Pros leading AI in music
A new Water & Music x Moises study finds pros — not bedroom hobbyists — are driving AI adoption in music, using tools for composition, arrangement and mixing with a heavy emphasis on quality and ethics. The report argues the hype of “AI for all” is settling into focused, professional workflows rather than mass amateur disruption. (hypebot.com)
The survey polled 1,525 musicians in late 2025 and notes roughly 80% of respondents were recruited through Moises’ user base while the remainder came via Water & Music. (moises.ai(moises.ai)) Two-thirds (67%) of respondents said they’d used AI for music work in the prior 12 months, with 78% of professional musicians reporting AI use versus 60% of hobbyists. (moises.ai(moises.ai)) Professionals are paying more: pros are about twice as likely to spend $50 or more per month on AI tools (21% vs. 11%), and 26% of income-earning musicians said AI has increased their earnings while fewer than 4% reported decreases. (moises.ai(moises.ai)) (prnewswire.com(prnewswire.com)) Practical workflows dominate: stem separation tops use cases at a 71% adoption rate in the sample, compared with 24% for full-song generation, and the top reported outcomes were learning more songs (40%), trying new genres (33%) and improved production quality (30%). (moises.ai(moises.ai)) Ethics and ownership remain front-of-mind: 58% of AI users expressed concerns about authenticity and 55% about copyright and licensing, yet 92% of AI users would still recommend these tools and 64% of professionals plan to increase usage in the next year (versus 56% of hobbyists). (moises.ai(moises.ai)) (prnewswire.com(prnewswire.com)) Moises, co-author of the study, reports a multi‑million user base (TechRadar cites more than 50 million users) and has recently bolstered industry ties by naming Charlie Puth as its chief music officer in March 2026. (techradar.com(techradar.com)) (billboard.com(billboard.com))
