Professional Musicians Lead AI Adoption, New Study From Water & Music and Moises Finds
SALT LAKE CITY – March 3, 2026 – Moises, the AI-powered music creation platform, today released findings from a comprehensive survey of 1,525 musicians conducted in partnership with Water & Music. The study challenges prevailing narratives about AI in music, revealing that professional musicians are embracing AI tools at significantly higher rates than amateurs, using them to enhance their craft rather than shortcut the creative process.
Key Findings
Professional musicians adopt AI more than hobbyists. 78% of professional musicians report using AI for music-related work in the past 12 months, compared to 60% of hobbyists. Pros are also twice as likely to spend $50 or more per month on AI tools, signaling that musicians with the most at stake financially are the most willing to invest in these technologies. Among musicians who earn income from music, 26% report that AI has increased their earnings, while fewer than 4% report a decrease.
AI enhances skills rather than replacing them. The top outcomes musicians report aren't about efficiency or cost savings, but related to professional growth. 40% say AI helped them learn more songs, 33% experimented with new genres, and 30% improved production quality. Rather than outsourcing creativity, respondents are using AI to expand their capabilities, accelerate practice, and refine their craft.
Concerns coexist with adoption. While authenticity and copyright remain top concerns, 92% of AI users would still recommend AI tools to their peers, and professionals are more likely than hobbyists to plan increased usage in the next year (64% vs. 56%). The data points to a pragmatic mindset: professional musicians are evaluating tradeoffs and adopting what works.
Expert Perspectives
"The biggest misconception about AI in music today is that there's a hard binary — you're either for it or against it," said Cherie Hu, Founder of Water & Music. "What our data shows is that musicians are adopting these tools at higher rates across the board, and making deliberate choices about how these tools fit into their craft. That's exactly how healthy adoption should work."
The narrative around AI in music often focuses on what it might replace,” said Geraldo Ramos, CEO of Moises. “What this data shows is something different: musicians are using AI to go further with their ideas, practice more effectively, and explore sounds they might not have reached otherwise. The most serious creators are treating these tools as instruments, not shortcuts.”
“In many of the sessions I’m seeing with top professionals, AI is already in the room. It might be stem separation, speeding up workflow inside a DAW, or mastering, but it’s there,” said Elmo Lovano, CEO and Founder of Jammcard. “Professionals are pragmatic. If a tool improves the outcome, they use it. If it compromises the art, they don’t. The platforms that respect musicians and strengthen the creative process are being embraced, and those that cross the line are being called out.”
Dr. Robert Prey, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, added, “What stands out is evaluation-driven adoption, not hype. Professional musicians tend to be highly pragmatic adopters of AI. They test tools critically, keep what fits into their workflow, while thinking deeply about what it means to use AI.”
The full report is available at: www.moises.ai/insights/musician-ai-report-water-and-music
Moises
Selected by Apple as the 2024 iPad App of the Year and a 2025 Apple Design Awards finalist, Moises is the creative suite for the modern musician. The platform uses AI-powered tools to support music practice, performance, and creation, helping artists learn, experiment, and develop ideas more efficiently. Backed by a team of world-class engineers and scientists with experience at Spotify, Pandora, and TikTok, Moises has developed several frontier AI models that process nearly 6 years’ worth of audio each day. The platform serves more than 70 million users worldwide, is available in 33 languages, and operates with a global team across the United States, Brazil, and Europe.
About Water & Music
Water & Music is a research and strategic advisory firm focused on music-tech innovation. Founded by award-winning analyst Cherie Hu, the company provides in-depth market intelligence, competitive analysis, and strategic counsel to a wide range of clients, from major rights organizations and streaming services to early-stage startups and artist management firms. Drawing on deep industry relationships and a proprietary database tracking more than 1,000 music tech companies (including over 300 AI music tools), Water & Music equips music business leaders with the insight and context to make sharper decisions in the face of rapid change.
Methodology
The study was conducted between November and December 2025. Approximately 80% of respondents were surveyed through Moises' user base, and the remaining 20% through Water & Music's community.
