From the impact of AI on music-making to the ways fans connect across music, sport, and gaming, All That Matters 2026 brought the business of <a Where Culture Is Currency", with discussions examining how artists, creators, platforms, and brands reach audiences and build sustainable businesses.
For music fans, that exchange took place onstage too. Music Matters Live The Music Is Universal showcase, presented by Universal Music, brought together Southeast Asian acts including Malaysia’s DOLLA, Vietnam’s LYHAN, Indonesia’s MARBLES, Thailand’s VVV, and the Philippines’ XONARA. Other programmes included Sounds Australia, MadeIN Japan presented by EXILE TRIBE, and MadeIN Philippines presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). The debut MadeIN Nagaland showcase, presented by the Government of Nagaland and TaFMA, also introduced artists to new audiences and industry professionals. The festival concluded with the all-female Girls’ Night Out showcase and closing party on 7 October.
<p> For Jasper Donat, CEO and Co-Founder of BRANDED, the event’s expansion from its beginnings as Music Matters in 2006 reflects
how closely these industries now overlap.
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“What stood out was that it is becoming more and more crucial for these industries to collaborate and work together,” he said. “Whether it was the changing economics of fandom, AI’s impact on creativity or how brands can build a meaningful place in culture, there was so much to learn from one another.”
