The next era of entertainment: AI and social are lowering barriers, but new ones must emerge

There is an inherent tension between tech-enabled accessibility to creation (good), and the ability for that entertainment to become successful (challenging). 

Music and other entertainment industries typically have one half of this conversation at a time. On the one hand, their members talk about how technology will make it easier to create more, higher-quality content. They also point to how this should open up opportunities for everyone: from the young person trying their hand at a craft, to a company looking to maximise its revenues. 

However, they also complain that it is impossible to create a superstar; the market is too fragmented; and it is harder than ever to cut through the noise to become successful. 

There is a reason why most of the big stars pre-date streaming, the majority of big music label revenues come from catalogue, and many films and TV shows are remakes or sequels. They all came before the digital clutter. It is the only stuff with a big enough footprint to stand out long-term.

This is not news. 

However, as easy-to-use creator tools proliferate and social platforms become a de-facto home of entertainment, it should be of foremost concern that you cannot have everyone making good content for all to see without competition getting harder, audiences fragmenting, and perception of value (and therefore, willingness to pay) diminishing. 

What do we do about it? 

Generally speaking, no one likes gatekeeping. Take music, for example: in a traditionally male-dominated, and class-affected, industry, lowering barriers to entry is critical for music to open its doors to a wider variety of people. By the same token, however, lowering those barriers to entry also opens the floodgates. It makes it almost impossible for any young and often very talented creators to go anywhere with the art and entertainment they are now freely able to create.

Social media has also played a huge role in diversification and equal opportunity. As we reported in our Be The Change report earlier this year, emerging creators “can’t be hidden” anymore. Talent will shine through. 

Yet this talent is also becoming easier than ever to fake. From restaurants that do not exist, to lifestyle influencers who rent Lamborghinis for photoshoots to pretend they have one, you really can ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ when ‘making it’ is just getting five million followers on TikTok. 

The truth is that generative AI is here to stay, and social platforms are going to really start challenging streaming services for entertainment consumption and engagement, especially among young people. 

The answer is not to slow the spread of AI, or introduce certified organic-type labels for music. Nor is it to challenge social platforms in court. (These things may still be important for other reasons, but will not impact the underlying dynamic here.) Instead, entertainment must adapt to this new reality by looking to three key actions: 

• Reintroducing tastemaking / curation. It has never been more important to have ear-to-the-ground A&R teams or TV commissioners. They are the critical tastemakers who separate what gets made from what is worth paying attention to. This counteracts attention saturation and audience fragmentation by introducing new standards to rally around – standards that should be rooted in culture and taste, rather than relying on metrics and product optimisation to replace it (e.g., betting on another same-sounding pop artist or comic book film).

• Redefining the newly fluid relationship between artists and audiences. This goes beyond just strategies for promoting on social or letting creative processes become iterative rather than only releasing final products. Rather, with this fluidity reducing some barriers, it is more important than ever to protect creators by introducing new ones. There is a time and a place to go public, and a time and a place to stay private (e.g., ‘inner circle’ versus ‘outer circle’ fan communities, separated by personal closeness). Not only does this introduce new levels of exclusivity and value, but also helps creators like Chappel Roan who have pushed back against the demanding nature of always-on ‘fans’ who expect artists to bend over backwards for them, simply because they listen to their music (often for free). 

• Rooting value outside of social platforms and products. Audiences want authenticity and something of their own; not just another sales pitch or account to follow. This is where the analogue revival and a physical presence come into play. It is something that actually gives value back to audiences, rather than just demanding more from them. Not only does this future-proof entertainment against the commodifying tides of social and AI, but it builds something that audiences and artists alike are desperately looking for: a way to create shared meaning and community. 

We are entering a new era of entertainment, which has already evolved far from the streaming-driven one of the 2010s. These are the factors that will either make or break those who enter it.