Popular music in 2025: Signs of resistance emerge amid war, fascism and corporate conformity

The past year witnessed tremendous and ongoing upheavals, including the revival of fascism, genocide, war, mass layoffs, the slashing of social spending and attacks on democratic rights. This onslaught led to major strikes and protests in the United States, Italy, Bulgaria, Nepal, Kenya, Indonesia, Madagascar and elsewhere. These crises inevitably intersected with major cultural moments in international music, from festivals such as Glastonbury to public confrontations between artists and the political establishment.

But to a large extent, popular music has failed to register these ground-shaking developments. The most successful and best promoted artists instead offered escapism, fantasy, romance and titillation. Artists who took a more serious approach have nevertheless addressed questions of fascism, war and inequality in limited or tentative ways (and these limitations have objective roots).

Overall, musicians made their strongest statements outside the recording studio, reflecting the growing mass opposition within the world population. This is an appropriate time to take stock of the popular music of 2025.

Festival crowds and onstage confrontations with authorities provided the sharpest expressions of political urgency this year. At the Glastonbury festival in the United Kingdom, for example, Irish rap trio Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan led thousands in chants of “Free, free Palestine!” amid a sea of Palestinian flags, provoking government attacks and visa revocations—above all, by the fascistic Trump administration in the US—that showed the ruling class’s fear of widespread opposition to genocide. 

Significantly, the British Labour government’s prosecution of Kneecap collapsed as the band won mass support internationally. Attempts at censoring bands like the Mary Wallopers over their opposition to genocide also backfired. Artists such as Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C. and Brian Eno joined with a broad coalition of artists in support of those targeted for speaking out against genocide and censorship, forming alliances aimed at defending artistic freedom and resisting political repression. 

As social inequality intensified in every country throughout the year, a similar stratification has been taking place among popular musicians. A handful of major stars enjoyed broad exposure and fabulous commercial success, while conditions stagnated or deteriorated for most musicians. Corporate control over streaming platforms, touring infrastructure and festival circuits have reinforced this divide, rewarding political conformity and punishing those who step outside the accepted boundaries.

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl broke industry sales records in its opening week. Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend broke the record for the most-streamed album on a single day and was certified Platinum. These albums offer no trace of protest and demand little of the listener. Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, the Weeknd and Lady Gaga also released top-selling or top-streaming music. Though portrayed as more serious artists or rebellious figures, their music speaks little to everyday concerns and poses no challenge to the capitalist order.

Notably, Bad Bunny avoided touring the US for fear that his audiences would be attacked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) goons. Perhaps his seriousness about this issue will influence his approach to his music in the coming year. 

In comparison with the above-mentioned stars, who are backed by the music industry’s colossal promotional muscle, most artists struggle to be heard. Swift, Carpenter et al garner tens of billions of streams per year, a middle layer of artists gets hundreds of millions and most others (many of whom are on small or independent labels) get fewer than a thousand. Of the few crumbs that streaming platforms give musicians, the biggest acts get the biggest share.

According to a 2014 study, the top 1 percent of artists took in approximately 77 percent of all recorded music income, while a 2020 analysis indicated the top 1 percent received some 90 percent of all music streams.

The decline in the profitability of touring is making matters worse for most artists. Travel, lodging, insurance and visa costs have all risen, while artists’ fees have remained stagnant. In a 2024 survey conducted by Pirate.com, 88 percent of artists reported that their touring costs were rising. About 72 percent were not making money from touring, 48 percent broke even and 24 percent lost money on tours. At the same time, entertainment goliaths like Live Nation are consolidating their control over venues and ticket pricing. As a result, touring is no longer a comparatively stable source of income for musicians. 

AI has the potential to open new creative horizons for musicians. But in 2025, developments suggested that the entertainment companies could use AI to replace musicians entirely. Rock band the Velvet Sundown and R&B singer Xania Monet were both generated using AI. Their voices, instruments, lyrics, music and biographies were created entirely by machines. That these “artists” produced music devoid of personality was of little concern to entertainment executives, who see only the potential to cut costs and eliminate friction with the artists in their employ. If it were controlled by musicians, AI could greatly help with recording and production or even help spark inspiration. But as long as the technology is controlled by the music industry, musicians will increasingly find themselves “competing” against it. 

Despite many of these challenges, a few veteran artists also stuck their necks out this year. Roger Waters has continued to speak out in support of mass protests and released his powerful concert film This Is Not a Drill. Bruce Springsteen and Jack White drew sharp rebukes from Trump for their outspoken criticism of political repression. Neil Young released a protest song directly challenging the “billionaire fascists” in the US. Ilan Volkov, the Israeli-born conductor, also took a powerful public stand against the genocide at the BBC Proms, only to be cut from mainstream coverage as cultural institutions shied away from political confrontation.

The year also saw the passing of two of popular music’s remarkable figures, Brian Wilson and Sly Stone, who both were 82. As we noted, Wilson’s “greatest accomplishments during that period remain relevant, genuine, substantial, and intensely moving.” Stone was a pioneer of funk whose music evinced optimism, insouciance and interracial harmony.