Drowned in Sound

In part one of our two-part investigation into AI rapper Danny Bones, Sean is joined by journalists Effie Webb and Harriet Williamson to uncover the real people behind the anonymous Node Project and its links to far-right. They discuss Danny Bones’ rapid online rise, his intervention in real-world politics, and the uneasy relationship between algorithms, generative AI and political propaganda.

Ahead of the release of Stay Lonely, their seventh studio album, DiS catches up with Blood Red Shoes

Sean and Helena on Robyn selling out the O2 without being an obvious household name, My Chemical Romance’s Black Parade in full at Wembley Stadium and the tears that came with it, and The National’s Matt Berninger’s solo show.

Andy Burnham, Paris Hilton, and football, all get discussed in this yapping edition of the DiS podcast.

What does the Lord behind the Fan-Led Review of Live and Electronic Music make of the government and music industry’s response? DiS founder Sean Adams gets on a call to find out...

A wide ranging mid-year check-in on where the music industry actually stands. It covers radio, playlists, spatial audio, AI, third spaces, and at some length, what’s really behind the clipping campaigns turning fan accounts into an ad product.

The case for cautious optimism from someone who has been fighting injustice in the music for for years.

Sean finally sits down with Tom Gray, songwriter, founding member of Gomez, and the person behind the Broken Record campaign that took on Spotify. This is the first bit of a two-part conversation.

Films, Portishead, and how the people who went to those countryside raves in 1993 ended up voting Reform

George Michael had the highest hit rate in the history of the US Hot 100. Nineteen entries, eight number ones. 'Last Christmas' has been covered more than four hundred times. Ten years after his death, there's been no big tribute concert, no statue, and almost no serious book about his cultural legacy. Until now... Sean Adams and Helena Wadia spoke to Sathnam Sanghera, historian, journalist, and lifelong George Michael fan, about his new book Tonight the Music Seems So Loud: The Meaning of George Michael.  Sathnam Sanghera is the author of Empireland (British Book Award for Narrative Non-Fiction, Channel 4 documentary), Marriage Material (shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, adapted for stage in 2025), and The Boy with the Topknot (Mind Book of the Year, BBC film). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Historical Society, and has been a George Michael fan since inheriting the bug from his sisters during Wham! mania in the mid-1980s. Tonight the Music Seems So Loud is a portrait of George Michael that doubles as an account of a turbulent period in British history, and this conversation covers most of it. Sathnam explains why Wham! was essentially a solo act, why George's perfectionism mattered (twelve hours on the vocal for 'Kissing a Fool', six months producing 'Fastlove', gaps of up to five years between albums), and how 'Last Christmas' was written in an afternoon while Andrew Ridgeley watched Match of the Day downstairs. The conversation goes well beyond standard fan-book territory. Sathnam makes the case that George Michael's activism has dated better than almost any British pop star of his era: he was publicly opposing the Iraq war before the marches, campaigning on AIDS while the tabloids used every appearance as an opportunity to out him, and he split up Wham! partly in protest at the management's involvement with an apartheid-era South African company. The Sony lawsuit, which cost him five years and millions of pounds, was fought on behalf of all artists, not just himself. The immigrant angle runs throughout: both George's Greek-Cypriot father and Andrew Ridgeley's Egyptian father came to Britain as a direct consequence of the British Empire, the faith-era aesthetic owes as much to immigrant overdressing as anything else, and Sathnam traces surprising parallel lives between a Greek-Cypriot boy from Finchley and a Punjabi boy from Wolverhampton. The episode also asks what George would do with £500 million extracted from the music industry, whether his 1998 outing was a turning point for press homophobia, and why a musician playing in every shopping mall on earth still has no statue. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to hear our podcast companion playlist and discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality. To start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz head to https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by: tell.studio (Phil, Louisa, Owen, Matt) Co-hosted by Helena Wadia, who also co-hosts the Media Storm podcast: https://mediastormpodcast.com/about-us/ Sathnam Sanghera / Tonight the Music Seems So Loudhttps://www.sathnam.com/instagram.com/sathnamsanghera Further readingSathnam Sanghera: Empireland and other books Recorded at The Shure Experience Centre, London. Sign up to the DiS newsletter: http://drownedinsound.org

Part 2 of our conversation with Gareth David digs into the real cost of being a musician in 2026

Gareth from Los Campesinos! explains the economics of streaming

What links AI, Addison Rae, Ice, Taylor Swift, deep fakes, trademarks, copyright, Samsung, Dua Lipa, and consent?

The King’s Speech happened yesterday. The Keir Starmer’s Labour government promised to end ticket touting. And yet...

When over 4000 music fans speak loud and clear, will the UK government not just hear them but act? We dive into the details of the fan-led review of live and electronic music.

DiS meets a consumer rights journalist from Which? to find out why they’ve written to the UK’s Prime Minister about ”secondary ticketing” (or touts)

Introducing a brand new podcast by Drowned in Sound.

Is AI a human rights issue for musicians? And why isn’t the UK government treating it like one?

Why are some artists still losing money every time they play a show? What the music industry needs to change in order to fix this?

Is the album format in crisis? Who actually benefits when music is ”democratised”?

What happens when a producer working with Solange, Loyle Carner, and Kelela burns out, and a spilled glass of water shows him the way back?

What does it actually mean to be a grassroots music promoter in 2026?

The electronic composer and master of film scores chats to DiS about taking a stand against the arms industry, and winning.

GIRLI joins the Drowned in Sound Podcast to discuss her powerful new single ”Slap on the Wrist”

"My brothers are 20 and they're always like 'we are so cooked.' And I'm just like no we're not. There's hope but you just gotta believe, you gotta believe in something." That quote accidentally captures Music Declares Emergency's strategic shift from awareness to action. After five years of "No Music On A Dead Planet" the Hope Over Fear campaign is building action hubs in grassroots venues - real physical spaces where fans, artists, and local communities organize around the climate crisis. In this episode, PVA front-person and MDE Campaigns Manager Ella Harris explains how the campaign works, why music fandom is inherently empathetic practice that translates to organizing power, and how she balances making escapist art (PVA's intimate new album No More Like This) with building climate infrastructure. The conversation tackles touring economics (trains cost £150, flights are just £30), why even festival headliners need day jobs, artists' fear of speaking out, and what £500 million in carbon offset funds could actually fix if redirected toward infrastructure. This is about hope over fear. Real-life organizing over digital despair. Infrastructure over individual guilt. This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Qobuz, the ethical music streaming platform. Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial at qobuz.com/dis.  Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 – Introduction: No music on a dead planet 02:10 – Wearing multiple hats: PVA and Music Declares Emergency 05:00 – Music fandom as an empathetic practice 07:30 – From merch to movement 10:45 – Action hubs and the future of grassroots venues 15:30 – Touring economics, energy costs, and structural limits 19:00 – Artists, activism, and the fear of speaking out 24:30 – Nature, creativity, and why hope needs infrastructure 31:00 – What £500 million could fix in the music ecosystem 35:00 – AI, empathy, and what human music still does best 38:30 – Outro: Depth, not breadth Continue the Conversation:  Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: Music Declares Emergency - Learn more about the No Music On A Dead Planet movement, the Hope Over Fear campaign, and how artists, industry, and fans can get involved. Music Venue Trust - Support and protect the UK’s grassroots venues The Green Rider - Ideas for ‘green’ clauses for inclusion as part of your tech or hospitality riders. Hope Over Fear Campaign - The campaign funding real-world action hubs in grassroots venues, focused on collective climate action and community organising. No Music On A Dead Planet - The global artist-led movement connecting music, fandom, and climate justice. About the host: Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound, an independent music publication championing underground and independent artists since 2000. DiS explores how music fans discover their collective power through journalism, podcasts, and community organizing. Related episodes: - Tori Tsui: "How Music Fans Became Climate Activists" (Brian Eno, Billie Eilish, Fossil Fuel Treaty) - Giles Bidder: "Why Festival Headliners Still Need Part-Time Jobs" (101 Part Time Jobs, touring economics) - EarthSonic Live: Music, ecology, and collective action from Manchester Museum About Ella Harris: Ella Harris is the front-person and vocalist of London post-punk/electronic trio PVA, whose second album 'No More Like This' (produced by Kwake Bass) explores desire, devotion, and emotional indentation through trip-hop-influenced soundscapes.  As Campaigns Manager for Music Declares Emergency, she leads the Hope Over Fear campaign, establishing action hubs in grassroots venues across the UK and Ireland. Previously, she founded Group Therapy Collective during lockdown, releasi

Many who otherwise couldn't afford a £40 show, let alone a £300 festival ticket, have accessed gigs because of a new initiative called The Ticket Bank. In this episode, DiS founder Sean Adams meets Jack from Tickets for Good and The Ticket Bank to understand how they're redistributing access to live music. From seeing empty seats at the O2 to a partnership with Barnardo's, followed by offering tickets to NHS workers, teachers, and carers, Jack explains how the infrastructure works, who it serves, and why more artists and venues need to get involved. The conversation covers touring economics, dynamic pricing myths, and the uncomfortable reality that an industry generating billions still prices out the people who need culture most. If you're singing about inequality, why would you only perform for those who can afford it? It’s an inspiring chat about who builds community, how change happens, and who the next generation of artists might not be without projects like this. This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Qobuz, the ethical music streaming platform. Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial at qobuz.com/dis.  This week's companion playlist features calm, ambient music from the community's picks of the best post-classical, drone, and ambient records. Two hours of peaceful listening to help you through the fog.  Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Get Involved For artists, promoters, managers, venues: Contact Jack directly to discuss partnerships Email: jack@theticketbank.org  For eligible audiences: Register via Tickets for Good or the Ticket Bank. New events added daily around 9am. Tickets for Good: https://ticketsforgood.co.uk Ticket Bank: https://theticketbank.org For everyone else: Share this episode with musicians, venues, and local promoters Tag artists in the comments and ask if they've heard of the Ticket Bank Send to your MP or local council about arts access If you know someone who might qualify, subtly share the links Continue the Conversation Join the Drowned in Sound community to discuss this episode http://community.drownedinsound.com  Subscribe to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly essays, interviews, and insights exploring music, culture, and collective power. http://drownedinsound.org  Links & Resources Tickets for Good: https://ticketsforgood.co.uk  Ticket Bank: https://theticketbank.org  Music Venue Trust: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: Why access to live music matters 01:20 - Empty seats at the O2: The origins of Tickets for Good 05:10 - Cost-of-living tickets and breaking industry stigma 07:00 - From Tickets for Good to the Ticket Bank 12:00 - How eligibility and verification work 16:00 - Touring economics and the dynamic pricing myth 18:15 - How artists, promoters, and managers can help 22:15 - Mental health, social prescribing, and cultural value 24:45 - What £500 million could fix 27:15 - Grassroots venues and inspiring the next generation 31:00 - How to register, donate tickets, or get involved 33:30 - Outro: Your mission

Picking up where Part 1 left off, DiS returns to its conversation with Giles Bidder. Not to talk about how musicians survive, but about how stories travel, how listeners connect and what it really takes to build a music podcast in 2026. In this second instalment, Sean Adams turns the lens on the medium itself (yes, we’ve gone meta). Drawing on nearly 600 episodes of 101 Part Time Jobs, Giles reflects on the craft of interviewing, the ethics of editing, and why the best conversations often need space to breathe. This is less about hustle and more about care: how to hold people well, how to listen properly, and how to build trust over time. The conversation ranges from standout episodes and “slow-burn” storytelling to what it feels like to make work that actually helps people navigate their lives. Giles speaks openly about bad bosses, fear-based workplaces, and the quiet anger that fuels his show (as well as the small, human moments that make it worthwhile). A love for radio runs through this episode: Giles describes producing Shaun Keaveny’s Community Garden Radio as a lesson in warmth, humour, and emotional intelligence on air. From there, the pair broaden out into why podcasts have become such a powerful space for connection, especially for people stuck in boring jobs, long commutes, or lonely routines. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 - Intro01:30 - Standout episodes and “slow-burn” editing03:20 - When to cut vs when to let a story breathe05:10 - What makes a “good” episode in hindsight07:00 - Work gaffs, embarrassment, and shared vulnerability12:00 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces14:00 - Why people are quietly quitting18:00 - Why podcasts work on boring journeys21:00 - Community Garden Radio and the art of warmth22:30 - What great broadcasting feels like24:00 - Power, responsibility, and attention25:30 - Why trust matters more than reach27:00 - Outro Continue the Conversation:  Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today. In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive. Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs. What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Chapters 00:00 - Intro  01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host 04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you 07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability 08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists 11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs 13:55 - Why meaningful art can s

From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today. In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive. Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.” What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 - Intro  01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host 04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you 07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability 08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists 11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs 13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke 16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies 18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact 19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life 20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect) 23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity 25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit 29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces 31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting Continue the Conversation:  Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources 101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder)  Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny)  Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues  Gilla Band  Lambrini Girls  Soho Radio Reading Festival

Fresh from touring stadiums with Depeche Mode, DiS meets electronic music pioneer to discuss her past, the present, and the future of music. This is part of Drowned in Sound’s 25th anniversary series in which Sean Adams continues the anniversary series by sits down with some of our favourite acts of the past quarter century. Kelly Lee Owens is very much one of those artists, who has featured in DiS year end lists and awards and playlists since releasing her debut EP. The episode starts on the education that comes from working in record shops and becomes a wide-ranging conversation about how music communities form, fracture, and sometimes regenerate. Moving across North Wales to London basements, from pressing white labels by hand to playing for 75,000 people with Depeche Mode, Kelly Lee Owens traces a path through all corners of music: the shops, venues, teachers, collectives, community centres, and accidental mentors that shaped her, her music, and her career. Sean and Kelly chat about their working class roots, the discipline of DJing as storytelling, and the economics of grassroots music. Kelly Lee Owens reflects on why she now deliberately plays shows in places artists rarely go, why she sees music as a form of healing as much as entertainment and why community matters more than scale. If there’s a thread running through it all…it’s this: music isn’t a product or a pipeline. It’s a relationship. And like any relationship, it needs time, space, and care to survive. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - Record shops as education and community 05:05 - Obsession, discovery, and how taste is formed 10:00 - The early 2010s shift: risk, hedonism, and electronic culture 13:05 - DIY culture, SoundCloud, and pressing your own records 15:00 - Human curation vs automation and playlists 22:10 - Playing huge rooms: Depeche Mode, confidence, and scale 26:05 - Returning to small places: community shows and access 29:00 - Grassroots collapse, class, and structural inequality 32:10 - What £500 million could fix in music culture 42:05 - Music as healing, frequency, and emotional space 48:25 - The future: rebuilding value, community, and care 50:15 - Outro Continue the Conversation:  Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: Music Venue Trust — protecting grassroots venueshttps://www.musicvenuetrust.com David Byrne — How Music Workshttps://davidbyrne.com/books/how-music-works Fabric London — venue history and cultural importancehttps://www.fabriclondon.com Piccadilly Records (Manchester)https://www.piccadillyrecords.com Pure Groove Records (London)https://puregroove.co.uk Kelly Lee Owenshttps://kellyleeowens.com Stop Making Sense — Talking Headshttps://www.talkingheadsofficial.com Cocteau Twinshttps://cocteautwins.com The Knife — Silent Shouthttps://theknife.net Warehouse Project (Manchester)https://www.thewarehouseproject.com Neuadd Ogwen / Bethesda community venuehttps://neuaddogwen.com

So what will 2026 sound like? In this episode, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams and journalist Emma Wilkes look into their crystal balls (and the release schedules).  Tips on which artists should break through and the corporate barriers they’ll need to navigate. Beyond tipping season, we explore the strange absence of shared musical moments, the growing anxiety around AI-generated music, the slow unravelling of trust in big tech platforms, and whether changes to ticketing, touring, and grassroots funding might start to rebalance power (and money) back towards scenes. There are also predictions - some cautious, some hopeful, some deliberately ridiculous. This episode tries to map the forces underneath the surface…the things that will shape what we hear, how we find it, and what it means to care about music in the first place. The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: What will music be like in 2026?02:30 - New bands, tipping season, and who breaks through next06:50 - Scenes, genres, and the collapse of old categories12:00 - Cities as culture: Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton, Beirut16:40 - Resilience, mental health, and sustaining music ecosystems20:40 - Grassroots levies, touring economics, and venue survival26:00 - Ticketing, regulation, and the slow response to abuse28:20 - AI, platforms, and the erosion of trust30:30 - Predictions: returns, collaborations, and surprise records35:20 - Tech futures, headphones, and augmented concerts38:50 - Hope, uncertainty, and what comes next Continue the Conversation:  Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: FanFair Alliance - ticketing transparency and anti-touting campaigning Music Venue Trust - grassroots venue support and levy campaigning UK Government - ticket resale reform & consultation Action Fraud -  advice on ticket scams and resale fraud  Subvert - artist / label-owned music platform Bandcamp - direct-to-fan model and editorial writing The Jump - Shirley Manson's podcast Vespertine - Björk's podcast

What if swifts sound like metal bands and rivers fly through the sky? This backstage look at EarthSonic Live reveals how music makes climate science accessible through music, field recording, conservation, and creativity.

What does it actually mean to be a musician in an economy built for creators and why does it feel like the workload keeps growing while the rewards shrink? In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams is joined by Hanna Kahlert from MIDiA Research, whose work sits at the intersection of music, platforms, and the wider creator economy. Drawing on recent research into artists’ working lives, they explore why musicians increasingly face the same pressures as YouTubers and streamers without a lot of the same tools, protections, or paths to sustainability. They talk about the time sink of constant content creation, the distortion of success metrics, and how discovery has become both easier and more exhausting than ever. This includes: “lean back” listening,  “lean through” fandom whilst the conversation reframes what engagement really looks like and why likes, views, and viral moments so often fail to translate into income or longevity. As streaming platforms push endless discovery and passive consumption, the duo ask hard questions about value, ownership, and what gets lost when music is treated as content and not an integral part of culture. The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 - Why musicians are being reframed as “creators” 05:20 - The problem with monetisation, takedowns, and copyright 12:10 - Lean back, lean in, and what “lean through” really means 20:00 - Discovery, algorithms, and the illusion of reach 28:00 - Are superfans real - and what actually makes a fan? 36:10 - Scenes, culture, and what’s been lost in platformisation 44:30 - AI, ownership, and the coming copyright reckoning 52:30 - The “dark forest” internet and the return of small spaces 59:30 - What the next 25 years of music might look like Continue the Conversation:  Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: Cross Platform Success Using Social Platforms to Build Audience and Fandom MIDiA Research Hanna Kahlert – MIDiA Research Spotify Loud & Clear Report Music Publishers Begin Spotify Podcast Takedowns (Variety)

What were the big music news stories of the year? In part 1 we charted the pressures building across music’s foundations and now Part 2 turns to the systems that decide who gets paid, who gets heard, and who gets left behind. Drowned in Sound’s founder Sean Adams and music journalist Emma Wilkes count down stories #3, #2 and #1 -  from the strange feeling that there wasn’t really a song of the summer at all, to solidarity protest movements filled with eloquent musicians, and the growing wave of artists turning their backs on Spotify. They examine how streaming payouts continue to shrink for artists, even as platforms post record profits public conversations around alternatives, and ethics (war tech?! ICE ads?! Joe Rogan?!) turned into artist boycotts.  The biggest music stories share one consistent theme: who holds the power, and who gets to challenge it? The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - Story #3: Was there a ‘song of the summer? 01:10 - Rage, memes, and culture reflecting the moment 03:42 - Sofia Isella and the power of feminine rage 06:20 - Nova Twins, activism, and grassroots credibility 08:32 - Mannequin Pussy and what rock should stand for 09:29 - Story #2 begins: protest movements in music 11:02 - Boycotts, divestment, and corporate accountability 13:02 - Solidarity, Ireland, Palestine, and shared histories 16:12 - Culture as a battleground 29:26 - Story #1 begins: the Spotify exodus 32:13 - Streaming power, ethics, and alternatives 36:16 - Hope, resistance, and building something better 42:22 - Outro Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: Switched On Pop - Why the Song of the Summer Is Disappearing No Music for Genocide – Artist Boycott Campaign NME – Paramore & Hayley Williams Join No Music for Genocide Resident Advisor Podcast – Sama’ Abdulhadi Together for Palestine – Yara Eid Concert Spotify Loud & Clear Report Music Publishers Begin Spotify Podcast Takedowns (Variety) Spotify Payola Lawsuit Explained (Music Business Worldwide) Cut Off the Spigot – Streaming Economics Campaign Mozilla Foundation – The Post-Naive Internet Era

What were the biggest stories in music this year?  No, not the releases or the hype cycles but the forces reshaping how music is made, played, toured, and valued. In Part 1 of Drowned in Sound’s Stories of the Year, Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes count down stories #5 and #4, starting with a contradiction that defined 2025: record-breaking mega-gigs and billion-pound industry headlines on one side, and a grassroots ecosystem under existential pressure on the other. They talk through the “mega gig” (stadium shows, park festivals, corporate-backed cultural events) and also ask what their success is hiding. Taylor Swift-level touring power continues to drive economic growth but artists at every other level are cancelling tours. What is the purpose of growth if the foundations are cracking? From there, the conversation turns to AI. A now present-day force that is reshaping music. This is the year artificial intelligence stopped being theoretical and started demanding political, legal, and cultural responses. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the countdown. The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:15 - Story #5 begins: mega gigs vs grassroots 02:10 - What defines a “mega gig” now? 04:11 - £8bn industry headlines vs lived reality 06:26 - Taylor Swift, scale, and monopoly economics 07:18 - Employment figures and the invisible labour of music 08:43 - Grassroots venues as cultural homes 09:32 - Inequality, wealth concentration, and responsibility 13:22 - How the industry decides who gets tipped 16:01 - Why discovery systems feel broken 19:30 - Story #4 begins: artificial intelligence enters music 23:19 - Consent, transparency, and “human-made” music 28:30 - Power, control, and social isolation 35:30 - Outro Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: UK Music – This Is Music Report (Industry Growth Context) Competition & Markets Authority – Secondary Ticketing Investigations BBC – Ticket Scams and Secondary Resale Issues Fan-Led Review of Music – UK Parliament Music Fans Voice – Fan Campaigning for Fair Ticketing Independent Venue Community Music Venue Trust Youth Music – Rescue the Roots Campaign AI-Generated Music Appearing on Artist Profiles  Oneohtrix Point Never is searching for soul in the slop (Dazed) UK Music on AI Training Data and Copyright

It’s that time again: lists, arguments, consensus (or lack of it). So.. how do we choose an ultimate “Album of the Year’? In this episode, Emma Wilkes joins Sean Adams to talk through their favourite albums of 2025. No this is not the definitive list, not the ‘right’ list, just the stuff that has stuck, been obsessed over, demanded repeat listens, or just briefly rearranged their internal wiring. They also talk openly about the collapse of monoculture, the impossibility of ‘keeping up’, and why criticism still matters amongst the fractured scenes, algorithmic bubbles, and overwhelming volume of new music to choose from. This is not so much a ranked list and more as two very online music obsessives trying to map a year that refuses to be summarised. The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 – Hayley Williams and the case for a bold AOTY 01:00 – Emma’s pick: The Callous Daoboys and joyful heaviness 04:00 – Grassroots venues, noise scenes, and Atlanta’s rise 06:30 – Introducing Emma Wilkes: rock, metal & Kerrang! 09:00 – Why heavy music needs catharsis, humour, and chaos 12:00 – Hardcore’s new era and the crossover wave 14:00 – The collapse of monoculture in 2025 16:00 – Discovery fatigue and the algorithm problem 18:30 – Model/Actriz, grief albums, and theatrical noise 22:00 – Heartworms and the art of gothic storytelling 24:00 – Ska, cowbells, and unexpected nostalgia 27:00 – Honourable mentions: Lambrini Girls, Wolf Alice, Nova Twins 30:00 – Hayley Williams’ political arc and southern identity 32:00 – Easter eggs, vocal shifts, and how fans decode albums 34:00 – Allyship, perspective, and storytelling in pop 35:00 – Production notes: Efterklang, Daniel James & sonic detail 37:00 – Why music criticism still matters 39:00 – Emma’s Top 10: heavy, emotional, ambitious 42:00 – Sean’s curveballs: Postcards, DARKSIDE & more 45:00 – So… who really made Album of the Year? Albums mentioned: Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party The Callous Daoboys - I Don't Want to See You in Heaven Backxwash - Only Dust Remains Kathryn Joseph - We Were Made Prey FKA twigs - Eusexua Afterglow Ethel Cain - Perverts Model/Actriz - Pirouette Alan Sparhawk - With Trampled by Turtles Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment Die Spitz ‧ Something to Consume Little Simz - Lotus Lily Allen - West End Girl The Mynabirds - It's Okay To Go Back If You Keep Moving Forward Wolf Alice - The Clearing Turnstile - Never Enough Addison Rae - Addison Sharon Van Etten - Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Marissa Nadler - New Radiations Nova Twins - Parasites & Butterflies Anna von Hausswolff - Iconoclasts Sudan Archives - The BPM Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On JADE - THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! Dave - The Boy Who Played the Harp Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be the Light Scowl - Are We All Angels Postcards - Ripe DARKSIDE - Nothing Jools - Violent Delights Witch Fever - Fevereaten Deafheaven - Lonely People with Power Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out Sprints - All That Is Over Pinkshift - Earthkeeper Creeper - Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death Melody’s Echo Chamber - Unclouded  HEALTH - CONFLICT DLC Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe:Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Recorded backstage at EarthSonic Live in Manchester, this conversation with Billie Eilish & Brian Eno advisor Tori Tsui bridges the gap between music fans wanting to help the planet and knowing how.

FanFair Alliance’s Adam Webb (a central figure in the long-running campaign against exploitative secondary ticketing) joins Sean Adams to unpack the announcement, its implications, and what it means for fans, artists, venues, and the future of the live industry.

How can the UK music industry be both in crisis and booming? In 2024, the sector was worth a record £8 billion to the UK economy but at the same time, grassroots venues are closing, artists are struggling to tour, and AI threatens to steal musicians’ work for the profit of broligarchs. In this week’s episode, Sean Adams speaks with Tom Kiehl, CEO of UK Music, about the findings in the organisation’s brand new annual report This Is Music 2025. Together they unpack the contradictions of a sector growing on paper but straining at its foundations from slowing post-pandemic growth and the fight for fair AI regulation, to the obstacles making it harder for new artists breaking through. With reflections on Brexit’s lasting damage, AI’s issues with consent, and a new £1 grassroots levy, it’s a revealing look at an industry at a crossroads. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 – The £8 Billion Paradox: Growth vs Crisis 03:30 – Who UK Music Represents and What It Does 07:30 – File-Sharing to AI: The Evolution of Rights Battles 13:30 – “Pro-Innovation” or Anti-Artist? AI and Copyright in 2025 18:30 – Levies, Inequality, and the Grassroots Squeeze 24:30 – Breaking Artists in a Post-Pandemic Landscape 29:30 – Rehearsal Spaces, Mentorship, and Missing Infrastructure 35:30 – Why Britain Needs a Music Export Office 41:30 – Ticketing Chaos, Regulation, and the Fan Experience 47:30 – What Fans Can Do: From Campaigns to Collective Power 52:30 – The Future of British Music: Soft Power and Survival Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: Read UK Music’s This Is Music 2025 Report UK Music Official Website UK Music on Instagram Drowned in Sound Newsletter

How “sleazy” was Indie Sleaze, really - and was it ever a scene that Paul Smith of Maxïmo Park recognised himself in? At a time when the air was thick with lager and leather jackets, Smith was more inspired by art-school notebooks, Robert Wyatt, and the idea that pop could be poetry. In this conversation, the Maxïmo Park frontman joins Sean Adams who also lived through the era being retrospectively called “indie sleaze”, was at those early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and Libertines shows, released records by Metric and Kaiser Chiefs, etc.  In this conversation they revisit the making of Maxïmo Park’s Mercury-nominated debut and reflect on what it meant to be outsiders during Britain’s mid-2000s indie boom. Recorded for the album’s twentieth anniversary, the pair unpack the contradictions of that moment - art rock vs lad rock and sincerity vs posturing whilst tracing how those tensions still shape British guitar music today. From signing to Warp Records and headlining the NME Awards Tour alongside Arctic Monkeys, Mystery Jets and We Are Scientists, to the band’s art-school roots, working-class perspectives, and enduring faith in pop’s emotional truth, this is a deeply human glance back at the legacy of one of the era’s most literate frontmen. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters 00:00 – Indie Sleaze, revisionism, and the myth of 200501:46 – Forming an art-school band and the noise scene that shaped them08:30 – From experimental roots to pop hooks: defining the Maxïmo Park DNA14:30 – Signing to Warp Records and finding a home for outsiders20:30 – The whirlwind year: Top of the Pops, the NME Tour, and the cost of success24:30 – Art rock, class, and being mislabeled “sleazy”31:30 – The politics of pop and the poetry of the everyday42:30 – Romance, resistance, and the belief that pop can still mean something Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources Maxïmo Park Official Website ‘The Rise and Fall of Indie Sleaze’ - BBC Podcast 20th Anniversary Edition of A Certain Trigger Paul Smith & Rachel Unthank Collaborative Album

Live music is nothing without the fans. Generating £5.2 billion to the UK economy PA, employing over 210,000 people and building the careers of those who contribute over £4bn to the export of live music, there is no doubting the UKs reputation as the international home of live music and the birthplace of the festival industry. Every pound of this economic success comes from a fans pocket and the House of Commons Culture Media and Sport committee have decided it’s finally time to put them in the centre of decision making, with a fan led review of Live and Electronic Music. This review aims to champion the areas that work, safeguard the areas under threat and ensure that the health and growth of live music is fair and accessible to all. Recorded live at Sŵn Festival in Cardiff, Sean Adams introduces a special panel arranged as part of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s Fan-Led Review into Live Music and Electronic Music - a landmark inquiry bringing music lovers together to discuss ideas to protect the live music industry and ensure it works in the best interests of music fans across the country.  The discussion draws fascinating parallels between football and music, two cultures built on passion, loyalty, and community, yet often structured around systems that treat fans as consumers, not stakeholders. Panellists Chair – Sam Duckworth  With a recording artist career as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly spanning 20 years, Sam has most recently been working with Music Venue Trust to advocate for greater fan input into Music industry decision making, co-founding the Music Fans Voice survey. Lord Kevin Brennan Lord Brennan is Chair of the Fan-Led Review of Live Music, on behalf of the Culture Media and Sport Committee. The Review is bringing music lovers together to discuss ideas to protect the live and electronic music industry and ensure it works in the best interests of music fans across the country. The aim is to produce a report to the Government setting out the perspectives of fans based on survey responses, stakeholder meetings and public engagement events. Lord Brennan has held positions as a Government Minister, former Chair of the APPG on Music and was a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which produced reports on ‘The future of music festivals’ and ‘The economics of music streaming’. He is also a performing musician. Dr Lucy Bennett – Lecturer at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture Lucy is a leading academic voice on music fandom and popular music culture. She co-founded the Fan Studies Network, has consulted for YouTube, and delivered analysis for the Recording Academy/Grammys. Widely published, she also provides expert commentary for the BBC, The Guardian and The Washington Post. Her teaching spans Media Fandom and Popular Music, Media & Culture, and she recently worked on the Music Fans’ Voice Survey, amplifying live music audiences. Cathy Long – CEO of Aposto Having worked with 64 football clubs at the Premier League (spearheading safety and fan experience) , The FSA and co-author of the Accessible Stadia Guide, Cathy is one of English Football’s leading fan experts and a passionate and experienced advocate for Equality and Safety within the game. Julian Jenkins  Julian Jenkins is a seasoned sports executive and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the  global sports industry. He has held senior leadership roles across football, licensing, and commercial development, helping to grow fan engagement, brand value, and international partnerships. Julian now lead multiple ventures spanning professional women’s football, AI-driven sports analytics, and creative IP development, blending his passion for sport, community, and innovation. His work focuses on building sustainable models that connect clubs, fans, and brands in more meaningful ways. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat abou

With 41% of grassroots community music spaces at risk of closure due to financial pressures, what does the future hold for young musicians trying to break through? And what role can the wider industry and everyday fans play in keeping these vital pathways alive? In this special DiSpatch episode of the Drowned in Sound podcast, Emma Wilkes heads to Troxy in London for Youth Music's annual awards ceremony, which celebrates some of the stars of tomorrow and the grassroots projects behind them. Youth Music is the UK’s largest music charity, providing funding for hundreds of grassroots music organisations and supporting over 100,000 children and young people every year up and down the UK. Their work has never felt so urgent. Through conversations with industry leaders, grassroots organisers, and emerging artists, this episode explores what equal access to music looks like, the vital importance of grassroots opportunities for young people, and what music fans can actually do to help. From major label perspectives to Cambridge's rising rap talent, we hear how the music industry can and must support the next generation. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Who are Youth Music? 01:50 – Charlotte Edgeworth (Sony Music) on the industry’s role in supporting grassroots music. 05:50 – Dan Tsu (Lyrix Organix) on money vs creativity and mapping pathways for young people. 09:40 – Matt Griffiths (CEO, Youth Music) on meeting young people where they're at. 14:00 – Sister Bliss (Faithless) on giving every young person the opportunity to create.  17:50 - Dan Tsu (Lyrix Organix) on creating spaces for young people 23:50 – Sister Bliss (Faithless) on what we can do next 28:50 – What comes next? A grassroots funding crisis, and what music fans can do to help. 30:50 – JayaHadADream on Youth Music's impact on her life and career. 32:20 – Resources, Rescue the Roots, and Youth Music’s call to action. Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: DiS Podcast: Matt Griffiths in conversation with Sean Adams Youth Music Official Website Youth Music’s Rescue the Roots Campaign Youth Music’s Industry Connect Programme Lyrix Organix Official Website JayaHadADream Official Website Cover photo by Jack Oliver.

In this episode of the Drowned in Sound podcast, Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes are joined by Sophie K and Yasmin from the podcast, ’On Wednesdays We Wear Black’. Together they unpack what accountability really looks like inside the music industry - and why it’s still lagging decades behind. From the Marilyn Manson, Chris Brown and Brand New controversies to the long-standing normalisation of abuse in classic rock (as laid bare in The Guardian’s review of Look Away), the group explores how power, money, and silence continue to shape who gets forgiven…and who doesn’t. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 03:10 – The State of Rock: Power, Money, and Silence 08:45 – Cancel Culture vs Accountability 13:00 – When Does “Sorry” Stop Counting? 18:25 – Justice Without a System 23:40 – The Media’s Role in Reckoning 30:10 – What the Look Away Documentary Reveals 37:20 – Generational Shifts and Moral Gray Areas 45:00 – Lazy Activism and Online Moralism 52:15 – Festivals, Representation, and Tokenism 58:00 – Closing Thoughts: Can the Industry Evolve? Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. Further Reading, Links & Mentions: On Wednesdays We Wear Black Podcast Look Away -  horrifying stories of abuse at the hands of male rock stars (The Guardian) Bodies: Life and Death in Music — Ian Winwood The Persuaders - Anand Giridharadas

In part two of our Drowned in Sound podcast series on the Spotify exodus, Sean Adams sits down with Alexa Speed (founder of Cut Off The Spigot), and artist Kadhja Bonet alongside returning guest Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) to unpack the growing backlash against Spotify and other streaming giants. From Spotify’s billion-dollar AI investments and Daniel Ek’s controversial war drone ventures to the ethics of billionaire ownership and music’s place in post-capitalist culture, Sean and this week’s guests dive into the details and ask what happens when artists say enough is enough. We hear why Kadhja pulled her music from Spotify, how Alexa interrogates corporate influence behind streaming platforms, and what the alternatives are (including Bandcamp, Qobuz and more). We also imagine a future where creativity and community outweigh convenience, and where art is valued for its inherent social good, not algorithmic profitability. Far-fetched? Let’s find out. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: The Spotify Exodus 03:15 – Why Artists Are Leaving Streaming Platforms 08:45 – Daniel Ek’s Investments in AI and Defence Tech 13:20 – The Ethics of Streaming: Profit vs Planet 18:05 – Billionaires, Protest, and Power 22:40 – Kadhja Bonet: Why I Pulled My Music from Spotify 27:55 – Laura Burhenn on Journalism, Accountability & Platforms 34:10 – Alternatives: Bandcamp, Qobuz, and Ethical Listening 40:00 – The Role of Joy and Dance in Resistance 46:45 – Building a Post-Capitalist Music Culture 52:30 – What Comes After Spotify? 57:00 – Closing Reflections & Future Visions Try Qobuz (Ethical Streaming Alternative): Artists get paid 10x more than Spotify. Human-curated playlists. High-quality audio. Start your free trial via DiS (supporting independent music journalism). Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. Links & Mentions Cut Off The Spigot Kadhja Bonet on Bandcamp Kadhja Bonet on Instagram The Mynabirds Laura Burhenn on Instagram Flashes (Bluesky app) Ghost: The Social Web The Verge on Ghost 6 and the Social Web

DiS founder Sean Adams sits down with DiS’s newest staff writer, Emma Wilkes, to mark 25 years of Drowned in Sound and what the future holds for the website, newsletter, and podcast.  They reflect on Emma’s recent interview with Jeremy Corbyn as he champions grassroots venues, and turn the tables by asking each other questions usually reserved for podcast guests. Sean finally reveals how he would spend the $450m Spotify gave Joe Rogan, as this conversation explores the intersection of music, politics, journalism, and the survival of independent culture. Sean and Emma discuss how music can be a gateway into politics (and vice versa), the pressures facing artists, publicists, and journalists in today’s music industry, and what a fairer ecosystem could look like. They also imagine music’s future in 2050 - the hopes, fears, and possibilities of where culture might go next. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 00:00 – Introducing Emma Wilkes & 25 years of DiS 02:00 – Jeremy Corbyn, grassroots venues & music for the many 07:00 – Why music and politics can’t be separated 14:00 – Music as a gateway into politics 15:00 – Ticketmaster, Live Nation & the fight for fairness 18:00 – What is journalism today? 24:00 – Asking questions, telling stories & accountability in music journalism 29:00 – $450m for Joe Rogan: how should money flow into culture? 33:00 – Building connections between artists and audiences 37:00 – Music media as infrastructure 39:00 – Supporting mental health and addiction in the music industry 45:00 – Stress behind the scenes: labels, PRs & campaign work 46:00 – The albums we love and buried treasures 48:00 – Music in 2050: hopes, fears & future sounds 57:00 – What’s next for DiS at 25 Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. Links: Drowned in Sound Newsletter Emma Wilkes on interviewing Jeremy Corbyn (DiS) Music Venue Trust – safeguarding grassroots venues Music Minds Matter – mental health support for musicians

In music, abuse, harassment and discrimination is normalised whilst accountability and justice is rare, so how can change finally happen? Sign up at http://drownedinsound.org for more on this topic and our weekly newsletter. In this episode of the Drowned in Sound podcast: For the past eight years, journalist and photographer Eliza Hatch has been documenting everyday harassment through her platform Cheer Up Luv. Following her recent Glamour investigation into misogyny in music, which has reached over a million people, DiS founder Sean Adams sat down to talk about the reactions to the stat that more than half of women in the industry have faced discrimination. From government failures to arena tours by artists like Chris Brown and Marilyn Manson, this is a wide ranging conversation about the challenges and the solutions. We also hear how artists like Lambrini Girls and Nova Twins reacted to hearing that over 50% of women in music have faced discrimination. And we talk about the role men can play in smashing the patriarchy, the rise of the far right, and what a safer, more equal music industry could look like by 2050. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 00:00 – Misogyny and music: the scale of the problem10:30 – Everyday discrimination that builds hostile spaces 20:00 – When the government rejects reform: stalled progress and NDAs 24:00 – The role of media, libel laws, and silence in enabling abuse 26:00 – Chris Brown, Marilyn Manson, and the “separating art from artist” debate 33:00 – Why accountability is so rare in the music industry 42:00 – Smashing the patriarchy is good for men, too 52:00 – The far right, feminism, and why musicians need to speak out 57:00 – What the industry could and should look like in 2050 Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your thoughts or experiences Subscribe to the DiS newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance Links: Cheer Up Luv on Instagram Sign up to the Cheer Up Luv Newsletter Eliza Hatch’s piece for Glamour We Are Music - resources for musicians facing harassment On Wednesdays We Wear Black - Podcast documenting Marilyn Manson’s crimes

What creates a national sound? How does Scotland run through the veins of a band like Idlewild, despite their American influences? Roddy Woomble and Rod Jones from Scottish indie stalwarts Idlewild join us to explore their new self-titled album and dig into the complexities of musical identity. Beginning in Scotland's tight-knit music community, then feeling like outsiders in London, the band reveal how geography and culture have shaped their sound and music over three decades. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 03:00 – Exchange of Ideas: What music as conversation means beyond technical ability 06:00 – Literary Influences: Books, writers, and the Patti Smith revelation 09:00 – Sonic Youth Revolution: How Daydream Nation changed everything about playing guitar 13:00 – Scottish Identity: Self-deprecating culture and the outsider mentality 20:00 – Not Fitting Scenes: Missing Britpop and feeling closer to American bands 26:00 – Community Culture: Regional success and Scottish musical support networks 29:00 – Working with Producers: People skills and studio education 36:00 – New Album Production: Rod as producer capturing "melodic chaos" 40:00 – Visual Identity: Photography, album art, and the 28-year bookend 43:00 – Six Year Gap: COVID, solo projects, and finding renewed energy 47:00 – Rock's Resilience: Why rock refuses to die… Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your thoughts on regional music scenes Share your own experiences of musical identity and belonging Subscribe to DiS newsletter for weekly insights on music and culture Links: Idlewild Official Website New Album: Idlewild (Official Store) Tour Dates

Have music artists finally had enough of the multi-billion dollar streaming platform? Laura Burhenn makes music as The Mynabirds and has played in the Postal Service's live band. When she learned Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invested $700 million in military AI startup Helsing, she pulled her music and uploaded a protest monologue. Her "Disarm Spotify" TikTok videos sparked millions of views and a wave of artist departures followed. Recent acts that have taken their music down include King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. In this episode, we're not just talking about streaming rates but getting into the wider systemic issues with music being turned into bombs. Featured voices from the movement:Novo • Violetta Zironi • Naley By Nature • Dan Mangan Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 00:00 – Musicians boycotting Spotify: the fury and the interconnected issues04:00 – When music money becomes military funding: the Daniel Ek investment09:00 – AI drones and the dystopian timeline we're already living13:00 – The snowball effect: how individual protest becomes movement18:00 – Platform alternatives: Qobuz, ethics, and where artists go next23:00 – Releasing protest music on the platform you're protesting27:00 – Artists participating in their own devaluation: the bigger picture35:00 – From DC punk to Palestine solidarity: political music evolution40:00 – Why outspoken artists stay silent about their own platforms Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your platform organising experiences Join the discussion about collective action in the creator economy Subscribe to DiS newsletter for weekly insights on music and resistance Try Qobuz (Ethical Streaming Alternative):Artists get paid 10x more than Spotify. Human-curated playlists. High-quality audio. Start your free trial via DiS (supporting independent music journalism). Links: Laura Burhenn on Instagram The Mynabirds on Bandcamp Laura's piece for Drowned in Sound

How do artists decide what to say when everything from grassroots music to the climate is in crisis? Backstage at Reading Festival, Drowned in Sound’s Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes sat down with Rou Reynolds, the frontman of Enter Shikari, one of the UK's most politically engaged bands. We discuss a range of topics including the St Albans music scene and how they pioneered the grassroots music venue levy - adding £1 to arena tickets to support small venues. With 20 years of activism and seven albums under the band’s belt, Rou’s learned that having a platform means constantly choosing which crisis at a time or polycrisis deserves the spotlight. And we chat a lot about the interconnected issues and the need for system change. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 03:00 – How the £1 venue levy actually works in practice05:00 – Why supporting grassroots is community organizing, not charity07:00 – How St Albans scene prepared Enter Shikari for mainstream success09:00 – The neoliberal isolation crisis and music's role as antidote11:00 – Connecting Gaza, climate crisis, and music industry exploitation12:30 – Climate speech: "430 parts per million" and the season finale16:00 – The impossible choice: which crisis gets the platform tonight?22:00 – Reading Festival Gaza speech: "This is not a tragedy, it's a war crime" "To be silent in times of atrocity is to assist in maintaining that atrocity" Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your platform responsibility experiences Join the discussion about choosing battles in poly-crisis times Subscribe to DiS newsletter for weekly insights on building alternatives Links: Enter Shikari Official Music Venue Trust Rou chats from COP in Glasgow on the Sounds Like A Plan podcast

Is rage the soundtrack of summer 2025? Can joy exist alongside political solidarity when climate change turns fields into dust clouds? Are main stages becoming platforms for resistance? And how do grassroots venues create the community foundations that allow festivals like Reading to exist at all? This DiSpatch captures Reading Festival 2025 as both a celebration and political flashpoint - a weekend where Chappell Roan's euphoric main stage triumph coexisted with Palestine solidarity, climate crisis manifestations, and urgent conversations about the grassroots music ecosystem that supports it all. Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes navigate backstage conversations revealing how artists choose which urgent topics to address when "there's a lot of things happening in the world." From Enter Shikari's pioneering grassroots levy work to Cliffords’ Cork scene community building, the episode maps how small venues create the collaborative culture that eventually reaches festival main stages. These conversations connect individual artist journeys to systemic challenges: venue closures, climate impacts, and the intersection of music with broader political movements. Edited by:  Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Festivals as cultural battlegrounds in climate crisis era05:00 – Chappell Roan: Joy as political resistance on main stage08:00 – Cliffords on optimism as radical act and Cork scene collaboration11:00 – Sofia Isella: From classical training to festival mud, building versatile artistry16:00 – Rage as summer's soundtrack: Artist perspectives on political expression22:00 – Enter Shikari: Choosing urgent topics and grassroots levy pioneer work28:00 – Grassroots venues: Community infrastructure beyond music35:00 – Climate crisis reaches UK festivals: Dust storms and venue sustainability43:00 – Political solidarity: Palestine flags and artist platform responsibility47:00 – Reading 2025: Cultural battleground assessment Featured Links: DrownedInSound YouTube Channel - Full artist interviews from Reading Festival DiS Instagram - Behind-the-scenes festival content and artist clips Grassroots Music Venue Crisis - Learn about the £1 levy supporting venues Muse at Reading Festival 1999 - A history of Muse performances at Reading Festival DiS Bookshop - Supporting independent bookstores and music writing Artists Featured: Chappell Roan, Cliffords, Sofia Isella, Enter Shikari, Heartworms, The Linda Lindas, Mannequin P*ssy, Amyl and the Sniffers, Lambrini Girls, and more About DiSpatch: DiSpatch episodes capture music events as cultural moments that reveal broader political and environmental currents. These aren't traditional festival reviews - they're explorations of how live music spaces become essential infrastructure for community building, political discourse, and cultural resistance in the climate crisis era. Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your thoughts on festivals as political spaces Join the discussion in our community forum about venue sustainability Subscribe to DiS newsletter for climate crisis generation journalism

Cherie Hu is an oracle of music technology and she can forsee where music is headed.

Nirvana, TikTok, analogue aesthetics, and virality don’t usually go together. Meet the creator who is bucking all the trends.

Music discovery, algorithms, and the craft of music journalism: DiS meets Ilana Kaplan who has covered the early careers of now megastars like Billie EIlish and Halsey.

Q&A special: DiS founder Sean Adams explores the uncomfortable truths about streaming economics and social media burnout

One for music producers and DIY business starters. Sean talks with Isobel Anderson, one of music tech’s most important feminist voices.

＜p＞While most music industry coverage focuses on (poly)crisis and collapse, Mary Spender argues we’re living through the greatest era for independent artists in history.＜/p＞ ＜p＞But, but but... what about streaming economics, venue closures, and platform dependence? Don’t worry, we get into it.＜/p＞ ＜p＞With over 100 million YouTube views, 34,000 newsletter subscribers, and significant album sales achieved before releasing a single track to streaming, Mary demonstrates there are viable alternatives to industry doom-spiralling.＜/p＞ ＜p＞In this conversation, she reveals her strategies for converting YouTube viewers into album buyers, why artists need to think like entrepreneurs, and what she’d build with Spotify’s $400 million Joe Rogan budget.＜/p＞ ＜p＞Sean also asks her about her recent video about why artists should embrace YouTube. Speaking of which, you will be able to see clips from this interview over on Drowned in Sound’s YouTube: ＜a href=”https://www.youtube.com/@DrownedinSound” target=”_blank” rel=”ugc noopener noreferrer”＞youtube.com/@DrownedinSound＜/a＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜br＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜strong＞Timestamps＜/strong＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞00:00 Sean’s Intro＜br＞ 03:21 What will music be like in 2050?＜br＞ 06:25 Why artists should think like entrepreneurs＜br＞ 12:45 What does the future hold for independent artists?＜br＞ 16:56 The 1000 true fan theory＜br＞ 18:51 Should YouTube be the #1 platform for musicians?＜br＞ 24:36 Researching with an open mind. A rare skillset?＜br＞ 29:45 How to convert an audience from YouTube＜br＞ 34:17 What can the UK government do for music?＜br＞ 36:35 How would Mary spend the $400 million Spotify paid Joe Rogan?＜br＞ 38:39 Is long-form content on the return?＜br＞ 43:29 Sean’s Outro＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜br＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜strong＞Quotable Moments＜/strong＞＜br＞ ＜em＞”Technically it’s never been a better time to be a musician than today, even though everyone likes to talk about the heyday. But that was for a very lucky few.”＜/em＞＜br＞ ＜em＞”If you don’t have the grassroots, you don’t have the artists in Wembley Stadium. Like you don’t have that trajectory.”＜/em＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜strong＞Continue the Conversation＜/strong＞＜br＞ 📧 Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your questions for future episodes＜br＞ 🌐 Join the ＜a href=”https://community.drownedinsound.org” target=”_blank” rel=”ugc noopener noreferrer”＞Drowned in Sound Community＜/a＞＜br＞ 📰 Subscribe to the ＜a href=”https://drownedinsound.org” target=”_blank” rel=”ugc noopener noreferrer”＞Drowned in Sound newsletter＜/a＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜strong＞Guest Links＜/strong＞＜br＞ ＜a href=”https://youtube.com/maryspender” target=”_blank” rel=”ugc noopener noreferrer”＞Mary Spender’s YouTube Channel＜/a＞＜br＞ ＜a href=”https://maryspender.com” target=”_blank” rel=”ugc noopener noreferrer”＞Mary’s website and newsletter＜/a＞＜br＞ ＜a href=”https://nebula.tv/maryspender” target=”_blank” rel=”ugc noopener noreferrer”＞The Dire Straits Documentary on Nebula＜/a＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜strong＞Referenced in Episode＜/strong＞＜br＞ ＜a href=”https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/” target=”_blank” rel=”ugc noopener noreferrer”＞Kevin Kelly’s ”1000 True Fans” essay＜/a＞＜/p＞ ＜p＞＜strong＞About the Host:＜/strong＞ Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound (est. 2000), manages artists including Charlotte Church and The Anchoress, and has worked with BBC 6 Music. Through this podcast, he maps the future of music by exploring culture, politics, and the systems shaping how we create and consume music. At its peak, Drowned in Sound had over 3 million readers. Stay tuned for details about its 25th anniversary celebrations.＜/p＞

<p>What does it feel like to attend Glastonbury for the first time?</p><p>Music journalist <a href="https://www.emmabwilkes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Emma Wilkes</a> brings us along for her debut pilgrimage to the UK&#39;s landmark musical gathering. She spins us a sonic diary with interviews from Terminal 1 and Laima Layton, along with reactions to some of the politically charged moments of the festival (shouts to Amyl and the Sniffers). </p><p>Along the way, there are vox pops with strangers, overlooked corners, and moments that slipped under the mainstream radar…</p><p>00:00 Introduction</p><p>01:51 Pre-festival preparation with Emma Wilkes</p><p>03:26 Attendees&#39; expectations of Glastonbury 2025</p><p>04:22 First impressions and Thursday observations</p><p>06:19 Terminal 1 and an interview with Laima Layton</p><p>18:32 The sounds of Worthy Farm</p><p>19:12 How does the real-life festival compare to the coverage seen previously?</p><p>21:45 The political moments of Glastonbury 2025</p><p>30:42 The journey home, the Tuesday after, and a summary from a slightly raspy Emma</p><p>34:11 Expectations vs. reality with the people of the festival</p><p><strong>Mentioned in the episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.laimaleyton.com/music"><u>Laima Layton</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.inplaceofwar.net/"><u>In Place Of War</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.inplaceofwar.net/grrrl"><u>GRRRL</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/areas/terminal-1/"><u>Terminal 1</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.amylandthesniffers.com/"><u>Amyl and the Sniffers</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.jadeofficial.com/"><u>JADE</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.seunkutimusic.com/"><u>Seun Kuti</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.marujaofficial.co.uk/"><u>Maruja</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.lambrinigirlsband.co.uk/"><u>Lambrini Girls</u></a></p><ul><li><strong>Join the conversation: </strong><a href="https://community.drownedinsound.com/"><strong>Drowned in Sound Community</strong></a></li><li><strong>Email: </strong><a href="mailto:Sean@drownedinsound.org"><strong>sean@drownedinsound.org</strong></a></li><li><strong>Stay updated:</strong> <a href="https://www.drownedinsound.org/"><strong>Subscribe to DiS newsletter</strong></a><br></li></ul>

<p>How do you build genuine community when algorithms reward viral moments over real connection? What if sustainable music careers start with just five super fans rather than chasing millions of followers?</p><p>Drowned in Sound founder &amp; artist manager Sean Adams speaks with Nikki Camilleri - music strategist, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and founder of mana - about the ground-level realities of building a music career in 2025. </p><p>From growing up in Malta and navigating geographic disadvantage to working with breakthrough artists like Cat Burns, Nikki breaks down what actually works in today&#39;s oversaturated landscape.</p><p>This conversation digs deep into authentic community-building versus audience accumulation, the &quot;five super fans&quot; principle that challenges conventional wisdom, and why most artist advice around social media is fundamentally broken. </p><p>Plus: Nikki&#39;s vision for fixing music industry infrastructure by 2050, including transparency tools and direct fan connection platforms that don&#39;t rely on algorithmic gatekeepers.</p><p><strong>&quot;You need five super fans to start getting going - that&#39;s equal to about 250 passive fans. When you start looking at it that way, it doesn&#39;t seem as daunting.&quot;</strong></p><p><em>— Nikki Camilleri on why quality beats quantity in fan building</em></p><p><strong>Episode Timestamps:</strong></p><ul><li>00:00 Introduction: Music Reality Check for 2025</li><li>02:03 Envisioning Music in 2050: Transparency and Infrastructure</li><li>04:34 The Malta Factor: Geographic Disadvantage in Digital Times</li><li>08:26 The Resilience Crisis: From &quot;Ready to Fight&quot; to Viral Expectations</li><li>16:28 Five Super Fans vs Viral Algorithms: Quality Over Quantity</li><li>20:14 Real Community vs Audience: Building Genuine Connection</li><li>32:15 Artist Purpose and Identity: The &quot;Horror Electronica&quot; Story</li><li>39:21 Fixing the Industry: Where Would You Spend Spotify&#39;s Money?</li><li>44:48 Key Takeaways: What Actually Works</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Mentioned in the episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nikkicamilleri.com/">Nikki Camilleri</a></p><p><a href="https://hq.rostr.cc/">ROSTR</a></p><p><a href="https://www.thersa.org/">Royal Society of Arts</a></p><p><a href="http://volt.fm">Volt.fm</a></p><p><a href="https://www.katforillinois.com/">Kat Abu</a></p><p><a href="https://theanchoress.co.uk/">The Anchoress</a></p><p><a href="https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Kevin Kelly on 1000 True Fans</a></p><p>Join the conversation: <a href="https://community.drownedinsound.com/">Drowned in Sound Community</a></p><p>Email<strong> </strong><a href="mailto:podcasts@drownedinsound.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>podcasts@drownedinsound.org</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.drownedinsound.org/"><strong>Subscribe to DiS newsletter</strong></a></p><p><br></p>

<p>What does it mean to “metabolize” emotion through music? Do wellness tools actually work better when paired with your favourite artist? Why does the music industry treat artists like products and not caregivers?</p><p>Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams is joined by Ariana Alexander-Sefre, co-founder of the mental health app <a href="https://spoke.world/"><strong>SPOKE</strong>⁠</a>, to talk about the future of therapy and how music can play a pivotal role in that. The conversation explores the science behind sound, the emotional toll on musicians, and why music should be taken seriously as a public health tool.</p><p>Spoke has worked with over 100 artists, training them in techniques like CBT and mindfulness to embed into lyrics and melodies - and the results are changing lives.</p><p><strong>Episode chapters:</strong></p><p>0:00 - 2:45 - Introduction</p><p>2:46 - 4:55  What would Ariana hope music to be like in 2050?</p><p>4:56 - 7:46 Using music to “metabolize” emotions</p><p>7:47 - 11:50 Who are SPOKE and who is Ariana Alexandre-Sefre</p><p>11:51 - 13:42 The relationship between music and mental health</p><p>13:43 -  20:28 Inside the SPOKE app - embedding music with culture with therapy</p><p>20:29 - 31:18 Why the music industry needs a fresh perspective on artist value</p><p>31:19 - 37:08 The science behind functional music and mindfulness</p><p>38:09 - 40:04 The real-world impact of therapy delivered through music</p><p>40:05 - 48:08 Can artists become a recognised part of healthcare?</p><p>48:09 - 54:13 - Closing thoughts from Sean</p><p><strong>Mentioned in the episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.musicmindsmatter.org.uk/"><u>Music Minds Matter</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.sallyannegross.com/can-music-make-you-sick"><u>Can Music Make You Sick? (Sally Anne Gross)</u></a></p><p><a href="https://monorailmusic.com/product/mood-machine-the-rise-of-spotify-and-the-cost-of-the-perfect-playlist/"><u>Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist (Liz Pelly)</u></a></p><p><a href="https://endel.io/"><u>Endel</u></a></p><p><strong>Join the conversation: </strong><a href="https://community.drownedinsound.com/"><strong>Drowned in Sound Community</strong></a></p><p><strong>Email: </strong><a href="mailto:Sean@drownedinsound.org"><strong>sean@drownedinsound.org</strong></a></p><p><a href="https://www.drownedinsound.org/"><strong>Subscribe to DiS newsletter</strong></a></p><p><br></p>

<p>What does a melting glacier sound like? Can a rainforest sing? And what happens when the last bird of its species hears a recording and tries to reply?</p><p>In this special live edition of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, recorded at <a href="http://www.tmw.ee" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Tallinn Music Week</a>, host Sean Adams moderates a powerful conversation on music, ecology, and collective action. Joined by artists and innovators from the EarthSonic project, the panel explores how field recordings, plant biofeedback, and immersive sound can shift our understanding of the planet — and why that emotional shift matters.</p><p>From Brazil’s disappearing biodiversity to sound fossils in the Swiss Alps, this episode weaves together music, activism, and indigenous wisdom in an urgent yet hopeful conversation about art’s role in averting climate collapse.</p><p>Plus Ruth from In Place of War reveals their new project with Bicep in Greenland that launches in summer 2025.</p><p><br></p><p>Featured Guests &amp; Projects:</p><ul><li><a href="https://naturalsymphony.co.uk">⁠Natural Symphony (Joey Dean)⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ludwigberger.com">⁠Ludwig Berger⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://inplaceofwar.net">⁠In Place of War / EarthSonic (Ruth Daniel)⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.martynwareofficial.co.uk">⁠Martyn Ware (Heaven 17 / Human League)⁠</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Episode Highlights &amp; Timestamps:</p><ul><li><strong>03:00</strong> – Ruth Daniel on the origins of In Place of War and EarthSonic</li><li><strong>06:00</strong> – Ludwig Berger: Listening to melting glaciers through hydrophones</li><li><strong>11:00</strong> – Martyn Ware (Heaven 17/The Human League) on sonifying endangered species and synthetic forests</li><li><strong>17:00</strong> – Natural Symphony: Collaborating with plants and reforesting the Amazon</li><li><strong>27:00</strong> – The power of sound to bridge disconnection and inspire action</li><li><strong>33:00</strong> – Building cultural change through art and emotional resonance</li><li><strong>39:00</strong> – Sound healing, deep listening, and making the unseen audible</li><li><strong>45:00</strong> – What capitalism doesn’t want us to feel — and why art matters</li><li><strong>52:00</strong> – Indigenous wisdom, urban detachment, and finding your own tree</li><li><strong>58:00</strong> – Hopeful projects, collective agency, and calling in the music industry</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Mentioned in the Episode:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.earthsonic.org/releases" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">&quot;The Last Scream&quot; new release</a></li><li><a href="https://www.crying-glacier.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Crying Glacier movie</a></li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://pro.tmw.ee/schedule/232" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">EarthSonic panel replay via the TMW.EE website</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Join the Conversation:</p><ul><li><a href="https://community.drownedinsound.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drowned in Sound Community</a></li><li>Email Sean → <a href=

<p>What did the future sound like when the synthesizer first arrived? What does it feel like now, with AI looming and immersive audio spaces on the rise?</p><p>In this special episode of the <strong>Drowned in Sound Podcast</strong>, recorded at <a href="https://tmw.ee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Tallinn Music Week</strong></a>, <strong>Sean Adams</strong> speaks with <strong>Martyn Ware</strong> — founder of The Human League and Heaven 17, producer for acts ranging from Tina Turner to Erasure, and creator of some of the UK’s most ambitious sound installations.</p><p>This is a conversation about optimism and dystopia, about punk and purpose, and about how DIY culture in Sheffield shaped a career that’s still future-facing today.</p><p>Martyn also reflects on his podcast <em>Electronically Yours</em>, the legacy of sound, and how creative freedom can reshape confidence, community, and cultural memory.</p><p> Timestamps &amp; Topics:</p><ul><li><strong>01:32</strong> – Synths, Sheffield, and starting out</li><li><strong>07:00</strong> – Curiosity and creative confidence</li><li><strong>10:00</strong> – From charts to immersive installations</li><li><strong>14:30</strong> – Podcasting and preserving legacy</li><li><strong>20:00</strong> – What would a Martyn Ware bar sound like?</li><li><strong>25:00</strong> – Optimism, memory, and what comes next</li></ul><p><br></p><p> Further Listening &amp; Resources:</p><ul><li>🎙️ <a href="https://www.martynwareofficial.co.uk/electronically-yours" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Electronically Yours podcast</a></li><li>🔊 <a href="https://illustriouscompany.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Illustrious Company (immersive audio)</a></li><li>🧠 <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/soundscape-sounds-of-our-shores.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sounds of Our Shores installation</a><em></em></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Stay Connected:</p><ul><li>🗣 <a href="https://community.drownedinsound.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drowned in Sound Community</a></li><li>📩 Email Sean → <a href="mailto:sean@drownedinsound.org">sean@drownedinsound.org</a></li><li>🔵 <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/drownedinsound.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Follow Sean on Bluesky</a></li><li>📰 <a href="https://drownedinsound.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Subscribe to the DiS Newsletter</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>About the Guest:</p><p><strong>Martyn Ware</strong> is a pioneering British musician, producer, and sound artist. As a founding member of <strong>The Human League</strong> and <strong>Heaven 17</strong>, and co-founder of <strong>British Electric Foundation</strong>, he helped define the sound of synth-pop while pushing boundaries in spatial audio, immersive installations, and political music-making. He also hosts the acclaimed podcast <em>Electronically Yours</em>.</p><p>About the Host:</p><p><strong>Sean Adams</strong> turned his passion for music into <a href="https://drownedinsound.org" tar

<p>What&#39;s it like to be an artist right now? And what does the future of music look like? Will it be AI-generated slop or a joyful return to community and creativity? </p><p>In this episode of the <strong>Drowned in Sound Podcast</strong>, <strong>Sean Adams</strong> speaks to <strong>Becky Hawley</strong> from the art-pop trio <strong>Stealing Sheep</strong>.</p><p>From the launch of their new label <strong>G-IRL (Girl In Real Life)</strong> to their reflections on DIY culture, Liverpool’s music scene, and 15 years of creative evolution, this episode is full of inspiring insights about building something real in a digital world. Expect discussion of Daft Punk, community over algorithms, mechanical bulls, offline joy, and what it really means to be a band in 2025.</p><p>📌 Key Timestamps:</p><ul><li><strong>00:00</strong> – Intro &amp; New Album Campaign</li><li><strong>01:56</strong> – What Will Music Be Like in 2050?</li><li><strong>04:54</strong> – Joy, Fears, and Creative Challenges</li><li><strong>07:19</strong> – The Sound of Stealing Sheep: Riding the Bull of Tech</li><li><strong>10:37</strong> – G-IRL: Launching Their Own Record Label</li><li><strong>20:33</strong> – Liverpool as Inspiration &amp; Music City</li><li><strong>25:23</strong> – Album Campaign Concepts &amp; Offline Joy</li><li><strong>29:18</strong> – Let’s Go! New Single &amp; Album Themes</li><li><strong>30:59</strong> – Artistic Identity, Collaborations &amp; Creative Growth</li><li><strong>33:50</strong> – Lessons Learned from 15 Years in Music</li><li><strong>38:05</strong> – Building Community, Offline Spaces, &amp; Human Connection</li><li><strong>42:57</strong> – Supporting Grassroots Scenes</li><li><strong>49:01</strong> – AI, Future Tech &amp; Music’s Utopian Possibilities</li><li><strong>52:21</strong> – Final Reflections: What Artists Need to Unlearn</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Links</p><ul><li><a href="https://g-irl.bandcamp.com/track/lets-go" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New Single “Let’s Go”</a></li><li><a href="https://youtu.be/NAwD31GrBLw?si=hdZZpNp9r7rjqL9p" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch the Music Video</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tattydevine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tatty Devine Collab</a></li><li><a href="https://www.guerrillagirls.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guerrilla Girls</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Join the Conversation:</p><ul><li>🗣 <a href="https://community.drownedinsound.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drowned in Sound Community</a></li><li>📩 Email Sean → <a href="mailto:sean@drownedinsound.org">sean@drownedinsound.org</a></li><li>🔵 <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/drownedinsound.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Follow on Bluesky</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>About the Guest:</p><p><strong>Becky Hawley</strong> is one-third of <strong>Stealing Sheep</strong>, a Liverpool-based band known for their innovative, genre-defying sound. The trio recently lau

<p>A conversation about <em>Fresh Hell</em>, subcultures in nature, and shifting the climate narrative through creativity.</p><p>In this episode of the podcast that maps what music will be like in 2050 by meeting cultural changemakers and pioneers, Sean Adams explores how the <em>Fresh Hell</em> zine - a collaboration between creatives from the agency Iris and Purpose Disruptors (<a href="https://www.agencyfornature.com/season-two/fresh-hell" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">download it here</a>) - reframes our relationship with nature through goth culture, beauty, and imagination. </p><p>Featuring clips from Freya Beer’s special Gothic Disco radio broadcast recorded at Walthamstow Wetlands (<a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/IslingtonRadio/gothic-disco-with-freya-beer-31012025/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">listen to it on Mixcloud here</a>), featuring reflections from Lira Valencia and Chris Packham, which inspired the zine, we explore what happens when goth culture meets the natural world.</p><p>This conversation with Purpose Disruptors who run the Agency for Nature &amp; the creators of Fresh Hell zine, examines how creativity can help us move from awe of the natural world to cultural transformation—and what musicians, media, and fans can do to help shift the climate crisis narrative.</p><p><strong>Aimee Brewerton</strong> – Comms &amp; Engagement Manager at Purpose Disruptors, working across climate-focused storytelling, brand strategy, and cultural transformation.</p><p><strong>Nicole Vanner</strong> – Designer at Iris, co-creator of <em>Fresh Hell</em>, blending gothic subculture with natural aesthetics in visual communication.</p><p><strong>Andrew Hadley</strong> – Copywriter at Iris, co-author of <em>Fresh Hell</em>, exploring language that rewilds desire and reframes our connection to nature.</p><p><strong>Purpose Disruptors</strong> – A UK-based network of 5,000+ creative professionals transforming the advertising industry to align with climate goals and societal well-being.</p><p><strong>Iris</strong> – A global creative agency known for working with progressive brands and championing purpose-driven campaigns.</p><p><strong>Agency for Nature</strong> – A project platform by Purpose Disruptors that reimagines communications through a regenerative, nature-first lens — including campaigns like <em>Fresh Hell</em>.</p><p><strong> Episode Summary &amp; Timestamps:</strong></p><ul><li>00:00 Introduction: Can Music Change the Climate Conversation?</li><li>00:31 Exploring the Goths in Nature Project</li><li>01:23 Meeting the Change Makers</li><li>04:20 Chris Packham&#39;s Punk and Nature Connection</li><li>06:52 The Future of Our Planet in 2050</li><li>11:27 Purpose Disruptors: Changing the Advertising Narrative</li><li>14:17 Creating the Goths in Nature Magazine</li><li>25:09 The Role of Nature in Mental Health</li><li>30:01 Spotting the Moor Hen</li><li>30:52 Goth Music and Personal Favorites</li><li>31:20 From Radio Show to Zine</li><li>32:44 Chris Packham&#39;s Contribution</li><li>35:04 Celebrating Nature and Subculture</li><li>38:49 Nature as a Client</li><li>40:00 Collaborative Efforts and Creative Freedom</li><li>48:01 Impact and Mindset Shift</li><li>58:39 Future Hopes and Accountability</li><li>01:08:32 Final Thoughts and Call to Action<br></li></ul><p><br></p><

<p>Drowned in Sound founder and DiS podcast host, Sean Adams answers your questions. Send Qs for future episodes to sean@drownedinsound.org.</p><p>Links mentioned in this episode</p><ul><li>Article: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/03/oscar-winner-shoutout-london-music-venue-cafe-oto-brutalist" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Cafe Oto at Oscars - The Guardian</a></li><li>Artist Recommendation: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ninaversyp/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Nina Versyp</a></li><li>Artist Recommendation: <a href="https://ttssfu.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">TTSSFU</a></li><li>Artist Recommendation: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@maellamusic/videos" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Maella</a> </li><li>Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92sEs3BkPUo" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Apple on Dolby Atmos</a></li><li>Ticket App: <a href="https://dice.fm/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Dice</a></li><li>Link: <a href="https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Tim Burgess listening party</a></li><li>Article: <a href="https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1458" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Bjork immersive album Bowers + Wilkins </a></li><li>Drink: <a href="https://www.brennivin.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Icelandic drink Black Death</a></li><li>Venue Recommendation: <a href="https://thetradesclub.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Trades Club in Hebden Bridge</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Music by Sound Mirror, available on Bandcamp here: <a href="https://sound-mirror.bandcamp.com/album/lake-wind-water-mountain" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://sound-mirror.bandcamp.com/album/lake-wind-water-mountain </a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Your Questions:</strong></p><p>Alex Lee Thompson: Are ”scenes” over? Unpack that question as you like</p><p>Simon Marshall: After the excellent live bands to look out for article, sponsored by <a href="https://www.seetickets.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Seetickets</a>, I would be interested in your views on the ticket selling part of the music industry - as a music consumer the DICE app was and is a revelation, what is your experience, and what is the best place to buy to support artists and venues? </p><p>Ear Protect Req: What three bands or artists should we be checking out live?</p><p>Soundmirrorworld: Will the Atmos, immersive audio bubble burst? Or keep going ’til we’re full frontal?</p><p>Alex Botten: What do you think about the hoards of zombie cover bands eating up local venues. Are they helping or hurting the scene? (I believe profoundly hurting)</p><p>Eric Weiner: Would love to hear your thoughts on the listening party. Are they ever any good? What’s the perfect album release party?</p><p><br></p><p>Grimes quote in full: Honestly the thing I like most about k pop is its an actual scene - reminds me Canadian punk scenes or the indie scene  back in the day where like if your integrated enough there&

<p>Why does gender bias still dominate radio airplay? And how did one data report force the industry to face its inequalities?</p><p>In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams talks to Linda Coogan Byrne, activist and music consultant behind the <a href="https://whynother.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Why Not Her? campaign</a>. </p><p>Her reports have exposed gender and racial disparities in radio airplay, driving real industry change. </p><p>This conversation reveals how data is power or as Linda puts it,  “the data validates lived experiences.”</p><p>00:00 – Introduction: How One Report Changed Music<br>01:45 – Meet Linda Coogan Byrne &amp; Her Data Reports<br>04:30 – The Shocking Gender Disparity in Radio<br>07:00 – Industry Reactions: Denial, Excuses &amp; Pushback<br>11:00 – Thin Lizzy, Protest Billboards &amp; Music Activism<br>15:30 – Has the Industry Improved or Is It Lip Service?<br>21:00 – Can Music Ever Be Equal?<br>30:00 – Why Not Everyone Can Be an Activist<br>38:00 – What Needs to Change for Lasting Equality?<br>45:00 – How Data Holds Power to Account<br>50:00 – Final Thoughts &amp; Actionable Takeaways</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Links</strong></p><p>Why Not Her? Reports → <a href="https://whynother.eu/data-reports">https://whynother.eu/data-reports</a><br>Gender Bias in UK Radio – The Guardian → <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/21/female-british-artists-underrepresented-on-uk-radio-survey-finds">https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/21/female-british-artists-underrepresented-on-uk-radio-survey-finds</a><br> Book More Women (Festival Representation) → <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bookmorewomen/">https://www.instagram.com/bookmorewomen/</a><br>Activist Recommendations:</p><ul><li>Mona Eltahawy → <a href="https://www.instagram.com/monaeltahawy">https://www.instagram.com/monaeltahawy</a></li><li>Emma Dabiri - Don’t Touch My Hair → <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9780141986289">https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9780141986289</a></li><li>Mary Beard - Women &amp; Power → <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9781788160612">https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9781788160612</a></li><li>Ijeoma Oluo - Mediocre → <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9781529353839">https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9781529353839</a></li><li>Check My Ads (Ad Funding &amp; Misinformation) → <a href="https://checkmyads.org/">https://checkmyads.org/</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>🗣 Discuss this episode over on the Drowned in Sound Community → <a href="https://community.drownedinsound.com/">https://community.drownedinsound.com/</a><br>📩 Email Sean → <a href="mailto:sean@drownedinsound.org">sean@drownedinsound.org</a><br>🔵 Follow on Bluesky → <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/drownedinsound.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/drownedinsound.bsky.social</a><br>📩 Get the DiS Newsletter → <a href="https://drownedinsound.org/">https://drownedinsound.org</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>ABOUT THE GUEST</strong></p><p>Linda Coogan Byrne is a music industry consultant, publicist, and activist known for her gender &amp; racial disparity data reports. She is the CEO of Good Seed PR and founder of Why Not Her?, a campaign pushing for cultural change in music. Her work has influenced radio airplay, festival bookings

<p>What makes a great music city? How do governments, venues, and fans keep local music scenes alive? And why is music still not treated as an essential part of a city’s economy?</p><p>In this episode of the <a href="http://drownedinsound.org/"><strong>Drowned in Sound</strong></a><strong> Podcast</strong>, <strong>Sean Adams</strong> speaks with <strong>Shain Shapiro</strong>, founder of <a href="https://www.sounddiplomacy.com/">Sound Diplomacy</a> and a leading advocate for integrating music into urban policy. Shain has advised cities and governments worldwide on how to invest in music, build better infrastructure, and ensure that artists and venues don’t just survive but thrive.</p><p><br></p><p>The future of music scenes isn’t just about artists - it’s about infrastructure, investment, and policy. Without real change, we risk losing the cultural spaces that make music thrive.</p><p>Topics Covered:</p><p>The future of music cities: Why local scenes are vital and how they can be protected</p><p>Music as an economic and public good: Why governments should treat music like any other essential sector</p><p>Emerging music markets: Where the global music hotspots of the future might be</p><p>Live Nation: How monopolies shape local music ecosystems</p><p>The importance of local media and community spaces in sustaining music scenes</p><p>How cities can future-proof music amid climate, economic, and technological shifts</p><p><br></p><p>Shain Shapiro explains: <em>“We don’t make data-driven decisions about music the way we do about transit, healthcare, or housing, yet music is an essential part of a city’s fabric.”</em></p><p><br></p><p>Episode Highlights & Timestamps:</p><p><strong>00:00</strong> – Introduction: Can We Save Our Music Scenes?</p><p><strong>01:04</strong> – The Future of Music: What Will 2050 Sound Like?</p><p><strong>02:33</strong> – The Big Challenges Facing the Music Industry</p><p><strong>04:44</strong> – Music as an Economic & Public Good: Why Governments Should Care</p><p><strong>09:11</strong> – Shain’s Journey: From Record Shops to Global Music Policy</p><p><strong>14:08</strong> – Music Cities: How Governments Can Invest in Local Scenes</p><p><strong>19:51</strong> – Global Music Growth: Why Africa & Southeast Asia Are the Future</p><p><strong>28:25</strong> – Community & Local Government’s Role in Music Sustainability</p><p><strong>35:50</strong> – The Live Nation Monopoly, Local Media, & How Cities Can Push Back</p><p><strong>40:00</strong> – Final Thoughts: What Needs to Change & What Fans Can Do</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Further Reading & Resources:</p><p><a href="https://www.sounddiplomacy.com/">Sound Diplomacy</a> – Leading global consultancy on music and city planning</p><p><a href="https://makingplacesbetter.substack.com/">Making Places Better Newsletter</a> – Shain Shapiro’s insights on improving urban spaces through music and culture</p><p><a href="https://musicvenuetrust.com/">Music Venue Trust</a> – Protecting grassroots venues</p><p><a href="https://cardiffmusicboard.wales/">Cardiff Music Strategy</a> – A model for city-led music investment</p><p><a href="https://www.factor.ca/">Fonds de la Musique Canada</a> – Canada’s fundin

<p>Music has long been a force for change but as extreme weather disrupts events and the industry grapples with its own environmental footprint, can music be a meaningful part of the climate justice movement?</p><p>In episode 2 of season 3 of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, <strong>Sean Adams</strong> speaks with <strong>Frances Fox</strong>, founder of <a href="https://climatelive.org/">Climate Live</a> and a leader in the <strong>UK’s youth climate strikes</strong>. </p><p>Frances shares her journey from music fan to activist, why festivals are powerful spaces for engagement, and how the music industry can move beyond greenwashing to drive real action.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>This episode explores:</strong></p><p>Why <strong>festivals are at risk from the climate crisis</strong></p><p>How <strong>music fans can help shape the climate conversation</strong></p><p>The <strong>role of artists, venues & labels</strong> in pushing for a sustainable future</p><p>The reality of <strong>music’s carbon footprint</strong> and what needs to change</p><p>The <strong>Solar-Powered Pink Bus</strong>—and why Climate Live is taking a message of climate justice straight to festival crowds whilst applying glitter and temporary tattoos</p><p><br></p><p>From <strong>touring impacts</strong> to <strong>activism strategies</strong>, this episode breaks down the intersection of <strong>music and climate justice</strong>, offering real insights into what fans, artists, and the industry can do next.</p><p><br></p><p><em>“Engaging the unengaged is my jam—when you meet people where they're at, like at a festival, it's very chill.” </em></p><p><strong>– Frances Fox</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Highlights:</strong></p><p>00:00 – Introduction: Can Music Be a Force for Climate Justice?05:00 – Frances Fox’s Journey: From Festival-Goer to Climate Activist09:20 – Festivals & Climate Change: How Extreme Weather Is Reshaping Live Music15:40 – Touring, Vinyl & Streaming: The Hidden Environmental Cost of Music22:00 – The Solar-Powered Pink Bus: Taking Climate Conversations to Festivals30:00 – Roles in the Resistance: How Fans & Artists Can Push for Industry Change40:00 – Call to Action: What’s Next & How Listeners Can Get Involved</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Further Reading & Resources:</strong></p><p><strong>Climate Live</strong> – <a href="https://climatelive.org/">Join the movement and apply to perform</a></p><p><strong>Fridays for Future</strong> – <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/">Global climate strike movement</a></p><p><strong>Choked Up</strong> – <a href="https://www.chokedup.org.uk/">Campaigning for air quality in marginalized communities</a></p><p><strong>Disha Ravi</strong> – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disha_Ravi">Indian climate activist's Wiki</a></p><p><strong>Roles in the Resistance Poster</strong> – <a href="https://www.tolmeiagregory.com/product/climate-action-roles-poster-download/">Find your place in climate activism</a></p><p><strong>Julie's Bicycle</strong> – <a href="https://juliesbicycle.com/">Sustainability in the creative arts</a></p><p><strong>Tori Tsui</strong> –<a href="https://www.toritsui.com/"> Climate ac

<p><em>From grassroots venues and youth music programs to Mercury Prize winners, early support shapes who gets to make music—and who doesn’t.</em> But is access to music <strong>a right or a privilege?</strong></p><p><em>Music should be for everyone - but is it becoming a luxury only the privileged can afford?</em></p><p>Episode one of season 3 of the DiS podcast, explores how <strong>Youth Music </strong>-<strong></strong>a UK charity funding grassroots projects - is fighting to create fairer opportunities for young musicians facing financial, social, and industry barriers.</p><p>In this episode of the <strong>Drowned in Sound Podcast</strong>, <strong>Sean Adams</strong> speaks with <strong>Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music</strong>, about hidden inequalities in the music industry and the work being done to create opportunities for the next generation of musicians.</p><p>From youth-led projects and grassroots funding to the systemic barriers keeping working-class musicians out, this episode explores how music’s future can be more inclusive, diverse, and fair.</p><p>This episode also features <strong>Ezra Collective’s Mercury Prize-winning speech</strong>, where they credit their success to the support they received early on:</p><p><em>“This is not just Ezra Collective’s moment, this is a moment for every single organisation that’s championing young people making music.”</em></p><p><strong>Read the full speech here:</strong><a href="https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/read-ezra-collectives-inspiring-mercury-prize-acceptance-speech-in-full">The Line of Best Fit</a></p><p>The Drowned in Sound Podcast maps the future of music and explores what&#39;s happening in the industry right now, with a strong moral compass. It connects music, culture, and ethics, offering deep dives into the issues shaping the way we create, consume, and sustain music.</p><p>Why This Matters:</p><p>Music has the power to change lives - but only if <strong>everyone</strong> has the chance to participate. <strong>Rising costs, funding cuts, and industry gatekeeping</strong> are making it harder than ever for working-class musicians to break through. In this episode, we explore <strong>what’s at stake, what’s changing, and how we can fight for a better future in music.</strong></p><p>Topics Covered:</p><ul> <li><strong>Why music is increasingly a career for the privileged</strong></li> <li><strong>From youth projects to Mercury Prizes: why access matters</strong></li> <li><strong>How the industry is shutting out working-class talent</strong></li> <li><strong>The critical role of Youth Music in opening doors</strong></li> <li><strong>The funding crisis: why 25% of grassroots projects are at risk</strong></li> <li><strong>“It’s not a pipeline, it’s flight pathways” – how opportunity shapes careers</strong></li> <li><strong>What real change looks like - and how to make it happen</strong></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Further Reading:</p><ul> <li><strong>Youth Music</strong> – Find out more and get involved: <a href="https://youthmusic.org.uk/">https://youthmusic.org.uk/</a></li> <li><strong>&quot;I Will Forever Remain Faithful&quot; Essay</strong> – Read more: <a href="https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-62-fall-2008/i-will-forever-remain-faithful">Oxford American</a></li> <li><strong>Drowned in S

<p>How will music survive until 2050? Will streaming monopolies and economic pressures lead to music’s decline, or can we build a fairer, more sustainable future?</p><p><br></p><p>In this season three prologue of the <strong>Drowned in Sound Podcast</strong>, host <strong>Sean Adams</strong> (<strong>founder of Drowned in Sound</strong>) reflects on his <strong>lifelong love of music</strong>, the <strong>systemic challenges facing artists</strong>, and what the next 25 years could mean for <strong>independent musicians, grassroots venues, and the future of the industry</strong>.</p><p><br></p><p>In this series, expect <strong>big questions, deep dives, and conversations with artists, industry leaders, and changemakers</strong> who are shaping what comes next.</p><p><br></p><p>Drowned in Sound’s podcast is about <strong>a life built around music</strong>—but also how music <strong>shapes culture, communities, and change</strong>.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Topics in this episode:</strong></p><p>Why <strong>grassroots venues</strong> are struggling</p><p>How <strong>streaming giants</strong> control music discovery</p><p>The <strong>economic realities</strong> of being an artist today</p><p>Lessons from <strong>past music movements</strong> and how they shaped the industry</p><p><br></p><p>Why <strong>music’s future</strong> depends on the choices we make now</p><p><br></p><p>🎵 <strong>Music by Sound Mirror</strong> – <a href="https://www.soundmirror.co.uk/">https://www.soundmirror.co.uk/</a></p><p><br></p><p>📩 <strong>Subscribe to the Drowned in Sound newsletter</strong>: <a href="http://drownedinsound.org/">http://drownedinsound.org</a></p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Introduction: The Future of Music in 2050</p><p>00:25 Personal Journey with Music</p><p>01:45 Climate Activism & Music’s Role in Change</p><p>02:20 Challenges Facing Artists & the Music Industry</p><p>03:34 Streaming, Labels & Who Holds the Power</p><p>06:13 Economic Disparities & the Struggles of Independent Artists</p><p>07:36 The Importance of Community in Music</p><p>10:46 Conclusion: The Power & Potential of Music</p><p><br></p><p>What do you think <strong>the future of music</strong> looks like?What <strong>challenges</strong> should the industry fix first?</p><p><br></p><p>💬 Leave a review on your podcast app.</p><p><br></p><p>🔔 <strong>Follow, rate & subscribe</strong> to never miss an episode.</p>

<p>In part two of this Q&amp;A experiment, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams delves into various topics, including the process of discovering new music, the complexities of the music industry, and nostalgic reflections on MySpace and defunct London music venues. </p> <p>He also touches on the importance of human connection in music curation, potential improvements for music streaming platforms, and the socio-political challenges affecting the UK's music industry post-Brexit. Additionally, Sean reflects on memorable interviews.</p> <p>Thank you to everyone for your questions, please submit any for the next edition to sean@drownedinsound.org and be sure to subscribe to the newsletter at <a href="http://drownedinsound.org" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">drownedinsound.org</a> </p>

<p>To mark Drowned in Sound's 24th anniversary and before we begin a new season of the podcast, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams answers your questions.</p> <p>Here are some links related to topics covered in the Q&amp;A in case you'd like more context.</p> <ul> <li>Listen to: <a href="https://midfinger.bandcamp.com/album/choose-a-bright-morning" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Choose a Bright Morning by Jeniferever on Bandcamp</a> </li> <li>Read: <a href="https://drownedinsound.com/releases/15158/reviews/4139231" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wendy Roby's brilliant review of Plastic Beach by Gorillaz</a> </li> <li>Listen to: <a href="https://youtu.be/qz-FoGp3p0s?si=Rh-F8cHITp281CiC" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mystery Jets featuring Laura Marling</a></li> <li>Read: <a href="https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/12970-saul-williams--i-desire-to-live-within-a-nation-on-fire" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mike Diver's 2005 interview with Saul Williams</a></li> <li>Read: <a href="https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/2591761-discover--santogold" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DiScover Santigold</a></li> </ul> <p>Questions for this episode submitted by our social media followers and over on the <a href="http://community.drownedinsound.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Drowned in Sound forums</a>:</p> <p>Sweetsonix on Twitter: A nice easy one. How do we return respect to, and appreciation of, the arts?</p> <p>Anthony Gibbons who wrote for DiS in the early days: I've had my fair share of interviewing gaffes in my time, so what is the most cringeworthy question you've asked an interviewee and what was their response? </p> <p>Body in the Thames: If you had to do it all over again, what one thing would you change?</p> <p>My Yada on DiS forums: What was the first review on the site?</p> <p>Drastic Measures: Were you aware that Drowned rhymed with Sound when you came up with the name, or was it just a happy coincidence?</p> <p>Icarus Smicarus: If you could be a DiS album review, which DiS album review would you be?</p> <p>Jamie Cameron: What happened to Jeniferever?</p> <p>Rose Wiles: Favourite gig at Verdis?!</p> <p>Karl Hamilton: Why weren't Microdisney massive?</p> <p><br /></p> <p>Sign up to our newsletter at <a href="http://drownedinsound.org" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">http://drownedinsound.org</a></p>

<p>Elijah is a profound thinker and this conversations draws on his influential grime nights with Stormzy &amp; Skepta, writing about music, DJing and to his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eli1ah" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Yellow Square instagram posts</a>, which are a form of community-building journalism that act as prods and prompts that agitate thoughts into focus. </p> <p><strong>DiS021 | S2: The Future of the Music Press EP13</strong></p> <p>From his experience as a pirate radio DJ to running Butterz label &amp; clubnights to being a musician and artist manager, Elijah considers yellow squares to be a former of journalism and the conversation explores the ecosystem that feeds into it and swirls around it.</p> <p>In this conversation with Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams, we discuss mediums and spaces, online platforms and club cultures. The conversation sways from curation as a form of journalism, the YouTube mindset, Twitter, 10 minute or 10 hour radio shows. </p> <p>We also try to deconstruct the gatekeeper and the creative challenges facing people working in music, journalism and anything that involves publishing online. We also discuss the joy of Tumblr, yow electronic music in the UK clusters around its pirate radio, BBC media structures,  and why not all clubs closing is a bad thing.</p> <p><strong>Quotes out of context:</strong></p> <p>“What’s the musical equivalent of a community note?”</p> <p>“Some people say ‘I don’t make any money’. Well, what do you sell?”</p> <p>“Imagine if a review is all the possibilities that the album lays down”</p> <p>“It&#39;s one bit of work.  With all these different mediums,  but it’s just the language hasn&#39;t adjusted  to, to serve that yet, you know what I&#39;m saying?”</p> <p>“…there&#39;s a hundred thousand, ten thousand histories happening at once. And that&#39;s like something that music journalism, the box, cannot fully capture.”</p> <p>“People just think, ‘oh, that&#39;s their job to write about music.’ And it&#39;s like, no, their job is to sell advertising space  wrapped around the coverage of music. That&#39;s what magazines have been historically. Right?”</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Links</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/eli1ah" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Eli1ah on Instagram</a></li> <li>Various links: <a href="https://linktr.ee/Eli1ah" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://linktr.ee/Eli1ah</a></li> <li>YouTube recommendation: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@supereyepatchwolf3007" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Super Eyepatch Wolf</a></li> <li>YouTube recommendation: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXpFBxmCZ8CURtKW7fXkNtA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Nathan Zed</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="https://maketheting.bandcamp.com/album/make-the-ting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Make The Ting album</a></li> <li><a href="https://ra.co/features/series/elijah" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Eli1ah&#39;s Resident Advisor Takeover</a></li> <li>Further reading: <a href="https://dmy.co/features/close-the-app-make-the-ting-elijahs-yellow-squares-are-making-a-difference-by-cutting-through-the-noise" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">&quot;Close The App, Make The Tin

<p><em>The Quietus&#39; John Doran reflects on the demise of Pitchfork and whether music journalism is now destined to be a hobby or can writing/thinking/talking about music thrive in a reader-funded era?</em></p> <p><strong>DiS020 | S2: The Future of the Music Press EP12</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/30/pitchfork-q-music-reviews-critics-songs " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">In his widely-shared piece for The Guardian</a>, this episode&#39;s guest John Doran, co-founder of the esteemed music publication The Quietus, wrote about the importance of music criticism:</p> <p><em>&quot;I think a good analogy for writing about music is like composing poetry about the weather. You could spend an entire lifetime writing verse about thunderheads and tornadoes and not come within a mile of creating something that was as literally sublime, but once in a while the writer will connect with the rhythms, the flash of lightning, the spatter of rain, and if they are really focused they will discover entirely new rhythms and be inspired to write something unique.&quot;</em></p> <p>Beyond the beauty and power of words, this discussion with Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams covers a lot of ground including:</p> <ul> <li>how Fela Kuti widened John&#39;s horizons and inspired a Guardian column that saw him taking a trip to Cairo to discover the emerging music scenes in Egypt </li> <li>Sophie&#39;s impact on artists like Charli XCX</li> <li>Poptimism and the domination of Taylor Swift</li> <li>what it signifies for counterculture when James Blake plays at Chanel parties</li> <li>the &#39;industry plant&#39; nonsense surrounding the brilliant Last Dinner Party</li> <li>the impact of search engine optimisation on what the music press commissions</li> <li>a bit about the intersection of entertainment reporting with music writing </li> <li>We also delve into the essence of why music journalism matters</li> </ul> <p>As with the rest of this season, the conversation also looks ahead to what the future holds, and whether there will be enough voice like Neil Kulkarni&#39;s (RIP).</p> <p><strong>Key Timings</strong></p> <p>03:40 Exploring the Definition of Journalism</p> <p>16:38 The Impact of Populism on Music Journalism</p> <p>29:01 Exploring Music from Different Parts of the World</p> <p>47:08 The Interconnectedness of Music Scenes</p> <p>48:49 The Influence of Algorithms on Music Discovery</p> <p>01:07:19 The Importance of Diverse Voices in Music Journalism</p> <p><strong>About The Guest</strong></p> <p>John Doran is the co-founder of award-winning website <a href="https://thequietus.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The Quietus</a>. He has written for a range of publications including Bang!, The Guardian, NME, BBC, Vice, The Wire, Metal Hammer and more. His &quot;misery memoir&quot; <a href="https://thequietus.com/articles/24891-jolly-lad-2018-expanded-edition⁠ " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Jolly Lad</a> is out now. You can hear his BBC Radio 4 series <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m0005mr0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">New Weird Britain on BBC Sounds</a>. Watch his British Masters series for Noisey <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdoAu1uCjE-huiQhI64pDJQxDJOyL31Y7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">on YouTube here</a>. You ca

<p><em>Meet the YouTube music critic who runs whilst reviewing records.</em></p> <p>Probably not all of them, but there are some people evolving music criticism onto new mediums. To understand what it&#39;s like to be a &quot;creator&quot; on YouTube, we spoke to Jimmy Watkins, who gave up his career as an athlete (he reached the 800m final in the World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2006 and set a Welsh indoor record!) to play guitar for DiS favourites Future of the Left. </p> <p>After leaving the band, he started a project called Running Punks with a friend which has become a community of music-lovin&#39; runners. A spin off of this has been his videos where he reviews records, whilst running in the Welsh countryside. </p> <p>In this conversation, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams continues his search for where music journalism is headed and explores where the idea for &#39;running reviews&#39; came from, how Jimmy approaches them, when music writing got under his skin from (spoiler: it was music biographies and reading magazines in Tesco). We also touch upon Jimmy&#39;s upcoming documentary running across America and his new music project Joyce, which you can listen to on <a href="https://joycemakesmusic.bandcamp.com/music" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Bandcamp here</a>.</p> <p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p> <ul> <li>00:00 Sean&#39;s Introduction: The Pivot to Video Journalism</li> <li>00:56 The Running Review of <em>The Art of Losing</em> by The Anchoress</li> <li>03:17 Understanding Journalism with Jimmy Watkins</li> <li>04:55 The Evolution of Running Reviews</li> <li>25:44 The Unique Appeal of Running Reviews</li> <li>33:43 The Role of Music in Personal and Cultural Understanding</li> <li>48:31 The Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts</li> </ul> <p><strong>Links</strong></p> <ul> <li>Subscribe: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Jimmywatkins800/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Jimmy&#39;s channel on YouTube here</a>.</li> <li>Visit: <a href="https://www.runningpunks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Running Punks</a></li> <li>Drowned in Sound&#39;s newsletter has now left Substack and is available on our new website at <a href="http://drownedinsound.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">drownedinsound.org</a></li> </ul>

<p>Award-winning reporter Julia MacFarlane explains what the music press can learn from traditional news journalism.</p> <p>As Drowned in Sound&#39;s podcast season looking at the future of music media continues, we wander into the world of international journalism with award-winning reporter Julia MacFarlane. With a wealth of experience reporting on major global events for the BBC to ABC News, Julia shares her unique insights into the art of covering huge stories and the challenges of conveying truth in an age of misinformation.</p> <p><strong>DiS018 | Season 2: The Future of Music Journalism EP10 </strong></p> <p><strong>Highlights:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>From Beirut to Brexit:</strong> Julia discusses her experiences covering critical global events.</li> <li><strong>The &#39;One Decision&#39; Podcast:</strong> Learn about Julia&#39;s co-hosting experience with former Chief of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove, where she interviews experts on a range of pressing topics.</li> <li><strong>Challenges of Modern Journalism:</strong> Julia reflects on the importance of accuracy and impartiality in journalism, especially in high-stakes international reporting.</li> <li><strong>Self-Shot Journalism:</strong> Julia discusses the challenges and rewards of self-shooting journalism and the necessity of recording events impartially and accurately.</li> <li><strong>The Power of Personal Stories:</strong> Understand the role of personal narratives in making complex global issues relatable and understandable.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Key Quotes:</strong></p> <ul> <li>&quot;Recording events as they happen is vital... it&#39;s important to have professionals who are trained to record things accurately and impartially.&quot; - Julia MacFarlane</li> <li>&quot;The BBC was a crucial connection to home and world events for English-speaking families abroad.&quot; - Julia MacFarlane</li> <li>&quot;In filmmaking, whether you&#39;re a solo journalist or part of a team, finding compelling stories and voices is essential.&quot; - Julia MacFarlane</li> </ul> <p><strong> Timestamps:</strong></p> <ul> <li>[02:06] Julia&#39;s Background and Career Path</li> <li>[14:03] Challenges and Responsibilities in Journalism</li> <li>[29:17] Insights from &#39;One Decision&#39; Podcast</li> <li>[34:23] Navigating Journalism in the Digital Age</li> </ul> <p><strong>More:</strong></p> <ul> <li>For more on Julia MacFarlane&#39;s work, check out the <a href="https://www.onedecisionpodcast.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">&quot;One Decision&quot; podcast</a> and follow her on social media (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliamacfarlane?originalSubdomain=uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Linkedin</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliamacfarlaneabc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/juliamacfarlane" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">X</a> | <a href="https://www.threads.net/@juliamacfarlaneabc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Threads</a>).</li> <li>Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend or leave us a review on Apple or Spotify.</li> <li>For updates about Drowned in Sound, <a href="http://drownedinsound.substack.com" target="_blank"

<p><em>Does the music industry still need the music press? Do new acts still care about media coverage?</em></p> <p>Explore the shifting landscape of music promotion in the digital era with Atlanta Cobb, the award-winning Music Business Coach and manager of multi-platinum selling artists. </p> <p>In this episode, Drowned in Sound&#39;s founder Sean Adams delves deep into the existential questions surrounding the relevance of traditional music press in a time of TikTok. Atlanta shares her journey from Florence + The Machine fan site creator to consultant and coach, aiding hundreds of artists in navigating their evolving careers.</p> <p><strong>DiS017 | Season 2 - The Future of the Music Press | EP9</strong></p> <p><strong>Key Topics and Time Stamps:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>00:00</strong> The Changing Role of Music Press</li> <li><strong>00:13</strong> Audience Consumption Shift</li> <li><strong>00:51</strong> Insights from a New Generation Music Consultant</li> <li><strong>01:34</strong> Challenges in Getting New Artists Coverage</li> <li><strong>02:15</strong> Decline of Music Press Influence</li> <li><strong>03:48</strong> Rise of Social Media in the Music Industry</li> <li><strong>05:05</strong> Reality of Music Consumerism</li> <li><strong>06:44</strong> The Impact of Press on an Artist&#39;s Career</li> <li><strong>09:58</strong> Role of Fan Communities in Music Promotion</li> <li><strong>10:19</strong> Atlanta&#39;s Journey into the Music Industry</li> <li><strong>21:22</strong> Impact of Press Quotes in Marketing</li> <li><strong>28:10</strong> Effects of Social Media on Artists</li> <li><strong>29:51</strong> Power of Audience and Fans in Music</li> <li><strong>30:55</strong> Potential of Social Media Platforms</li> <li><strong>36:55</strong> Role of Social Media in Music Promotion</li> <li><strong>51:00</strong> Struggles of New Artists in Today&#39;s Industry</li> <li><strong>57:10</strong> Need for Adaptation in the Music Industry</li> <li><strong>58:18</strong> Closing Thoughts: The Love for Music</li> </ul> <p><strong>Insightful Quotes from Atlanta Coombs:</strong></p> <ol> <li>&quot;Consistency is crucial, both in how press champions artists and how I advise my artists in their promotional strategies&quot;​​.</li> <li>&quot;The industry&#39;s trend towards TikTok and social media metrics often overlooks talented artists who lack massive followings or resources&quot;​​.</li> <li>&quot;The music industry needs to find different approaches to adapt and evolve, especially in how artists release music and engage in storytelling&quot;​​.</li> <li>&quot;It&#39;s like the wild west out there in the music industry, but having a deep love for it is essential to navigate its complexities and stay the course&quot;​​.</li> </ol> <p><strong>About Atlanta Cobb:</strong> Atlanta&#39;s rich background includes roles at Island Records and Columbia Records, working with artists like Post Malone and Drake. Atlanta was recently a day-to-day Artist Manager at Crown Talent &amp; Media Group, working with artists such as Becky Hill, Ella Henderson, and Camden Cox.</p> <p><strong>Links:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@musicin

<p><em>In a digital world awash with advertising money, why are music publications and media outlets facing extinction? </em></p> <p>As we explore the future of the music press, we take a detour into the world of marketing to help make sense of the economics of the media landscape. Especially as the brilliant Jezebel closed last week and so far this year we&#39;ve seen huge amount of job cuts across the media (especially at media behemoths VICE and Buzzfeed) and the closure of publications like Gal-dem.</p> <p>Drowned in Sound&#39;s founder Sean Adams invites Darren Hemmings, mastermind behind Motive Unknown and a trailblazer in music marketing, to unravel this paradox. Together, they dissect the perplexing reality of a booming online ad industry (<a href="https://hbr.org/2023/08/are-your-ads-funding-disinformation#:~:text=If%20you're%20not%20routinely,be%20%24600%20billion%20and%20growing." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">$600 billion a year according to this piece for Harvard Business Review</a>) juxtaposed against the decline of traditional ad-supported music press. From the intricacies of connecting with music fans to the future of music media in the digital era, this episode promises an enlightening journey into the heart of the industry&#39;s current conundrum.</p> <p><strong>DiS016 | Season 2 - The Future of the Music Press | EP8</strong></p> <p>Episode Highlights</p> <ul> <li>The Advertising Enigma: A look at how $600 billion is spent annually on online ads while media industry job losses and publication closures continue to rise.</li> <li>Marketing, Money, and Music: Darren sheds light on the challenges of building an audience for artists and spreading music beyond existing fans.</li> <li>The Art of Connection: Insights into the essence of marketing as not just a transaction but a meaningful connection with audiences.</li> <li>Strategies Behind Chart-Topping Successes: The tactical approach to getting artists like Wet Leg and The 1975 to the number one spot.</li> <li>The Evolution of Targeted Advertising: Discussing how the granularity of targeted ads has transformed over the years, impacting the way artists reach their audience.</li> <li>The Rule of Seven in Music Marketing: Exploring the multitude of touchpoints required to persuade someone to invest in music or a product.</li> <li>The Role of Indie Sector in the Evolving Music Ecosystem: A critical look at the role and response of the independent sector in shaping the music ecosystem amid major label strategies like Universal&#39;s investment in NTS.</li> </ul> <p>Notable Quotes - &quot;Marketing is about connecting with people in a way that doesn&#39;t treat them like a cash cow.&quot; - Darren Hemmings. - &quot;There&#39;s a misconception that marketing for big artists like Robbie Williams is challenging, but in reality, they are the easiest to market due to their established fanbase.&quot; - Darren Hemmings. - &quot;We&#39;ve reached a point where you don&#39;t need to buy banner ads on music websites because you can target their readers on Facebook.&quot; - Darren Hemmings. - &quot;I&#39;ve become that person where every headline I write is a question. It&#39;s playing the game almost inadvertently.&quot; - Darren Hemmings. Related Links - <a href="https://www.motiveunknown.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Motive Unknown</a> - <a href="https://networknotes.motiveunknown.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Darren Hemmings&#39; Network Notes Newsletter</a> - <a href="http://drownedinsound.substack.com" target="_blank&q

<p><em>How do you become a magazine editor that can put Kate Bush on the cover? And what’s it like running a genre-specific title in 2023?</em></p> <p>In a world where the digital age is rapidly redefining media, Sean Adams (@seaninsound) meets a titan of the magazine world, Jerry Ewing, editor of PROG magazine for a rare interview. From his roots starting a Marillion-inspired fanzine to being at the helm of genre-defining publications such as Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, Jerry&#39;s journey is a testament to the enduring power of specialist knowledge and passion-driven journalism.</p> <p><strong>Episode Highlights:</strong></p> <ul> <li><p><strong>The Genesis of a Genre Journalist</strong>: Jerry recounts the serendipitous moments that led him from crafting a fanzine to steering the course of iconic music magazines.</p> </li> <li><p><strong>The Art of Magazine-making</strong>: Delve into the craft of curating content for a niche audience, the evolution of magazines in the internet era, and the potential resurgence akin to vinyl&#39;s comeback.</p> </li> <li><p><strong>Defining the Undefined</strong>: What is progressive rock? Jerry challenges the conventional confines, advocating for a broad, idea-driven definition that encompasses the innovative spirit of the genre.</p> </li> <li><p><strong>Adapting to the Beat of Change</strong>: The discussion turns to the seismic shifts in media consumption and the strategies for staying relevant in a landscape transformed by technology.</p> </li> <li><p><strong>The Human Touch</strong>: Jerry envisions a future where the human element is not just a feature but a proud declaration in magazine-making.</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Notable Quotes from Jerry Ewing:</strong></p> <ul> <li><p>&quot;Progressive music&#39;s reach is quite wide... It&#39;s the ideas and the approach to making music that sets them apart.&quot;</p> </li> <li><p>&quot;Understanding your readers is crucial... Be comfortable with your readership, and they&#39;ll feel comfortable with you.&quot;</p> </li> <li><p>&quot;The editor guides the magazine... decides what goes in it, helps point the tone.&quot;</p> </li> <li><p>&quot;For our readers, it&#39;s the music that matters... They&#39;re not interested in sex, drugs, and rock and roll.&quot;</p> </li> <li><p>&quot;Communication between human beings is at the root of journalism.&quot;</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Further Insights:</strong></p> <ul> <li><p><strong>From Court Jester to PROG</strong>: Jerry&#39;s DIY beginnings and the transition from fanzine to professional journalism.</p> </li> <li><p><strong>The Inclusive Vision of Prog</strong>: Embracing a wide spectrum from prog metal to experimental indie, Jerry&#39;s editorial direction is as diverse as the genre itself.</p> </li> <li><p><strong>The Editor&#39;s Role</strong>: Setting the tone and creating a dialogue with music aficionados, Jerry&#39;s editorial philosophy is about crafting a space for in-depth musical exploration.</p> </li> <li><p><strong>The Vinyl Moment for Magazines</strong>: Speculating on the tangible allure of print in the digital age, and the unique value it could regain.</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Links:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.loudersound.com/

<p>NBC News&#39; tech and culture reporter Kat Tenbarge has her finger firmly on the pulse of internet culture and the influencer economy. She honed her expertise at Insider through investigative forays into the complexities of digital fame. Her coverage is much more than product launches and squillion dollar deals, and touches upon MeToo, fandoms, exploring how internet mobs chill free speech, and so much more. </p> <p>In this episode, we explore what the music press can learn from technology journalism.</p> <p>Related links</p> <ul> <li>Read <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/author/kat-tenbarge-ncpn1287002" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Kat&#39;s reporting on NBC here</a>.</li> <li>Q&amp;A about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/qa-reporter-kat-tenbarge-investigating-rape-allegations-vlog-squad-member-2021-3?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">how Kat reported on the David Dobrik allegations for Insider</a></li> <li>Kat&#39;s piece <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-allegations-amber-heard-chasing-scandal-rcna51959" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">about Angelina Jolie and Amber Heard</a></li> <li>Find Kat and her <a href="https://twitter.com/kattenbarge/status/1655957441756946435" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">tweets about Evan Rachel Wood and others cases against Marilyn Manson here</a></li> <li>Reporting:<a href="https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/free-britney-organizers-influencers-took-150000590.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> &#39;Free Britney&#39; organizers and influencers took over a bar, threw a drag brunch, and blasted Britney Spears in a weekend devoted to the pop star</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.threads.net/@kattenbarge?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Follow Kat on Threads here</a></li> <li>Reporting: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/tory-lanez-trial-bloggers-gossip-megan-thee-stallion-rcna61600" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">How Tory Lanez trial bloggers are shaping the conversation around Megan Thee Stallion</a></li> <li>Also mentioned on this podcast was the defunding <a href="https://checkmyads.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Check My Ads</a> and<a href="https://stopfundinghate.info/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> Stop Funding Hate</a></li> <li>Podcast recommendation: <a href="https://crooked.com/podcast-series/offline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Offline by Crooked Media</a></li> </ul> <p>Episode Highlights:</p> <p><strong>&quot;The Influencer Economy&quot;</strong>: Sean and Kat unravel the fabric of online influence, pondering its implications on cultural consumption and the MeToo movement&#39;s resonance within this sphere.</p> <p><strong>&quot;Music and Memes&quot;</strong>: They delve into the curious interplay of internet culture and the music industry, where virality can be both a career catalyst and a capricious whirlwind.</p> <p><strong>&quot;Ethics in the Age of Exposure&quot;</strong>: The conversation takes a contemplative turn, probing the moral compass guiding journalists amidst the relentless glare of the digital age.</p> <p><strong>&quot;The Future of Inf

<p>From revolutions in Iran to the pleasures of Lana Del Rey journalist Emma Garland has written for Vice, Huck, The Quietus, The Face, Crack, Dazed, Sunday Times, Rolling Stone and many more great publications. </p> <p>Emma&#39;s interviewed everyone from Emily Ratajkowski to Lingua Ignota, capturing their essence in a style of writing inspired by the journalists from a more literary tradition like Joan Didion and Hunter S Thompson, so who better to talk to about music writing that&#39;s intersectional, encompassing far more of life and what it means to be human than 50 word reviews of the latest major label debut.</p> <p>The conversation begins about the differences between journalism, culture writing and music criticism, before spiralling in a range of directions from psychoanalysing the cast of Love Island to the way the culture war means interviewees are now a lot more guarded because they&#39;re speaking far beyond the readers and their fans.</p> <p>Emma Garland shares insights into her creative process, using humour to tackle weighty topics and how she spotlights underrated artists and big ideas, often at the same time. </p> <p>We discuss concerns over limited career pathways for emerging writers and calls for more sustainable funding models for music publications (if there are any rich benefactors out there, please get in touch).</p> <p>Additional topics include:</p> <ul> <li>The changing appetite for music journalism in the digital age</li> <li>Challenges pitching profiles versus reported features</li> <li>Activism in music media</li> <li>Hopes for more focus on grassroots artists </li> <li>What needs to change leading up to future UK and US elections</li> </ul> <p><strong>Guest Bio:</strong> Emma Garland is a writer, editor, and journalist with a knack for capturing the zeitgeist of contemporary music and culture. With a career spanning over a decade, Emma has become a voice for countercultural narratives and a champion for the kind of editorial that combines fun with serious critique. Her upcoming book, &quot;Tell All Your Friends,&quot; promises to be a seminal work in understanding the cultural history of mainstream emo from 2000-2013 (<a href="https://killyourstereo.com/news/the-definitive-book-on-emo-music-is-coming/Yc3fdXR3dnk/18-05-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">more info</a>).</p> <p>Read Emma Garland&#39;s article on women&#39;s role in music&#39;s political revolution, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/dp34xx/from-iran-to-guatemala-how-women-are-driving-musics-political-revolution">⁠here⁠</a>.</p> <p>Read the Vice and Gal-Dem MeToo coverage, <a href="https://gal-dem.com/open-secrets-music-industry-abuse-editors-letter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a>.</p> <p>For a monthly dose of cultural insights, subscribe to Emma Garland&#39;s newsletter, <a href="https://emmagarland.substack.com/">⁠here⁠</a>.</p> <p>Visit: <a href="https://www.emmaggarland.com/">⁠⁠Emma Garland&#39;s Website⁠</a></p> <p><strong>About The Host:</strong></p> <p>This podcast was produced, lightly edited, researched and hosted by Sean Adams (<a href="http://instagram.com/seaninsound" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">@seaninsound</a>) who founded the <a href="http://drownedinsound.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Drowned in Sound website</a>. </p> <p>Want to keep up to date? <a href="http://drownedinsound.substack.com" target="_blank&q

<p>What&#39;s it <em>really</em> like to edit a music website?</p> <p>DIY Magazine co-founder Emma Swann joins DiS founder Sean Adams on season two of the Drowned in Sound podcast about the future of music journalism. </p> <p>We journey from the early days of the website to its current print &amp; online format with a discussion that contrasts and compares DiS &amp; DIY&#39;s stories, the thrills, the challenges, building a trusted voice, how brilliant the new Bully album is, some White Stripes fandom, a fair few mentions of Wolf Alice, red carpets, and much more.</p> <p>We explore DIY&#39;s origin story, the value of human curation versus algorithms, and whether print magazines could make a comeback. Emma shares her unique perspective from the front lines of music media.</p> <p>&quot;Music journalism isn&#39;t just about reviews; it&#39;s about making connections, about showing the humanity behind every note.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;Print magazines have their own magic; they offer a pause, a moment of engagement you won&#39;t find online.&quot;</p> <ul> <li>Learn more about Emma&#39;s work at <a href="https://diymag.com/">DIY Magazine</a> and follow on <a href="https://twitter.com/emmaswannphoto">Twitter</a>.</li> <li>Emma is a creative force, dabbling in photography, writing, podcasting, and web design. See <a href="https://www.emmaswann.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Emma&#39;s photography website</a> here.</li> <li>Check out<a href="https://diymag.com/review/album/bully-lucky-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> the new Bully album they raved about</a>.</li> </ul>

<p>Kickstarter&#39;s co-founder Yancey Strickler shares lessons from Fugazi&#39;s label and Beastie Boys&#39; Grand Royal magazine and discusses the forward-thinking ethos of The Royal Society, a prestigious fellowship of the world&#39;s most eminent scientists. </p> <p>Yancey is a big thinker, a music lover, writer and a &#39;zine publisher. He wrote about music for Pitchfork, Village Voice, eMusic (with many of the current Bandcamp Editorial team) and more, before becoming a notable figure in creative project funding at Kickstarter and now Metalabel. He shares a wealth of insights on the intersection of music journalism and the quest for authentic creative expression in the digital age. </p> <ul> <li>Discover more about Yancey&#39;s work on <a href="https://ystrickler.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">ystrickler.com</a> or follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/ystrickler" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> Twitter @ystrickler</a>.</li> <li>Learn more about <a href="https://royalsociety.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The Royal Society</a></li> <li>Read <a href="https://onezero.medium.com/the-dark-forest-theory-of-the-internet-7dc3e68a7cb1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Yancey&#39;s viral essay on The Dark Forest Theory</a></li> <li>Discover <a href="https://www.metalabel.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Meta Label</a>, an endeavour aimed at building infrastructure for the creative economy and making collective projects easier.</li> <li>Read about <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2012/05/remembering-grand-royal-beastie-boys-brief-brilliant-magazine/328389/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Grand Royal&#39;s fleeting yet impactful existence</a> (The Atlantic).</li> </ul> <p>Some Yancey Strickler quotes from this episode:</p> <p>&quot;To use the most obvious example, but you know, what if Taylor Swift had a magazine, right? Like, what if? What if Taylor Swift wanted to create a space to platform things that she celebrated, the things that she cared about, things she thought her fans wanted.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;Frank Ocean has been on that, you know, I think a lot of people in the hip-hop space have done a lot of creating wider platforms for themselves through fashion. Through other lines of cultural output that I think have proven to be extremely meaningful.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;...what is music journalism? I&#39;m just gonna say it&#39;s ethnography and I&#39;ll go to your cartography comment. To me it&#39;s explaining lineages... What are the connections? What are the origins? What is the broader sweep in which this work appears? ...like, take me inside a world I wouldn&#39;t know otherwise. Help me appreciate that world the way people inside do. And I would say any, any, any piece, anybody that can do that I&#39;m interested and that I think is a, true service and not that music journalism needs to be a service, but if I think it, how do you elevate above sharing an opinion, which is something that anyone can do. And so that has been rendered... Mapping the context, making that context, something that people can appreciate, that I think is maybe the highest form it can attain.&quot;</p>

<p>Journalist, podcaster and climate communicator <strong>Greg Cochrane </strong>shares how interviewing ANOHNI changed his life, what it was like editing NME’s website, the joy of being involved in Loud &amp; Quiet magazine plus a little bit about writing for The Guardian, interviewing Lady Gaga for the BBC, and plenty more.</p> <p>The focus of our conversation is around the importance of understanding the intersection between the climate emergency and culture. “We need more stories about what’s happening” said Greg, in a really moving section of the podcast involving his hopes for the future of journalism. Toward the end, we also touch upon the economics of media and the creative economy as a self-sustaining ecosystem, including a shout out to Novara Media’s subscription model where people are encouraged to donate an hour of their salary.</p> <p><em>Related Links</em></p> <p>Read Greg’s life-changing interview with ANOHNI</p> <p><a href="https://www.loudandquiet.com/interview/anohni-hoping-for-a-miracle-cover-feature-interview/">https://www.loudandquiet.com/interview/anohni-hoping-for-a-miracle-cover-feature-interview/</a> </p> <p>Greg’s coverage of Billie Eilish’s recent “solutions focussed” Overheated event can be found here</p> <p><a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/overheated-billie-eilish-mother-maggie-baird-interview-london-climate-event-3491598">https://www.nme.com/news/music/overheated-billie-eilish-mother-maggie-baird-interview-london-climate-event-3491598</a> </p> <p>Rebecca Solinit on hope in an age of climate boomers is here</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/26/we-cant-afford-to-be-climate-doomers">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/26/we-cant-afford-to-be-climate-doomers</a> </p> <p>Subscribe to the Sounds like a Plan music &amp; climate podcast that Greg co-hosts with Fay Milton (from Savages, co-founder of Music Declares Emergency and new music project Goddess) </p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/soundslikeaplanpodcast">https://linktr.ee/soundslikeaplanpodcast</a> </p> <p>Learn more about Greg’s work with Heard - the communications charity who support individuals and organisations to tell better stories on climate. <a href="https://heard.org.uk/articles/climate-stories-that-work-turning-awareness-into-action/">https://heard.org.uk/articles/climate-stories-that-work-turning-awareness-into-action/</a> </p> <p>Listen to Loud &amp; Quiet’s podcast and subscribe to the magazine</p> <p><a href="https://www.loudandquiet.com/podcasts/">https://www.loudandquiet.com/podcasts/</a> </p> <p>Learn more about the Reuters Institute’s Oxford Climate Journalism Network</p> <p><a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/oxford-climate-journalism-network">https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/oxford-climate-journalism-network</a> </p>

<p>The Big Issue&#39;s Culture Editor Laura Kelly on their campaigning work, like <strong>Venue Watch</strong> to help save grassroots music venues across the UK.</p> <p>As Laura says, &quot;Across the UK, there was more than two venues closing every single week.&quot; Through Venue Watch, <strong>The Big Issue</strong> is raising awareness of the challenges facing venues and driving action by &quot;telling the story of a venue&quot; each week.</p> <p>As part of Drowned in Sound&#39;s new season of podcasts about where music journalism is headed, we explore how sharing these stories and putting &quot;values to the fore&quot; allows The Big Issue&#39;s activist journalism to kickstart national conversations and create change.</p> <p>We asked Laura how music journalism can go beyond entertainment to activism, and she responds &quot;I think music journalism is about building that bridge between the art and the artist and the world around.&quot;</p> <p>Laura offers an insightful look into The Big Issue&#39;s unique social mission and using journalism as &quot;a force for good.&quot; We also shoutout James O&#39;Brien, The Skinny, Music Venue Trust, Beyond the Music Festival, Duran Duran, Nick Cave, and Smash Hits.</p> <p>Sign up to Venue Watch here:</p> <p><a href="https://www.bigissue.com/venuewatch">https://www.bigissue.com/venuewatch</a></p> <p>Read Laura&#39;s writing: <a href="https://www.bigissue.com/author/laura-kelly/">https://www.bigissue.com/author/laura-kelly/</a></p> <p>Follow Laura on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/laurakaykelly">https://twitter.com/laurakaykelly</a></p> <p>In this episode we mentioned that 16% of people working in the creative industries are working class, <a href="https://pec.ac.uk/news/just-16-of-people-in-creative-jobs-are-from-working-class-backgrounds-and-those-from-privileged-backgrounds-more-likely-to-land-a-job-experience-autonomy-and-progression-and-shape-what-goes-on-stage-page-and-screen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">you can find the data behind that study here</a>.</p> <p><em>The Big Issue </em>is a British magazine that provides a platform for homeless and vulnerably housed individuals to earn a legitimate income by selling the publication on the streets. It features a mix of social and cultural content, and its mission is to empower disadvantaged people through employment while raising awareness about homelessness and poverty-related issues.</p>

<p><em>Where is music journalism headed? </em>Sean Adams (<a href="http://instagram.com/seaninsound" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">@seaninsound</a>) introduces season* two of the Drowned in Sound podcast in the style of an editor&#39;s letter meets a meandering, unscripted voice memo. </p> <p>TL;DR? To mark 23 years of Drowned in Sound, I decided to embark on a series of interviews with TikTokkers, rock writers, tech reporters and more to try to figure out whether things could be headed. </p> <p>* = series?!</p>

<p>Everyone from Radiohead to Sugababes to industry insiders are raving about a new book by therapist and live music expert Tamsin Embleton. It&#39;s an extraordinary body of work entitled <em>Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual</em>, which includes contributions from a series of mental health experts providing insights and advice covering everything from breath-work to nutrition, and resilience to rest.</p> <p>The book contains interviews with people who live and work on the road, alongside musicians including Pixies, Pharoahe Monch, Nile Rodgers, Radiohead, Four Tet, Lauren from Chvrches, Will Young, Justin Hawkins from The Darkness, and many more. </p> <p>In this conversation with the author you&#39;ll learn more about the realities of the road, how touring with Nick Cave &amp; Anna Calvi fed into the initial stages of this book, and why Live Nation has bought 3000 copies of it to put in dressing rooms. We discussed some of the topics in the book such as dressing room environments, dealing with the media and some simple changes the industry can make.</p> <p>This is what Nile Rodgers had to say about the book: <em>“The life of a musical artist can be a magnificent thing when you’re on stage experiencing the enthusiasm and appreciation for your work and seeing first-hand the incredible impact it can have…. There are however another 22 and a half hours in the day when you are not performing. Being away from home and the watchful eye of your loved ones can be incredibly hard work mentally as you go around the world at a pace dictated by the tour. Having what is effectively a mental health wellness manual to keep yourself in check is a wonderful initiative.”</em></p> <p>Learn much more about the book over here <a href="https://www.touringmanual.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">touringmanual.com</a> and you&#39;ll find <a href="https://twitter.com/TamsinEmbleton" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">@TamsinEmbleton on Twitter here</a>.</p> <p>Host: Sean Adams (<a href="http://instagram.com/seaninsound" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">@seaninsound</a>)</p>

<p>Our series of conversations about Artificial Intelligence and music continues with a look at the ethics and legal implications of these new forms of technology that inhales creativity and spits out creativity using everything that has been fed into it. And not everything has gone in with permission, let alone consent.</p> <p>At the spring 2023 budget, the UK government announced that they would be allowing AI firms to more easily access copyrighted material.... this seemed somewhat alarming to us as people who run a record label, manage musicians and care about the creative industries. Should be be worried?! We asked Dr Hayleigh Bosher, a leading expert on intellectual property to help us understand the law and the bigger philosophical issues with Artificial Intelligence technology using existing music to create new music.</p> <p>Dr Hayleigh Bosher (<a href="https://twitter.com/BosherHayleigh" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">@BosherHayleigh</a>) is the author of Copyright in the Music Industry, is a senior lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel University, and hosts the brilliant Who&#39;s Song Is It Anyway? podcast. </p> <p>Related Links</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/check-out-this-beatles-inspired-song-written-entirely-by-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Here&#39;s the &#39;Daddy&#39;s Car&#39; Beatles AI track</a></li> <li><a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whosesongisitanyway" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Listen to Who&#39;s Song Is it Anyway wherever you get your podcasts</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/NlDoCHO0T1E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Hear more from Jeremy Hunt about the AI Sandbox</a></li> <li><a href="http://drownedinsound.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Check out previous AI episodes with Endel and ChatGPT Prompt Generator David Boyle</a></li> </ul>

<p>In case it wasn't obvious, this a music podcast that hasn't had enough of experts and to mark International Women's Day 2023 we spoke to Vick Bain the founder of <a href="https://thef-listmusic.uk/">The F-List</a> and President of <a href="https://www.ism.org/">ISM (the independent society of musicians)</a>, to her PhD research into inequality in the music industry.</p> <p>This episodes covers everything from her research into the Ivors songwriting awards having a pitiful amount of women winners to setting up the F List database of female+ musicians.</p> <p>In recent days, Vick Bain has appeared on the BBC's flagship programmes <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001js8x">Woman's Hour</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/seaninsound/status/1631986646454345728">Newsnight</a>, as well as spoken to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/06/why-are-there-so-few-women-headlining-music-festivals">The Guardian</a> about what Glastonbury's Emily Eavis called a "pipeline problem" in trying to secure festival headliners that aren't male.&nbsp;</p> <p>This is the first in a series of conversations about inequality and the future of the music industry.</p> <p>If you've been impacted by harassment within the music industry, visit <a href="https://wearemusic.info/">WeAreMusic</a> for a selection of links.&nbsp;</p> <p>For more about <a href="http://drownedinsound.org">Drowned in Sound</a>, join our <a href="http://drownedinsound.substack.com">Substack newsletter </a>and follow our founder and podcast host <a href="http://twitter.com/seaninsound">@seaninsound</a>.</p>

<p>“If you start out and it doesn't do something that you're very impressed by, your assumption should be that your prompt wasn't very good,” this summarises the advice from music industry veteran David Boyle, who specialises in understanding audiences, and over the last few months has become an expert in using ChatGPT (<a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">if you've not already, give it a go here</a>). So much so he's co-written a book called PROMPT about, you guessed it, writing prompts to get artificial intelligence to give you better answers.</p> <p>This conversation is aimed at musicians and people who work in the music industry, but the takeaways should be fairly obvious whatever you're trying to achieve. Our host, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams, shares some of the ways he's been using ChatGPT to get movie recommendations based on the songs that are on the soundtrack and using it to better understand the complex legalese in a contract.</p> <p>This conversation has also inspired David and his team to write a new edit of PROMPT for musicians, taking in some of the elements and workflows we discussed. <a href="https://prompt.mba/discount/5F3FV05EWRND?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fprompt-for-artists">Drowned in Sound listeners can grab it at a special rate using this link</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>We hope you will find the practical examples and advice in this episode useful, and we would love to see screenshots or hear about how you've used it. Tweet @seaninsound and @beglen if you get chance. Actually, a sneaky tip, there's also <a href="https://twitter.com/ChatGPTBot">a Twitter bot that you can send Qs to here</a>.</p> <p>Related Links</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/Hanpeel/status/1612802935922262018">the Hannah Peel tweet that inspired this episode</a>.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theredhandfiles.com/chat-gpt-what-do-you-think/">the Nick Cave blog post about ChatGPT.</a></li> <li><a href="https://midjourney.com/">here's MidJourney, the AI image generator that's mentioned in this episode.</a></li> <li><a href="http://drownedinsound.substack.com">this is where you can sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter on Substack.</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/water_and_music/status/1626591585613008898">Water &amp; Music have just released an interesting deep dive into AI and music - summed up in this Twitter thread</a></li> </ul> <p><br></p>

<p>The robots are coming, and people are fearful and excited about the potential for AI and music to collide. It's hard to escape the discourse surrounding artificial intelligence, with various projects launches or low-level things reaching critical max in 2023.</p> <p>As someone who is pretty cynical and emo about everything, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams is oddly optimistic about some of AI music's potential futures, especially surrounding the collision of science, technology and more 'functional' strands of music. As a lover of Sigur Ros, side two of Bowie's Low and contemporary composers like Poppy Ackroyd and Grouper, he's been a heavy user of the Endel app, which composes/generates music in real time, using sounds, textures, samples and frequencies, to create a soundscapes to listen to whilst you focus, relax, walk, sleep and more.&nbsp;</p> <p>In this episode, two of the co-founders Oleg Stavitsky and Dmitry Evgrafov (listen to some of <a href="https://dmitry-evgrafov.bandcamp.com/">his non-AI music on bandcamp here</a>) discuss everything from circadian rhythms to their love of Brian Eno. They also explore the science and tech behind the launch of an 8-hour Sleep Science playlist (<a href="https://music.amazon.de/playlists/B0BVRR6K6N">listen here</a>) with Amazon Music, which opens with an Amazon Original track featuring electronic duo Kx5 (Kaskade and deadmau5) that was produced using the&nbsp;hit EDM track “Escape”. The source material, including synths and chill vocals, was processed by Endel Pacific to create a high-quality, relaxing soundscape activating the&nbsp;parasympathetic nervous system and getting the listener ready for sleep.</p> <p>Using this link, you can get a free month trial of Endel to better understand what we're talking about: <a href="https://code.endel.io/?code=drownedinsound">https://code.endel.io/?code=drownedinsound</a> (worth getting it just to hear the James Blake soundscape)</p> <p>Also mentioned in the intro to this episode was <a href="https://bronze.audio/">Bronze Format</a>, <a href="https://www.maxrichtermusic.com/albums/sleep/">Max Richter's groundbreaking SLEEP album</a>, and toward the end Oleg encourages you to join <a href="https://discord.gg/endelsound">Endel's Discord community, which is here</a>.</p> <p>As always, if you have any thoughts or ideas, contact our host @seaninsound on your social platform of choice and <a href="http://drownedinsound.substackc.com">subscribe to our mailing list here.</a></p> <p><br></p>

<p>TikTok is <em>so </em>important, but what on earth are you meant to be doing on it? Here at Drowned in Sound we have not had a enough of experts, so we found one who can help us and you get our heads around TikTok. Our guest this week is musician and producer (and soon to be stand up comedian) Eleanor Fletcher, who's also a member of festival favourites <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/75EZuo5MHV2572NRpMWotC">Crystal Fighters</a>, to find out how she's garnered 900k like on the platform and found a new audience in just a few months. Give her feed a scroll and follow her here <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@eleanorkishere?_t=8ZvloP2zMVK&amp;_r=1">tiktok.com/@eleanorkishere</a></p> <p>This is part of a sub-series of podcasts, looking at the foundations of where the music industry is at. It's sort of a mini masterclass for musicians but the advice applies for anyone who wants to have a better understanding on creating "content" for the platform.</p> <p>There's some really simple tips about how to introduce a video (the first few seconds are known as the 'hook' to 'hook people in', rather than the melody of a pop song...) and Eleanor mentions the key things of being "interesting and intriguing", keeping a list of ideas in your notes app, and makes the whole thing feel a lot less daunting.</p> <p>Would love to know what you took away from this episode and anything you feel I missed to cover in future episodes.</p> <p>Links to bits mentioned in the show</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYhp8YdX/">The clip by TikTokker ToLiveWithIntent</a></li> <li>Recommended musician to follow: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kiralise?_t=8ZvmPpcbREU&amp;_r=1">KiraLise</a></li> <li><a href="https://hemingwayapp.com/">Hemingway App</a></li> </ul> <p>For more, <a href="http://drownedinsound.substack.com">join Drowned in Sound's new Substack newsletter</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Faith Vern</strong> has collaborated with the likes <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/33EUXrFKGjpUSGacqEHhU4">Iggy Pop</a> and Maxine Peake, and played huge sets on main stages of festivals such as Reading with her band <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kbO657SWC6kiO1Dni3ook">PINS</a>.</p> <p>In this episode, Faith tells us all about the debut single of her new solo project The Faux Faux, which is the first release on the rebooted Drowned in Sound Singles Club (<a href="http://drownedinsound.org/">drownedinsound.org</a>).</p> <p>Drowned in Sound founder and podcast host <strong>Sean Adams</strong> (<a href="http://instagram.com/seaninsound">@seaninsound</a>) introduces the podcast with a little history of the Drowned in Sound label and asks questions about how this solo material is different to the fun party punk that PINS were known for, what it's like writing music for big HBO, Netflix and Apple TV shows, how a mixture of Plath and moving out of Manchester inspired the track, and in a world where liner notes are rare, there's credits and more background to the track.</p> <p>Watch the music video shot in the North of England using 500ft of film and find out more here <a href="https://www.thefauxfaux.co.uk/music">https://www.thefauxfaux.co.uk/music</a></p> <p>Go deeper and hear tracks by acts involved in this track on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4EgTaQJQZzH4WHVrXsEWEm?si=1c30f9e31f5d4874">this Spotify playlist</a>.</p>

<p>How do we "fix" music streaming? It's a question that has plagued the music industry and musicians for a decade and a half, whilst debating the pounds, pennies and slithers of a pence per stream... so this discussion about music streaming seemed like a great place to restart our podcast, which is will focus on music, through the prism of creativity, sustainability, pioneers and big ideas.<br> <br> There are now a range of campaigns around the world and several organisations unifying in the UK to try to change the law, to ensure musicians and those who invest in them receive fairer pay from Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, Apple, Amazon, etc, etc, etc...&nbsp;</p> <p>In the UK, there's been a UK government DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) enquiry exploring the issue of music streaming royalties and the challenges faced by musicians in receiving fair compensation for their work.&nbsp;</p> <p>In this relaunch episode of our podcast, DiS founder Sean Adams (<a href="http://instagram.com/seaninsound">@seaninsound</a> | <a href="http://drownedinsound.org">drownedinsound.org</a>) spoke to Naomi Pohl, the General Secretary of the Musicians' Union, a trade union representing 33,000 musicians about music streaming. We also discussed various campaigns she's the driving force behind to improve things for musicians. The General Secretary highlights the efforts of the Musicians' Union to advocate for and support musicians, including their fight for fair pay and improved working conditions. You'll also learn about the importance of joining a union and how both musicians and music fans can support their campaigns, which you can find here <a href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/">musiciansunion.org.uk</a> (including how new members can join for as little as £1).</p> <p>The wide-ranging enquiry into music streaming, entitled <a href="https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2901">Copyright (Rights and Renumeration, etc) Bill,</a> also known as The Brennan Bill (named because it's been led by musician and <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinBrennanMP">Labour MP Kevin Brennan</a>) is looking into the current music streaming landscape, including the payment structures and methods used by music streaming platforms, as well as the challenges faced by musicians in receiving appropriate compensation from the platforms and their labels. The aim of the enquiry, which has been going on for a couple of years now, is to make recommendations to the UK government on ways to ensure that musicians receive fair compensation for their work, and to ensure that the music industry continues to thrive and support musicians. You can read more about where the enquiry is currently at on <a href="https://musically.com/2023/01/13/dcms-committee-publishes-uk-streaming-inquiry-follow-up-report/">MusicAlly here</a>.</p> <p>In this conversation, Naomi Pohl explains her role and the process of changing the law and discusses her wider challenges over the coming months and years.<br> <br> Want to help? "A positive step you can take to find out who your local MP is and try and build a bit of a relationship, especially if you find that there's somebody there who's passionate about music" - you can find your MP using <a href="https://www.theyworkforyou.com/">theyworkforyou.com</a><br> <br> How many musicians are there in the UK? There's a census happening which you can take part in here <a href="https://www.musicianscensus.co.uk/">musicianscensus.co.uk</a></p>

<p>If this is an "audio publication" then this episode is the editor's (voice) note, as Sean Adams introduces some of the topics, ideas and thinking this new phase of the Drowned in Sound podcast.&nbsp;</p> <p>To begin, help yourself to a David Bowie and Janelle Monáe sandwich.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://drownedinsound.org">drownedinsound.org</a> | @<a href="http://twitter.com/seaninsound">seaninsound</a></p>

<p>Mercury Music Prize 2015 judges John Kennedy from Radio X and Kate Mossman from New Statesman/BBC Four, join DiS editor Sean Adams and podcast co-host Danielle Perry from Absolute Radio to discuss this year's Mercury nominees and what this year's 12 albums say about the current state of music plus we ponder what makes a truly great album?</p> <p>The winner of this year's Mercury Prize will be revealed live on the BBC on <span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_2097020205"><span class="aQJ">Friday 20th Nov</span></span></p> <p>The 2015 Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’ in association with BBC Music were announced on Friday 16 October. The 2015 Albums of the Year are:<br /><br />Aphex Twin 'Syro'<br />Benjamin Clementine 'At Least For Now'<br />C Duncan 'Architect'<br />Eska 'Eska'<br />Florence + The Machine 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'<br />Gaz Coombes 'Matador' <br />Ghostpoet 'Shedding Skin'<br />Jamie xx 'In Colour'<br />Róisín Murphy 'Hairless Toys'<br />Slaves 'Are You Satisfied?'<br />SOAK 'Before We Forgot How To Dream' <br />Wolf Alice 'My Love Is Cool'</p>

<p>Toby L who founded music website, concert promoter and TV show Rockfeedback, as well as the Transgressive label (home to releases by Foals, The Antlers, Regina Spektor, Alvvays, Songhoy Blues and many more) chats about the past decade and a half with our hosts Absolute radio's Danielle Perry and Drowned in Sound (which also turned 15 this week) founder Sean Adams.</p>