: 28 per cent fear that AI could be increasingly used to produce and disseminate songs with radical political messages.
Attitudes towards the use of AI depend heavily on the specific area of application. AI tends to meet with greater approval when used as a support tool or to generate background music. For example, 64 per cent are fine with its use in computer games, 58 per cent in advertising and 56 per cent in video clips. 74 per cent of the population accept the use of AI to restore old or damaged recordings. Applications that make individual music consumption easier also meet with comparatively high levels of approval: for example, 63 per cent are fine with AI automatically recognising music tracks and providing relevant information. Furthermore, 44 per cent accept the creation of personalised playlists or music recommendations.
Where, on the other hand, AI takes the place of human creativity, or where AI-generated music takes centre stage as a standalone musical offering, public reservations predominate: only 15 per cent think it is acceptable for AI to generate pieces of music without human involvement. 16 per cent accept AI-generated vocals, whilst only 10 per cent accept the imitation of specific artists’ voices. 22 per cent are fine with AI-generated music being offered on streaming services; on the radio, only 15 per cent accept this.
Younger people are more open to the use of AI and are also more likely to recognise its creative potential. For example, 47 per cent of 16- to 29-year-olds believe that AI can give rise to new types of music or new musical genres; among the over-60s, the figure is 24 per cent. Deliberate listening experiences with AI-generated music are also more widespread amongst younger people: whilst the proportion in the general population stands at 40 per cent, it is 63 per cent amongst 16 to 29-year-olds. Just under half of the population with such listening experiences enjoyed the AI-generated music ‘a lot’ or ‘very much’; amongst 16- to 29-year-olds with such experience, the figure stands at 57 per cent.
So far, only 4 per cent of the population have actually created music using AI.
The study is the second survey in the ‘Musikmonitor Deutschland’ series published by the German Music Information Centre. For the study, the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research conducted a total of 1,040 oral and in person (face-to-face) interviews with people aged 16 and over between 3 and 16 July 2026. The results are representative of the population in Germany aged 16 and over.
