A Tejano Star Won a House Seat. Here's What the Midterms Mean for Music.

A Tejano star is going to Congress. Bobby Pulido, the Latin Grammy winner, flipped Texas's 15th District from Republican Monica De La Cruz on November 3. "For over 30 years, you played my music at your weddings, your quinceañeras and your carne asadas," he said after the race was called, according to USA Today via Billboard. "Tonight, you trusted me with something even bigger than a song, you trusted me with your future."

Music was loud in this election, on stage and on the ballot. The bigger story for working artists, including Canadians who tour the US, is what the new Democratic Congress does next about tickets, AI clones and the cost of crossing the border to play.

Which Artists Showed Up for the Midterms?

Plenty, and mostly for Democrats. Bruce Springsteen endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Senate race two days before the vote. "Dr. El-Sayed is a fighter for our American Constitution," he wrote on Instagram, and "a fighter against the corrupt, lawless, and anti-American leadership currently in the White House," per Billboard. El-Sayed won and became the first Muslim US senator.

Olivia Rodrigo wore a "Dr. Amy Acton for Governor" shirt on stage in Columbus on October 29, and Acton went on to win Ohio's governorship, Billboard reported. In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms' historic win as the first Black woman governor drew celebrations from hip-hop figures including Killer Mike, Offset and Monica, Vibe reported.

The other side had star power too, with less to show for it. Nicki Minaj flew on Air Force One with Trump in October, according to Rolling Stone, and most of the Republicans she campaigned for lost. She did get to congratulate Florida governor-elect Byron Donalds.

Can a Concert Really Register Voters?

It can at Madison Square Garden. HeadCount, a nonpartisan voter group, says its partnership with Harry Styles during his 30-night MSG residency produced 108,061 voter actions and 33,284 new voter registrations, Billboard reported. "Harry's fans arrive ready to make their voices heard," HeadCount's executive director said.

Not every artist volunteered. Canadian-born Neil Young sued Trump's political action committee on October 26, seeking US$10 million for using "Rockin' in the Free World" as a walk-up song at an October 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio. "The song is the opposite of everything that Donald J. Trump stands for," his lawyers wrote, per Billboard.

What Happens to Live Nation and Ticketmaster Now?

More scrutiny, and possibly subpoenas. The Justice Department settled its antitrust case against Live Nation one week into trial, letting the company keep Ticketmaster. State attorneys general kept going, and in April a jury found Live Nation had monopolized ticketing and inflated prices by an extra US$1.72 per ticket, Digital Music News reported.

"A judge is now weighing whether to adopt the settlement or grant the states' much more drastic request for a forced Ticketmaster sale," Billboard reported after the election. Democrats have called the federal settlement a "sweetheart deal," and they now control the committees. Senator Richard Blumenthal had already promised Live Nation's critics that "we will at some point, I guarantee, enter [your statements] into the record in full when we control committee hearings."

Will Congress Finally Protect Artists' Voices From AI?

Probably, but not this year. The NO FAKES Act, which would protect a person's voice and likeness from unauthorized AI copies, reached the Senate floor in the fall with near-universal support, then stalled when Senator Ted Cruz objected over satire and political commentary exceptions, according to Billboard. It will likely need to be reintroduced in 2027.

The music industry is not worried about the switch in party control. "It doesn't matter if the House changes or the Senate changes," RIAA chief Mitch Glazier told Billboard. "This bill will be on a trajectory for quick introduction and quick movement." The NO FAKES Act and the American Music Fairness Act, which would make AM and FM radio pay performers, are the two bills the industry is watching most, and both have support from both parties.

What Does It Cost a Canadian Band to Play the US?

More than it used to, before a single ticket sells. The Canadian office of the American Federation of Musicians, which handles US work visa petitions for Canadian musicians, says premium processing rose to US$2,965 on March 1, up from US$2,805, according to the Canadian Federation of Musicians. Fees now have to be paid by a US-issued card or a US-dollar money order, and the federation notes that some Canadian banks have stopped issuing those through personal accounts.

Some musicians face a bigger problem. The federation warned that US adjudicators had paused petitions for some Canadian citizens born in countries on the US travel ban list, "contrary to the U.S. policy," and urged affected members to use "extreme caution." None of that changes with a new Congress. Visa rules sit with the administration.

Canadian artists can still win big down there. The Weeknd's After Hours Til Dawn tour closed at more than US$1.3 billion, the highest-grossing tour ever by a male artist, Variety reported. For an emerging act out of Edmonton or Winnipeg, though, the math looks different. Every fee, delay and border question comes out of a tour budget that was thin to begin with, and the midterms did not change who sets those rules.