In 2026, the music industry is witnessing a significant shift in consumption habits, as streaming platforms are increasingly dominated by older songs rather than new releases. A prominent example of this trend is Zara Larsson’s 2015 track “Lush Life,” which remains one of the year’s biggest hits. Data from Luminate, which has tracked consumption since 2008, reveals that in both the UK and the US, current music—defined as releases from the last 18 months—is significantly outperformed by older catalogue hits. More music is being created than at any other time in human history. Luminate, an independent entertainment data and analytics company that tracks music, film, and television consumption first started tracking music streaming in 2008. So, if we’re stuck in a streaming rut, what’s to blame. Which originally came out in June 2015, the year’s eighth biggest hit is Zara Larsson’s Lush Life. With practically every song ever recorded available at the press of a button, people are increasingly seeking out the classics – or what the music industry categorises as “deep catalogue”, it’s a sign that. Aspiring artists may be suffering, as we increasingly cling on to our favourites. It’s easier [today] for folks to be passive fans,” noted J Erving, the founder of Raye’s distribution company, Human Re Sources, in a recent interview with Billboard, external. Are people really dialled in in a deeper way. It’s a problem the music industry is keen to tackle. Artificial intelligence (AI) may also be playing its part in the so-called death of new music.
The scale of content being uploaded to these platforms is immense, with over 100,000 new songs submitted every day.
Despite this constant influx, listeners are retreating into nostalgia.
During the first half of 2026, approximately 60% of all music streamed was at least five years old. In the UK, 18 of the top 20 bestselling songs were released at least a year ago. Iconic tracks like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” continue to maintain high chart positions, highlighting a trend where “deep catalogue” material consistently outperforms fresh material, particularly within the R&B and Hip-Hop genres. External were released 12 months ago, or earlier, eighteen of the year’s top 20 bestselling songs. Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean (1983) is in 22nd place. Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams (1977) is 30th. You know, we do the Super Bowl halftime show, we need to make sure that we still have performers in 10, 20, 30 years,” he tells. They all started somewhere before they got to the world’s biggest stage, because if you look back at the performers we had in the last four years.
This preference for established hits creates a difficult environment for new artists. Even when contemporary songs achieve success, they often monopolize the charts for extended periods. For instance, the collaboration “Rein Me In” by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean recently set a record with 23 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK charts, while Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” achieved similar longevity in the US. The industry currently reflects a reality where the top 0.4% of artists account for nearly two-thirds of total streams, according to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. After 19 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK singles chart, olivia Dean and Sam Fender have broken chart history with Rein Me In.
Musicians face additional hurdles in sustaining a career beyond a single viral moment. Platform dynamics, such as those on TikTok, are often optimized for viral engagement rather than long-term artist development. Industry figures note that turning passive listeners into dedicated fans who care about an artist’s wider body of work remains a significant challenge. Some executives, including Apple Music’s Oliver Schusser, emphasize the necessity of proactively championing new talent to ensure the future of major live events like the Super Bowl.
Technological factors also contribute to this landscape.
While Spotify has removed 75 million “spammy tracks” from its catalogue, and Deezer reports that AI-generated music accounts for only 0.5% of its streams, algorithmic bias remains a concern. According to and despite the deluge of AI music, external – Spotify, It has removed 75 million “spammy tracks” from its catalogue – real music still makes up most of our listening.
Musicologist Anna-Kaisa Kaila notes that these systems can inherit biases from their training data, making it harder for less commercially dominant styles to gain traction. Musicologist Anna-Kaisa Kaila thinks “there absolutely is potential for bias” with AI-generative playlist technology. It will be that much harder for the system to pull up tracks in that style, if there’s not enough training data in a particular style that is perhaps not so commercially dominant.
Furthermore, curators like Tim Garcia and Dan Mackta of Qobuz argue that algorithms are designed to provide predictable, safe recommendations based on existing listening behavior, rather than introducing listeners to genuinely new or challenging material.
Independent artists like Chiminyo have raised alarms regarding the proliferation of digitally mass-produced sound-alikes. He has observed popular “relaxing” playlists featuring unverified accounts with hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners, where the tracks lack human distinctiveness. Spotify has stated it is implementing platform-wide policies to combat impersonation and improve the filtration of AI-related issues.
In response to the saturation of algorithmic discovery, some organizations are attempting to restore a human element to music. Sofar Sounds, for example, produces intimate pop-up gigs and has launched the “Human Discovery Movement,” which encourages listeners to receive personalized recommendations via voice notes from human tastemakers. For artists like J Casa, the focus remains on live performance as the primary way to forge lasting connections with audiences in an era where digital content is often overwhelming. This October, its Shoreditch Sofar Fringe festival showcased a whole host of artists like East London rapper J Casa.
