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PODCAST

Drowned in Sound

Drowned in Sound

Music is upstream from politics. Drowned in Sound investigates how the music industry shapes society and how fans, artists, and workers can organise for systemic change. Hosted by Sean Adams, we decode streaming economics, sustainable touring, climate and tech, workers’ rights, and collective solutions with musicians, researchers, and changemakers.

music music interviews

All Episodes

00:47:41

How Can Artists Build A Community? The Five Super...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/06/29

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?Drowned in Sound founder & 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. From growing up in Malta and navigating geographic disadvantage to working

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00:54:13

How Music Supports Mental Health with Ariana...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/06/22

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?Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams is joined by Ariana Alexander-Sefre, co-founder of the mental health app SPOKE⁠, 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

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01:04:33

Can You Hear Earth Singing? Meet Musicians Using...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/04/12

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?In this special live edition of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, recorded at Tallinn Music Week, 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

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00:31:11

Synths, Sound & Music's Future with Martyn Ware (The...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/04/12

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?In this special episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, recorded at Tallinn Music Week, Sean Adams speaks with Martyn Ware — 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.This is a conversation about optimism and dystopia, about punk

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00:59:11

Offline Joy: The Do-It-Together Spirit Fueling...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/03/30

What'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? In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams speaks to Becky Hawley from the art-pop trio Stealing Sheep.From the launch of their new label G-IRL (Girl In Real Life) 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

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01:13:11

A Goth Walked Into Nature To Make a Radio Show. A...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/03/23

A conversation about Fresh Hell, subcultures in nature, and shifting the climate narrative through creativity.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 Fresh Hell zine - a collaboration between creatives from the agency Iris and Purpose Disruptors (download it here) - reframes our relationship with nature through goth culture, beauty, and imagination. Featuring clips from Freya Beer’s special

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00:24:54

Are Cover Bands Killing Music Scenes? (Q&A Episode)

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/03/20

Drowned in Sound founder and DiS podcast host, Sean Adams answers your questions. Send Qs for future episodes to sean@drownedinsound.org.Links mentioned in this episodeArticle: Cafe Oto at Oscars - The GuardianArtist Recommendation: Nina VersypArtist Recommendation: TTSSFUArtist Recommendation: Maella Video: Apple on Dolby AtmosTicket App: DiceLink: Tim Burgess listening partyArticle: Bjork immersive album Bowers + Wilkins Drink: Icelandic drink Black DeathVenue Recommendation: Trades Club in Hebden

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01:09:27

The Report That Shook the Music Industry & Exposed...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/03/16

Why does gender bias still dominate radio airplay? And how did one data report force the industry to face its inequalities?In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams talks to Linda Coogan Byrne, activist and music consultant behind the Why Not Her? campaign. Her reports have exposed gender and racial disparities in radio airplay, driving real industry change. This conversation reveals how data is power or as Linda puts it, “the data validates lived experiences.”00:00 –

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00:40:03

How Do We Save Our Music Scenes? Meet Sound...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/03/02

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?In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams speaks with Shain Shapiro, founder of Sound Diplomacy 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

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01:05:32

Festivals For Future: Frances Fox on Music’s Role in...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/02/23

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?In episode 2 of season 3 of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams speaks with Frances Fox, founder of Climate Live and a leader in the UK’s youth climate strikes. Frances shares her journey from music fan to activist, why festivals are powerful spaces for engagement, and how the music industry

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00:45:49

How We Open Music’s Doors to Everyone (Not Just the...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/02/16

From grassroots venues and youth music programs to Mercury Prize winners, early support shapes who gets to make music—and who doesn’t. But is access to music a right or a privilege?Music should be for everyone - but is it becoming a luxury only the privileged can afford?Episode one of season 3 of the DiS podcast, explores how Youth Music -a UK charity funding grassroots projects - is fighting to create fairer opportunities for young musicians facing financial, social, and industry barriers.In this

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00:14:31

Will music survive the next 25 years? - Season 3...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/02/16

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?In this season three prologue of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, host Sean Adams (founder of Drowned in Sound) reflects on his lifelong love of music, the systemic challenges facing artists, and what the next 25 years could mean for independent musicians, grassroots venues, and the future of the industry.In this series, expect big questions,

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00:10:32

Introducing... 2025 Theme: What will music be like in...

Drowned in Sound ·

2025/01/02

This year marks 25 years since Drowned in Sound launched, and rather than obsessing about the past, we will be gazing into the future, trying to work out what music will be like in 2050.In this prologue episode, Sean Adams, the founder of Drowned in Sound, reflects a little bit on his 25-year journey and examines the current challenges facing music, from economic barriers to the impact of technology and AI. He discusses the importance of grassroots venues, the role of music in our lives, and the

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00:21:58

How does music get discovered? Favourite venues?...

Drowned in Sound ·

2024/12/14

In part two of this Q&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. 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

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00:28:16

Why weren't [insert band] massive? Music's true...

Drowned in Sound ·

2024/12/12

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. Here are some links related to topics covered in the Q&A in case you'd like more context. Listen to: Choose a Bright Morning by Jeniferever on Bandcamp Read: Wendy Roby's brilliant review of Plastic Beach by Gorillaz Listen to: Mystery Jets featuring Laura Marling Read: Mike Diver's 2005 interview with Saul Williams Read: DiScover

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01:03:28

What is the function of record reviews in 2024?

Drowned in Sound ·

2024/02/27

Elijah is a profound thinker and this conversations draws on his influential grime nights with Stormzy & Skepta, writing about music, DJing and to his Yellow Square instagram posts, which are a form of community-building journalism that act as prods and prompts that agitate thoughts into focus.DiS021 | S2: The Future of the Music Press EP13 From his experience as a pirate radio DJ to running Butterz label & clubnights to being a musician and artist manager, Elijah considers yellow squares

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01:01:30

The joys of magazine-making with PROG Editor Jerry Ewing

Drowned in Sound ·

2024/02/04

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? 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's journey is a testament to the

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00:41:09

What's it like to broadcast from a war zone?

Drowned in Sound ·

2024/02/04

Award-winning reporter Julia MacFarlane explains what the music press can learn from traditional news journalism. As Drowned in Sound'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

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00:51:58

Should music critics 'pivot to video'?

Drowned in Sound ·

2024/02/04

Meet the YouTube music critic who runs whilst reviewing records. Probably not all of them, but there are some people evolving music criticism onto new mediums. To understand what it's like to be a "creator" 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. After leaving the band, he started a

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01:18:01

Why Music Journalism Matters

Drowned in Sound ·

2024/02/04

The Quietus' 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? DiS020 | S2: The Future of the Music Press EP12 In his widely-shared piece for The Guardian, this episode's guest John Doran, co-founder of the esteemed music publication The Quietus, wrote about the importance of music criticism: "I think a good analogy for writing about music is like composing

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81 results

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