As part of the questionnaire for this year’s Power 100 list, honorees were prompted to give their thoughts on four separate questions: about the state of the industry, what they foresee for the future of the business, the charities they support and what they would do if they didn’t work in music. Over the next several days, we’ll run a roundup of responses to each of those questions — our way of offering a snapshot of what the biggest players in the industry are thinking as we head into the new year.

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In this final sidebar, Power 100 honorees responded to the following prompt: “Make one prediction about the music business in 2026.” Not surprisingly, a substantial percentage weighed in on the role AI will play in the year ahead, with most offering a positive assessment. As one executive put it, “I think 2026 is when we move past the anxiety and into genuine collaboration.” Others were more mixed, though, with another predicting “more AI confusion and pain” in the short term.

Elsewhere, a handful of honorees predicted the continued flourishing of local and regional sounds on the global stage, while several others said the importance of the catalog business will continue to grow over the coming year. Meanwhile, a brave, lone voice in the wilderness asserted that Rihanna will finally release a new album in 2026 — perhaps the boldest prediction of all.

See the rest of the responses below, and check out honorees’ answers to the rest of our prompts here: What Are Your Frustrations With the Industry Right Now? | What Charity Do You Support and Why? | If I Quit the Music Industry Tomorrow, I Would…