The share of Nordic consumers using artificial intelligence (AI) has more than tripled in two years, rising from 20% to 66%. At the same time, 77% want AI-generated music clearly labelled on streaming services, and 74% want the option to filter it from recommendations and playlists, according to the Nordic Digital Music Survey 2026.
AI Transparency and Creator Compensation
The survey, commissioned by Koda, TONO and Teosto and conducted by YouGov, found that support for labelling rose from 58% in 2024 to 77% in 2026.
- 77% believe AI-generated music should be clearly labelled on streaming services.
- 74% want the option to filter AI-generated music out of recommendations and playlists.
- 77% believe composers and songwriters should decide whether their music is used to train AI services.
- 74% believe creators should be paid when AI companies use their music or voices to generate new content.
- 63% look to policymakers to ensure AI services do not undermine music creators’ livelihoods.
“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.
Human-made music retains distinct value for many respondents. More than half, 54%, would prefer a streaming subscription offering only human-made music, but just 21% would pay more 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.
Streaming Subscriptions and Free Listening
Streaming remains nearly universal across the Nordic countries, with 96% of people aged 12 to 65 using music streaming services. The share paying for a subscription rose from 56% to 63% over the past two years, while the share relying solely on free or trial versions fell from 40% to 32%.
Free listening still accounts for 61% of all time spent streaming music in the region. Average daily digital music listening time 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, overtaking YouTube at 65%. Finland is the only country where YouTube remains more popular, with 73% using YouTube for music compared with 65% using Spotify.
In video streaming, use of commercial video-on-demand services rose from 83% to 90%, while public service streaming platforms increased 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.
Music Discovery Shifts by Age
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.
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 people aged 12 to 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. Listeners aged 30 and over are much more likely to discover music through radio and streaming-service recommendations, and among people aged 50 to 65, radio remains the dominant discovery channel by a wide margin.
Survey Methodology
The Nordic Digital Music Survey is conducted every two years and examines digital music consumption among consumers in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. It was commissioned by Koda, TONO and Teosto and conducted by YouGov. Data was collected between 26 June and 26 July 2026 from 4,033 respondents aged 12 to 65. Results were weighted by age, gender and geographical region to ensure national representativeness.
