For decades, record labels, distributors, and streaming platforms have acted as powerful middlemen between artists and fans. They have controlled discovery, distribution, and data, while artists, especially independents, have been left with a fraction of the value they create.
Jaeson Ma, co-founder and CEO of OpenWav, wants to flip that model. “We’re solving the artist-to-fan disconnect,” he says. “Instead of renting space on someone else’s platform, every artist should own their audience and their storefront.” OpenWav’s approach turns each artist’s profile into a place to engage. It combines music, merchandise, tickets, and community features in a single space. It’s a shift from dependence to direct ownership, powered by artificial intelligence that eliminates friction across the creative and commercial journey.
“AI removes the barriers that used to require big teams and budgets,” Ma explains. “It can generate personalized merch, create marketing assets, optimize pricing, manage global fulfillment, even help artists make smarter creative and business decisions in real time.” He describes a new generation of “AI music managers” that use data to advise artists on where to tour, what kind of merch to launch, how to market a record, or even what musical directions resonate most with their audience. “Agentic AI managers can now do 80% of what a human manager does by leveraging access to the artist’s data,” Ma says. “We’re giving artists the tools to own their data, monetize their true fans, and scale sustainably—something the legacy system was never designed to do.”
For Ma, the heart of this revolution isn’t just efficiency. “Promotion used to be one-way: artists broadcast, fans consume,” he says. “AI changes that by making engagement intelligent, personalized, and participatory.” OpenWav’s platform uses AI to help artists understand fan behavior, identify superfans, and tailor experiences such as exclusive chat rooms, collectible drops, or interactive content. The goal is to transform audiences into communities and consumption into co-creation.
“It’s no longer about reach; it’s about relationships,” Ma says. “Fans don’t just follow, they co-create, vote on releases, access behind-the-scenes moments, and even share in the artist’s success through tokenized rewards or exclusive offers.” He’s not speaking metaphorically. OpenWav has developed what Ma calls the world’s first blockchain-and-AI-powered “attribution AI” patent, enabling true fans to license approved artist IP, name, image, or likeness through smart contracts. Fans can then use AI to design co-branded merchandise that generates revenue for both sides. “It’s fan creativity meeting artist ownership,” Ma says. “Everyone wins.”
While much of the public conversation around AI and music centers on fear—machines replacing musicians, Ma views the technology as a creative amplifier. “AI is the new sampler,” he says. “It’s not replacing artists; it’s amplifying human creativity by removing technical barriers so the focus stays on storytelling and emotion.” He describes how AI tools can help artists ideate faster, compose melodies, design cover art, or edit visuals—all while preserving the artist’s voice and vision. “An artist does 90% of the foundational work of creating original music, but AI can now enhance the other 10%, creating efficiencies when inspiration strikes.”
On the business side, AI enables new revenue models, helping predict what fans will buy, automating production, and optimizing marketing with precision. The result, Ma says, is “a one-person creative enterprise powered by AI tools, with OpenWav handling the heavy lifting behind the scenes.” Looking ahead, Ma envisions a future where artists and fans are partners, not endpoints in a value chain. “Five years from now, success for OpenWav means millions of artists building real, self-sustaining careers that are not dependent on labels or algorithms, but powered by ownership, creativity, and community,” he says. He imagines OpenWav as the “default music storefront engine for the next generation of artists where discovery, creation, and commerce all converge seamlessly.”
The artists who thrive in this AI-powered world, Ma believes, will be those who embrace technology as a collaborator, not a competitor. “They’ll understand their audience deeply, move fast with data-driven insights, and use AI to scale authenticity.”
At Techonomy 25, where the theme is Human Agency Meets Machine Autonomy, Ma will join Wyclef Jean and Madeline Nelson to explore how AI is reshaping creativity, community, and commerce in the music industry. Their conversation will offer a glimpse into a future where technology doesn’t replace artistry, but restores it to the center of the music economy. “AI isn’t about making more noise,” Ma says. “It’s about helping artists finally be heard.”
