2026 TME Chinese Music Impact Summit Held: Music IP and New Growth Paths for the Industry in the AI Era

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In his opening remarks at the summit, Cussion Kar Shun Pang, Executive Chairman of Tencent Music Entertainment Group, said that AI enables the industry to produce large volumes of content in a short time, which also means high-quality music is becoming scarcer. High-quality music content creation and intellectual property protection are the foundation of the industry, Pang added, noting that TME hopes to work with the industry to develop higher-quality music IP, expand the boundaries of music value, and create new opportunities for industry growth.

The AI Era Calls for a New Copyright Framework to Support the Growth of Music IP

In the AI era, as technology continues to evolve, technological advances are giving music unprecedented distribution efficiency and new tools for creation. Liu Hua, Director of the China Office of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), delivered a video address on “The Flow of Technology: Copyright Protection in the Music Industry in China”.

The first roundtable discussion, themed “Sustaining Great Content: How Can Al Power Long-Term IP Growth?”, brought together Sam Hu, Managing Director, Universal Music China & SVP, Universal Music Greater China; Xin Liu, CEO, Grand Vista Music Group; Denver Chang, Chairman and Music Director, Linfair Records Ltd.; and TC Pan, Group Senior Vice President of TME, President of TME Content Cooperation, TME Distribution and TMELive, and Head of TMEA/TIMA. The panelists discussed what makes great content stand the test of time.

Discussing how AI is reshaping music creation, the panelists agreed that AI should be a tool that supports creators, not a vehicle for infringing on original work. Regardless of how technology evolves, the industry must continue to prioritize high-quality content and develop fairer pricing and payment mechanisms and more equitable value-sharing models, so that works that stand the test of time can continue to generate value.

At a roundtable discussion themed “Music in the Age of Al: New Creativity, New Rules, New Ecosystem”, Zhang Jing, Chief Representative, International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) Beijing Office; Yang Ming, Professor, Peking University School of Law and Executive Vice-Dean of PKU School of Intellectual Property; Kevin Yi, Renowned Lyricist and Music Planner; and Yang Qihu, Vice President and General Counsel, Tencent Music Entertainment Group, further focused the discussion on copyright rules and the creative ecosystem.

They agreed that the industry must both protect the legitimate interests of rights holders and leave room for new technologies to be responsibly integrated into the creative process. They called for rules spanning training inputs, AI-generated outputs and platform governance, built around the principles of “authorization, transparency and compensation”. Through collaborative innovation and shared governance, the industry can move AI music from “unregulated generation” toward “orderly co-creation”.

Deepening Global Collaboration to Expand the Global Reach of Chinese-Language Music IP

The summit also focused on how music IP can extend across live entertainment, artists and fans while expanding into international markets, exploring how China’s music industry can develop distinctive music IP that can connect with global audiences.

As the global live performance market continues to grow, for a show to evolve from a “breakout hit” into a “legendary IP”, it needs a recognizable content core, sustained audience engagement, and the ability to sustain audience engagement and operations beyond the live event itself. In the discussion, Danny Tang, Co-Founder & CEO, Hero Esports, co-organizer of Tomorrowland China, Zhang Chongshuo, Founder & CEO, Sparkle Live Entertainment, and Michael Tseng, Vice President of Content Cooperation and Live Performance Business, Tencent Music Entertainment Group, noted that while lineups can be replicated, the live experience and the emotional value it creates are far harder to replicate — and this is what sustains the long-term vitality of a live show IP.

On the topic of building artist IP, Kubert Leung, Renowned Music Producer and Music Director, Vince Amoroso, SVP and Global Head of Artist Services (Music), THE TEAM, and JINBYJIN, Renowned K-pop producer and Global A&R Executive of Kreation Music Rights (KMR), focused on what cannot be replicated: an artist’s musical identity and personal expression. Originality, innovation, and initiative, combined with an authenticity rooted in genuine personal experience, local culture, and musical language, define the lasting distinctiveness of iconic artists and are central to their ability to resonate with audiences globally.

As social platforms and fan community ecosystems continue to mature, fans are participating more proactively in the distribution, co-creation and monetization of music IP, with “super fans” becoming a core audience for the long-term growth of music IP. During the roundtable discussion, Lee Hak-hee, Vice President, DearU Co., Ltd., a Korean social platform; Dora Jin, Director of the Korean Cooperation Center, Content Co-operation Department, Tencent Music Entertainment Group; and Jane Yang, Director of Product & Operations, QQ Music Commercialization Center, Tencent Music Entertainment Group, agreed that recurring engagement, fan initiative and two-way emotional connection are key characteristics of the super fan ecosystem. Platforms need to help fans build long-term connections with artists, cultivating relationships that progress from awareness and emotional engagement to a sense of belonging and co-creation, thereby retaining high-quality interactive content on the platform over time.

In recent years, streams of Chinese-language music have continued to rise on global platforms, but how to make Chinese-language pop music more widely heard and embraced by international audiences remains a key question for the industry. At the summit, Zhou Shen, Chinese male singer, sat down with Gurjeet Chima, PMC Global VP, Head of International Markets, for a special conversation titled “The Sounds of Mandopop”. Discussing the internationalization of Chinese-language music, the two argued that the first priority is simply to get the music heard rather than repeatedly explain what makes it unique. They also stressed the importance of authentic self-expression, local cultural identity and working with teams that genuinely understand international markets, helping Chinese-language music develop a clear voice for global audiences.

In a special awards presentation at the close of the summit, Tencent Music Entertainment presented annual honors to nearly 40 partners that had worked with TME over the past year to advance music content and IP development. The awards recognized and thanked the partners for their sustained efforts to support the creation and distribution of high-quality music content. Among them, Linfair Records, Hikoon Music Group, Warner Records, Universal Music, Media Asia Music, JVR Music, Grand Vista Music Group, TF Entertainment, SM Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Taihe Music Group, and Emperor Entertainment Group received the “Outstanding Content Partner of the Year” honor; Elephant Music Group, Rock Forward Entertainment, Enlight Media, Rock Records, Haixi Music, Stellar, HUACE MUSIC, UEC, miHoYo, SNH48, StreetVoice, YH Entertainment Group, and DMG received the “Pioneering IP Innovation Partner of the Year” honor; Apple Music, Believe, Aimei Film and Television, Chunyu Film and Television, DearU, DouYu, Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), HIM International Music, Jiangsu Satellite TV, SY Music, XiXi Pictures, B’in Music, and Zhejiang Satellite TV received the “Outstanding Music Ecosystem Partner of the Year” honor.

As the rise of AI intersects with globalization, the value of music IP is being reassessed. Going forward, Tencent Music Entertainment Group will continue to provide an open, pragmatic platform for industry dialogue, foster consensus among stakeholders, and work with industry partners to unlock the long-term value of Chinese music IP in global markets, moving together toward a future of “borderless IP”.

SOURCE Tencent Music Entertainment Group