The sound of fairness: AI and recommender systems in the European music industry

Fernandes, Marina Rossato; Vlassis, Antonios

doi:10.3389/fcomm.2026.1828992

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The sound of fairness: AI and recommender systems in the European music industry

Fernandes, Marina Rossato; Vlassis, Antonios

2026 • In Frontiers in Communication, 11

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/349281

DOI
10.3389/fcomm.2026.1828992

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Keywords :

artificial intelligence; fairness; media governance; music streaming platforms; recomender systems; Communication; Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

Abstract :

[en] Recommender systems (RS) play a central role in structuring visibility in music platforms. In this context, fairness has emerged as a key normative concept guiding the discussions in the music governance. However, there is a gap in understanding the meaning of fairness in the light of RS. This article adds to this gap by examining how European music professionals conceptualize fairness in relation to RS and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Drawing on 22 semi-structured interviews and a survey of 360 respondents, the study adopts a qualitative grounded approach informed by insights from discursive institutionalism. The findings show that transparency emerges as the central dimension of fairness. Opacity is perceived as reinforcing platform power, shaping visibility and monetization, and impacting cultural diversity. AI is viewed as intensifying these dynamics, through opaque training practices and the promotion of AI-generated content. While there is broad support for strengthening transparency, there is less consensus regarding how to promote cultural diversity. By foregrounding professional perspectives, the study conceptualizes fairness as a negotiated and context-dependent construct, contributing to a socially grounded understanding of algorithmic governance in digital music platforms.

Disciplines :

Political science, public administration & international relations

Author, co-author :

Fernandes, Marina Rossato; Center for International Relations Studies, University of Liege, Liège, Belgium

Vlassis, Antonios ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Cité

Language :

English

Title :

The sound of fairness: AI and recommender systems in the European music industry

Publication date :

2026

Journal title :

Frontiers in Communication

eISSN :

2297-900X

Publisher :

Frontiers Media SA

Volume :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2026.1828992/full

Funders :

EU - European Union

Funding text :

The author(s) declared that financial support was received for this work and/or its publication. The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the HORIZON EUROPE Culture, Creativity and Inclusive society (Fair MusE grant agreement No 101095088).

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since 29 September 2026

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