What does it feel like to attend Glastonbury for the first time? Music journalist Emma Wilkes brings us along for her debut pilgrimage to the UK'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). Along the way, there are vox pops with strangers, overlooked corners, and moments that slipped under the mainstream radar… 00:00 Intr...
Jul 05, 2025•37 min•Season 3Ep. 13
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 workin...
Jun 29, 2025•48 min•Season 3Ep. 12
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, a...
Jun 22, 2025•54 min•Season 3Ep. 11
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 under...
Apr 12, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 10
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, abo...
Apr 12, 2025•31 min•Season 3Ep. 9
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 build...
Mar 30, 2025•59 min•Season 3Ep. 8
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 sp...
Mar 23, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 7
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 episode Article: Cafe Oto at Oscars - The Guardian Artist Recommendation: Nina Versyp Artist Recommendation: TTSSFU Artist Recommendation: Maella Video: Apple on Dolby Atmos Ticket App: Dice Link: Tim Burgess listening party Article: Bjork immersive album Bowers + Wilkins Drink: Icelandic drink Black Death Venue Recommendation: Trades C...
Mar 20, 2025•25 min•Season 3Ep. 6
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 – Introd...
Mar 16, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 5
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 do...
Mar 02, 2025•40 min•Season 3Ep. 4
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 ind...
Feb 23, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 3
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. I...
Feb 16, 2025•46 min•Season 3Ep. 2
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 qu...
Feb 16, 2025•15 min•Season 3Ep. 2
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 th...
Jan 02, 2025•11 min•Season 3Ep. 1
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 o...
Dec 14, 2024•22 min•Season 2Ep. 15
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 Santigold ...
Dec 12, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 14
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 squa...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 14
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 en...
Feb 04, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 8
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 a...
Feb 04, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 11
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 project called ...
Feb 04, 2024•52 min•Season 2Ep. 12
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 poetry a...
Feb 04, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Does the music industry still need the music press? Do new acts still care about media coverage? 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. In this episode, Drowned in Sound'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 fa...
Nov 23, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In a digital world awash with advertising money, why are music publications and media outlets facing extinction? 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'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. Drowned in Soun...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 9
NBC News' 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. In this episode, we explore what the music press can learn from technology journalism. Rela...
Nov 07, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 7
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. Emma'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's intersectional, encompass...
Nov 05, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 6
What's it really like to edit a music website? 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. We journey from the early days of the website to its current print & online format with a discussion that contrasts and compares DiS & DIY'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...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Journalist, podcaster and climate communicator Greg Cochrane shares how interviewing ANOHNI changed his life, what it was like editing NME’s website, the joy of being involved in Loud & Quiet magazine plus a little bit about writing for The Guardian, interviewing Lady Gaga for the BBC, and plenty more. 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 ...
Oct 28, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Kickstarter's co-founder Yancey Strickler shares lessons from Fugazi's label and Beastie Boys' Grand Royal magazine and discusses the forward-thinking ethos of The Royal Society, a prestigious fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists. Yancey is a big thinker, a music lover, writer and a '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 Kic...
Oct 28, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 4
The Big Issue's Culture Editor Laura Kelly on their campaigning work, like Venue Watch to help save grassroots music venues across the UK. As Laura says, "Across the UK, there was more than two venues closing every single week." Through Venue Watch, The Big Issue is raising awareness of the challenges facing venues and driving action by "telling the story of a venue" each week. As part of Drowned in Sound's new season of podcasts about where music journalism is headed, we explore how sharing the...
Oct 23, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Where is music journalism headed? Sean Adams ( @seaninsound ) introduces season* two of the Drowned in Sound podcast in the style of an editor's letter meets a meandering, unscripted voice memo. 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. * = series?!
Oct 22, 2023•13 min•Season 2Ep. 1
