310Babii, BandLab & Industry Leaders Break Down Music’s Participatory Future at SXSW

At SXSW 2026, one of the more forward looking conversations around music and technology came through a panel titled The Future of Music Is Participatory. The session brought together 310Babii, BandLab Technologies head of communications and creator insights Dani Deahl, Billboard co chief content officer Jason Lipshutz and Hook Music founder and CEO Gaurav Sharma for a discussion about how fans, artists and platforms are reshaping the way music is created and consumed. Rather than focusing only on streaming or discovery, the panel centered on a broader shift toward participation, where listeners are no longer limited to pressing play.

Across the session, speakers described a music economy increasingly driven by remix culture, creator tools, social interaction and user generated content. The conversation suggested that the next phase of the business may depend as much on what fans do with music as on the music itself.

Lipshutz opened the panel by asking when each speaker first recognized that participation had become central to music’s future. Deahl said the idea felt familiar long before the term became a talking point. “For me, the past 20 years, I have felt like it’s participatory,” she said, pointing to her background in dance music and remix culture. She explained that what has changed is access, noting that people who do not identify as artists now feel like they can “put their own fingerprint on a song.” That shift, she said, reflects tools becoming more widely available and easier to use.

Sharma framed that change through a platform lens, explaining that his realization came from watching listener behavior evolve. “There’s all this music consumption happening on social media,” he said, adding that it is “getting way more listening than streaming.” For Sharma, that gap revealed a larger issue in how the industry values engagement. He positioned participation as an economic opportunity, not just a cultural one, especially if artists can be compensated when fans interact with their work in new ways.

310Babii brought the conversation back to the artist level. The Los Angeles rapper, who broke through with Soak City while still in high school, spoke about entering the industry with tools already built into his daily life. “I have access to a studio on my phone,” he said, describing how platforms like BandLab remove traditional barriers. He added that the current moment allows artists to create freely, where “you can make something and it can go viral and change your family’s life forever.” His presence on the panel stood out not only for his age, but for how clearly he articulated the balance between opportunity and responsibility in the current landscape.

Creation Moves Closer to the Fan

One of the strongest themes of the session was that music is increasingly becoming something listeners interact with rather than simply receive. Deahl said the industry has historically treated songs like finished pieces. “The master was what you listened to,” she said, describing a system where artists released music and audiences consumed it passively. Now, she explained, “the master is a starting point,” opening the door for fans to remix, reinterpret and reshape songs in real time.

Examples of that shift are already visible across digital culture. Deahl referenced how a sped up version of a song can create new momentum, pointing to cases where fan driven edits outperform the original release. “Someone else made a sped up version… and it went crazy on TikTok,” she said, describing how that kind of participation can lead to major opportunities for artists. The panel framed these moments as evidence that fans are now active contributors to a song’s lifecycle.

310Babii connected that idea to his own experience watching audiences respond to his music. “To see the world dance to my song… that’s powerful,” he said. He emphasized that creating music people can move to is part of his intention, especially at a time when much of the conversation around music can feel negative. His comments highlighted how participation is not only about remixing or editing, but about how listeners physically and emotionally engage with a record.

He also pointed to accessibility as a driving force behind that engagement. “BandLab is like… Instagram for music,” he said, explaining how easy it is for users to upload songs, interact and collaborate. The fact that he still records on BandLab reinforced how close creation tools now sit to the user. In the panel’s broader argument, that accessibility is a key reason participation continues to expand across the industry.

Education, Economics and Artist Control

Even with enthusiasm around new tools, the discussion repeatedly returned to business realities. Deahl said much of the industry’s infrastructure has not caught up with current behavior. “Deals that were written years ago don’t cover what this looks like,” she said, referring to remix culture and user generated content. She stressed that contracts and rights structures need to evolve in order to support how music is now being used.

Sharma expanded on that point by focusing on platform economics. “Spotify paid out about $11 billion,” he said, comparing that to significantly lower payouts from platforms where engagement is often higher. He argued that the imbalance highlights a need to rethink how artists are compensated. “There’s 10 times the consumption happening,” he said, suggesting that participation driven platforms represent a major opportunity if monetization can catch up.

310Babii responded from the perspective of an artist learning the business in real time. “A lot of artists don’t know what’s going on,” he said, emphasizing the importance of education. He explained that many creators focus only on immediate earnings without understanding publishing, ownership or long term strategy. “I want to leave this game being mobile and really owning my stuff,” he said, outlining a vision that extends beyond making music.

His comments added weight to the panel’s focus on education. Rather than framing participation only as a creative shift, he connected it to knowledge and control. He also pointed out that many young artists are learning through social media rather than formal systems. “You can learn a lot from TikTok,” he said, describing how information about the industry is becoming more accessible to new creators.

BandLab, Collaboration and the Question of AI

BandLab’s role in the conversation highlighted how platform design can shape participation. Deahl described features that allow users to collaborate directly on projects. “You can make a track forkable,” she said, explaining that other users can remix it and trace their versions back to the original. That structure creates a visible chain of collaboration, reinforcing the idea that music creation can be shared rather than isolated.

She also emphasized how global that collaboration can be. “You can collaborate with over 100 million creators,” she said, pointing to the platform’s scale. In practical terms, that means artists can work across regions without traditional barriers. The feature reflects the panel’s larger argument that participation is not just cultural, but also technical.

The conversation around tools extended into AI during the audience Q and A. A question from SoundsLikeWater asked Deahl about BandLab’s AI mixing and mastering feature and how users are responding to it. Deahl said the tool helps bring songs closer to completion. “It will get you to a place where you can test it,” she said, but added that “it will not replace a human engineer.” Her response positioned AI as a support tool rather than a full replacement.

310Babii followed with a user perspective that grounded the discussion. “It’s not perfect,” he said, referring to the AI mixing tool, “but it’s better than not having a track mixed at all.” He explained that for artists working primarily on their phones, tools like that make a meaningful difference. He also noted that the technology is still early and will continue to improve over time. His response reflected the panel’s broader tone, where AI is seen as part of the workflow rather than the endpoint.

Across the session, participation was framed as both a cultural shift and a structural challenge. From fan driven edits to platform level collaboration tools, the panel made clear that music is no longer limited to a one way exchange between artist and listener. Instead, it is becoming a shared space where creation, distribution and engagement happen simultaneously. As platforms continue to evolve and artists push for more control, that participatory model is already shaping how music moves in real time.