Drowned in Sound

• How to Empower Music’s Next Generation - DiSpatch from the Youth Music Awards

  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. 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.

  --------  

  42:33

  --------

  42:33
• Music Industry Misconduct: Why The System Still Protects Abusers

  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. 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

  --------  

  1:14:18

  --------

  1:14:18
• An ethical guide to quitting Spotify

  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. 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

  --------  

  1:13:14

  --------

  1:13:14
• Drowned in Sound is 25 today: Big lessons from the past and a new era unfurls

  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. 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

  --------  

  1:03:15

  --------

  1:03:15
• Is music finally ready to confront misogyny? DiS meets CheerUpLuv

  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. Chapters: 00:00 – Misogyny and music: the scale of the problem 10:30 – 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 [email protected] 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

  --------  

  1:02:29

  --------

  1:02:29

More Music podcasts

Trending Music podcasts

About Drowned in Sound