The 2026 Music Ally NEXT conference brought together music biz people from across the industry, for a day of sessions on topics shaping the future of music marketing, culture and the business at large.

Many of the day’s key takeaways revolved around how to build impactful, long-lasting campaigns that stay in fans’ memories – and their listening rotation – for much longer than the length of a TikTok video.

So what goes into sustainable, future-proof campaigns? How can artist teams work creatively towards the long-term, while also harnessing the tools at their disposal to communicate to fans effectively?

The day’s ‘Next-Gen Labels & Platforms Rewriting the Rules’ panel picked the brains of founders within the latest wave of disruptive labels on how they’re doing business – including marketing their artists.

314 Records founder Jeremiah Gogo illustrated one of the main challenges in 2026 for any label by citing the statistic that after charting, 81% of artists didn’t re-enter the top 200 with another single for the following 12 months.

“What does that tell us? Well, it probably means we’re increasing in the number of one hit wonders, and the number of singles-driven things in our industry,” said Gogo. “So how do we develop artists? Well, I think we need to go more in depth than just trying to make a big number really fast.”

This means hanging onto local identity – even as an artist goes global. “Scenes that can really hang on to their local identity, ironically, are things that can break through globally,” said Sony’s director of insight James Bartlett. “Anything that’s had the edges kind-of shaped off it might get some initial traction, but it struggles to really hold.”

“We’re leaning into all sorts of different spaces,” Bartlett added. “For an artist that loves running, and thinking about music while they’re running, that might be on Strava.”

“We’re leaning into Letterboxd, or whatever else might feel more visually inspired. Wherever that artist feels they can share something with their fan base authentically. That might be their music, or it might be something adjacent to that.”

How to build for the long term

Embrace local over global. Global listening patterns increasingly show interest in music with non-English lyrics. An artist’s regional nuances may be the key to your next break in the market.

Leverage niche hobby apps. To cut through fragmentation, hobby apps are a way to both play to artists’ interests and connect with fans in playful ways. This could be through a visually or culturally-oriented app, like Letterboxd, or something in the fitness space, like Strava.

Escape ‘Post, Hope, Repeat’ by building owned communities. Relying only on TikTok and Instagram for fan engagement can be limiting. On top of the familiar Discords and WhatsApps, keep an eye out for new arrivals.

For more future-oriented strategies from NEXT 2026, head to the full Sandbox guide.