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Drowned in Sound is thrilled to reveal the first series in our new podcast network, with more shows to be announced soon. Hosted by music and social change expert, start-up founder, and campaign organiser Ariana Alexander-Sefre, Sounds Like Change brings together artists, thinkers, and changemakers to explore the profound role music plays in shaping our mental health, identities, and collective futures. The podcast manages to merge a fresh perspective on activism with an len through which we clearly can see music as a cultural force with the power to shift how we feel, relate, and act in a society that has left so many of us feeling hopeless Each episode starts with a song of hope chosen by the guest, then moves from personal stories to wider societal questions, and ultimately toward imagining better futures. Conversations are interwoven with moments of sound and reflection, creating space to feel and process. In this edition of the Drowned in Sound podcast, we introduce you to Ariana and share a taste of the pilot episode, with Drowned in Sound founder and our podcast host, Sean Adams, talking about the role artists like Dead Prez and David Bowie played in his political awakening. Ahead of the first episode, you can now subscribe to Sounds Like Change on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Give the show a follow on Instagram here.  To contact the show or pitch ideas please email [email protected]. This week's playlist + Qobuz free trial. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to hear Sean's political awakenings playlist and discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality. Start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Edited by: tell.studio (Phil, Louisa, Owen, Matt)

Is AI a human rights issue for musicians? And why isn't the UK government treating it like one? In Part 2 of our conversation with David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition, we turn to the question that kept us talking long after we'd wrapped the UK Artist Touring Fund discussion: what happens when AI platforms train on artists' recordings, voices, and likenesses without their consent? David explains why the FAC and the Council of Music Makers see protecting human creativity as fundamentally important, why record contracts signed in 2020 couldn't possibly have granted consent for AI uses artists didn't understand, and why the deals major labels have struck with AI platforms are, in his words, a scandal. Sean connects this to the UK government's investment in AI data centres and tax breaks, while 125,000 music industry workers and the Music Export Growth Scheme's entire annual budget sits at just £1.6 million. They also get into David's answer to the £500 million question, why he thinks music in 2050 will be better than ever, the difference between AI hype and the NFT bubble, and why venues with broken dressing room windows in minus-four weather tell you everything about where the money actually goes. This is the final episode of our season loosely themed around resilience. Send your questions to [email protected] for an upcoming Ask Me Anything episode. Links: Featured Artists Coalition https://www.featuredartistscoalition.com Council of Music Makers https://councilofmusicmakers.org Musicians' Union https://themu.org Music Managers Forum https://themmf.net Music Export Growth Scheme https://www.bpi.co.uk/fund/music-export-growth-scheme/ This week's playlist: artists who speak up about AI + Qobuz free trial. 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: tell.studio (Phil, Louisa, Owen, Matt) For 25 years our publication and podcast has recommended music. We now also spark conversations and create resources to help music fans discover their collective power.

The UK music industry generated £7.6 billion last year. Taylor Swift became a billionaire off the back of a tour. So why are some artists still losing money every time they play a show? That's the question at the heart of this episode, as Sean sits down with David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), and musician and former FAC board member Roxanne de Bastion to talk about the newly launched UK Artist Touring Fund (UKAT). Applications are open now. If you are a touring artist, go to thefac.org/ukatfund before midnight on 20 March 2026. Or stay tuned for phase two. The fund distributes money raised through a voluntary £1 levy on arena and stadium tickets - contributed by tours from artists including Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Radiohead and Enter Shikari - to help emerging and mid-tier artists cover genuine shortfalls on their UK headline tours. In Phase One, artists can receive up to £7,000, covering up to 40% of tour expenditure. In this episode we cover: - Why the music industry can be booming at the top while artists on the road are losing money every night - and how British artists' share of the global market has fallen from around 17% to 9% in the last nine years. - The real costs of touring - from Travelodge bills and van hire to session fees, sound engineers and childcare - and how costs have risen sharply since 2022 while support fees have barely moved in decades. - Why record labels stopped providing tour support, and what that has meant for the generation of artists trying to develop their careers on the road. - How UKAT works: who qualifies, what it covers, why support tours are excluded from Phase One (and when that changes), and the separate access fund for artists with disabilities, caring responsibilities or other access needs. - The Live Nation question - how the UK's biggest promoter reports losses in its UK entity while the wider group generates billions globally through Ticketmaster and venue operations - and what it would take to bring major players fully into the levy. - Why funding touring is also a working-class issue: every genre the UK is globally known for - grime, drum and bass, early rock and pop - came from working-class underground movements, and rising costs are pricing those voices out. - The safety argument: as David describes, sending artists out on the road without the resources to do it properly is not just a financial issue - it is a physical safety issue. The death of Viola Beach is a reference point nobody in the industry has forgotten. - What Roxanne would spend £500 million on, and what both guests hope and fear music will be like in 2050. Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at qobuz.com/dis. Links UKAT Fund - apply by 20 March 2026: thefac.org/ukatfund Featured Artists Coalition: thefac.org Roxanne de Bastion: roxannedebastion.com/ Los Campesinos! touring economics breakdown: https://community.drownedinsound.com/t/how-los-campesinos-lost-over-1000-playing-a-sold-out-show-in-dublin/87034 Enter Shikari / Rou Reynolds episode: https://youtu.be/gTkSAokv6UU?si=vBeWvwp7y2l78I3A Join the DiS community: community.drownedinsound.com DiS newsletter signup: drownedinsound.org Edited by: tell.studio (Phil, Louisa, Owen, Matt)

What does it mean to lean in? Not to your career, not to the algorithm but to the act of making music itself? Polly Mackey, the artist, musician, songwriter and producer behind Art School Girlfriend, nearly walked away from releasing music altogether. Instead, she built a studio in East London, completed a Master's thesis on how electronic music can feel human, and made Lean In, her third album, out now on Fiction Records. It might be the most emotionally honest thing she's made. In this conversation, Polly and Sean talk about why she's drawn to the emotional geography between shoegaze and electronic music, the Ableton water-simulation plugins that shaped the record's sound, and what it felt like to study her own creative process while writing the songs. They also get into the bigger questions: Is the album format in crisis? Who actually benefits when music is "democratised"? And what happens to the music industry when the barrier to entry used to be £350 rent in Dalston? Plus: Polly's memories of trying to buy a Slayer album at 10 years old, what her three records taste like (one of them tastes like tears), touring as a three-piece with her wife Marika Hackman, and a genuinely lovely answer about what she hopes music looks like in 2050. 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. Links Art School Girlfriend: artschoolgirlfriend.co.uk Marika Hackman: marikahackman.com Shy Radicals (film/book): Good Press Foundation FM: Art School Girlfriend's Radio Show Join the DiS community: http://community.drownedinsound.com Subscribe to the DiS newsletter: http://drownedinsound.org Edited by: tell.studio (Phil, Louisa, Owen, Matt) Chapters 00:00:00 - Introduction and Qobuz playlist 00:02:27 - Meet Polly Mackey 00:03:50 - Soft Landing vs Lean In 00:06:30 - Growing up on nu metal in North Wales 00:09:30 - What music would taste like 00:10:54 - Why electronic music sounds like shoegaze 00:13:50 - The Slink Devices water plugin 00:18:00 - Rewilding electronic music 00:19:15 - The MA thesis: sonic objects of intimacy 00:20:10 - Digital silence and The New Analog 00:24:00 - Positive nihilism 00:27:50 - Emma's newsletter ad 00:28:34 - Is the album format in crisis? 00:33:50 - Self-producing Lean In and mixing with Riley MacIntyre 00:34:10 - Sensory overwhelm and Doing Laps 00:36:00 - Translating the record to the live stage 00:38:57 - Qobuz ad 00:40:13 - Shy Radicals, Arlo Parks and the queer bookshop 00:43:40 - £500 million: geography vs class in the music industry 00:51:30 - How to ethically support artists you love 00:52:38 - What music should look like in 2050 00:54:35 - Outro

What happens when a producer and musician working with Solange, Rosie Lowe, Loyle Carner, and Kelela burns out, and a spilled glass of water shows him the way back? Kwes. (Kwesi Sey) has spent fifteen years at the centre of London's most boundary-pushing music, from working with Bobby Womack to the Rye Lane soundtrack. But after years of studio sessions and collaborations, he needed a reset. The catalyst came from his daughter: she knocked over a drink mid-drawing, shrugged it off, and carried on. That moment became the blueprint for his new album Kinds, made in six months of late-night flow states, half-asleep at the keyboard. The result is a 29-minute meditation on colour, memory, and sound. Every track is named after the hues kwes. experiences through synesthesia / chromesthesia (hearing colours). We talk about making music without overthinking, why ambient records aren't minimal, the discipline of producing for other artists versus creating your own work, and what Beach Boys albums taste like. Sean and kwes. also discuss burnout and creative recovery, the London scene that connects Damon Albarn to Tirzah to Speech Debelle, and why London needs creative spaces with affordable accommodation. kwes. reflects on the Barbican and Tate Modern premieres for Kinds, working with visual artist Ryan Vautier, and his hope that one day we'll be able to smell sound. If there's a thread running through it all, it's this: rest is political. And sometimes the most radical thing you can do is stop overthinking and just make. 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: tell.studio (Phil, Louisa, Owen, Matt)   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: kwes.: Official website: https://kwes.info Bandcamp: https://kwesmusic.bandcamp.com Warp Records: https://warp.net/artists/kwes/ Films & Soundtracks: Rye Lane (dir. Raine Allen-Miller): https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001k3tb/rye-lane Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story: https://www.londonsff.com/black-is-beautiful Some of the artists mentioned: Coby Sey (kwes.'s brother): https://cobysey.bandcamp.com Elan Tamara (kwes.'s wife): https://elantamara.bandcamp.com Loyle Carner: https://loylecarner.com Kelela: https://www.kelela.com Tirzah: https://tirzah.co.uk Recorded at The Shure Experience Centre in London Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction 03:00:00 - What is minimalism? 06:15:00 - Working with Solange and Kelela 10:45:00 - The spilled drink catalyst 14:30:00 - Making the record after burnout 19:00:00 - Flow state and late-night writing 22:25:00 - Newsletter ad break 25:00:00 - Barbican and Tate Modern premieres 28:30:00 - Synesthesia and colour-coded tracks 32:00:00 - Qobuz ad break 35:00:00 - Brian Eno and ambient music 40:00:00 - Inspirations: Beach Boys, Pat Metheny 47:00:00 - What does music taste like? 50:30:00 - Creative spaces and accommodation 54:00:00 - Hope for music in 2050

What does it actually mean to be a grassroots music promoter in 2026? David Littlefair joins the Drowned in Sound Podcast to discuss the grassroots pledge he's made with Marrapalooza, the DIY festival in Newcastle's Ouseburn Valley - redirecting ad spend away from Meta, refusing to book artists based on follower counts, and putting money back into the local scene instead of offshore platforms. We also get into the bigger picture: why 85% of Arts Council music funding goes to opera and classical music while brass bands and folk get 0.6% each, how Spotify has spent fifteen years extracting hundreds of millions from British artists, and why the grassroots levy risks being offshored by Instagram ads. David speaks from twenty years of promoting in the North East - from £1-on-the-door pub nights in Sunderland to putting on Sam Fender's second ever gig, to building a festival with a clear political philosophy. He talks about "algorithm begging," the case for community-owned venues modelled on working men's clubs, nd what he'd do with Daniel Ek's £500 million. The Drowned in Sound Podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz - the ethical music streaming platform for music enthusiasts. Start your free trial at drownedinsound.org/playlists. This week's playlist (Jan/Feb 2026 favourites) + Qobuz free trial https://www.drownedinsound.org/playlists + Subscribe to the DiS Newsletter https://www.drownedinsound.org/newsletter Links: 🎪 Marrapalooza 4: Wild and Fierce and Not Bothered — June 5–7 2026, Newcastle https://marrapalooza.co.uk 📄 Youth Music — "Just The Way It Is?" report https://www.youthmusic.org.uk 📄 IPPR — State of the North (arts and culture spending) https://www.ippr.org 📗 Liz Pelly — Mood Machine (Spotify book) https://lizpelly.info 🎵 Portions For Foxes (David's promoting name) — named after the Rilo Kiley song Credits: Hosted, engineered, edited, researched, and produced by Sean Adams. Edited and mixed by Tell Studio. Recorded at The Shure Experience Centre, London. Guest: David Littlefair (Marrapalooza / Portions For Foxes). For 25 years our publication and podcast has recommended music. We now also spark conversations and create resources to help music fans discover their collective power. Mentioned in this episode: Marrapalooza · Portions For Foxes · Los Campesinos! · Soak · Milkweed · Lande Hekt · Jim Ghedi · Gwennifer Raymond · The Chisel · Militarie Gun · Mandrake Handshake · Sam Fender · Field Music · The Futureheads · Rilo Kiley · Caribou · Hundred Reasons · Kelly Lee Owens · PVA · Ella Harris · Gruff Rhys · Benefits · Ex Vöid · Justin Hawkins / The Darkness · Liz Pelly · Music Venue Trust · Arts Council England · PRS for Music · Help Musicians · Featured Artists Coalition · Democratic Business Alliance · Brass Band England · Qobuz · Spotify / Daniel Ek · Youth Music · Music Declares Emergency

This is a conversation about what happens when artists discover their collective power. In May 2025, electronic artist Gazelle Twin withdrew from her Kings Place residency over the venue's decision to host an arms industry conference sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Eleven days later, after 1,200+ artists and fans signed an open letter, Kings Place cancelled the event. Elizabeth Bernholz (Gazelle Twin) talks about that moment and so much more. The musician meets Drowned in Sound founder to discuss creating Pastoral - the Brexit-adjacent album that Drowned in Sound gave 10/10 - moving from liberal Brighton to conservative rural England, the Fever Ray performance that changed everything, and why she performed unmasked for the first time for the album Black Dog after fourteen years... We discuss the practical tactics of organizing boycotts, how PRS Foundation funding enabled some of her most political work, balancing motherhood with touring and activism, film scoring (Nocturne, The Power) as financial stability, and why she believes Ireland's basic income for musicians could transform the industry. From "jaded, frustrated and largely insulted" by the music industry in 2009 to successfully being part of a boycott of the arms industry in 2025 - this is a story about resilience, solidarity, and the power of saying no. LINKS: Gazelle Twin: Official website: https://www.gazelletwin.com Bandcamp: https://gazelletwin.bandcamp.com Instagram: @gazelletwin Organizations Mentioned: PRS Foundation: https://prsfoundation.com Help Musicians: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk Music Venue Trust: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com Drowned in Sound: Newsletter signup: https://drownedinsound.org This week's playlist (featuring Gazelle Twin, Björk, David Bowie + Nine Inch Nails, Halsey): https://drownedinsound.org/playlists DiS review of Pastoral (10/10): https://drownedinsound.com/releases/20441/reviews/4152045 Try Qobuz - Free 30-day trial of high-quality, artist-friendly streaming: https://drownedinsound.org/playlists (includes Qobuz free trial link) CREDITS: Host: Sean Adams (Drowned in Sound founder) Guest: Gazelle Twin (Elizabeth Bernholz) Recorded at: The Shure Experience Centre, London Mixed & Edited by: TELL Studios Presented in partnership with: Qobuz - the ethical music streaming platform For 25 years, Drowned in Sound has recommended music. We now also spark conversations and create resources to help music fans discover their collective power. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Newsletter signup: https://drownedinsound.org Instagram: @drownedinsound Playlist: https://drownedinsound.org/playlists CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction: Do Boycotts Actually Work? 03:48 - Pastoral and Excavating English Identity After Brexit 07:27 - Soundtracking National Horror 11:15 - The Fever Ray Epiphany: Costume as Liberation 14:30 - PRS Foundation Funding and DIY Sustainability 19:00 - Kings Place Boycott: How It Worked 23:45 - Advice for Artists Taking Stands 27:30 - Somerset House Residency and Continuing the Work 32:15 - [QOBUZ AD] 35:20 - Black Dog: Performing Unmasked for the First Time 38:45 - Film Scoring as Financial Stability 42:00 - Music as Therapy and Processing 44:30 - Motherhood, Touring, and Sustainability 47:15 - Ireland's Basic Income for Musicians 49:40 - £500 Million Question: Fixing the Music Industry 53:00 - Outro: The Power of Collective Action MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Gazelle Twin (Elizabeth Bernholz), Fever Ray, MF DOOM, Nigel Farage, Daniel Ek, Scott Walker, Björk, Halsey, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, PRS Foundation, Kings Place, Lockheed Martin, Somerset House, Drowned in Sound, The Quietus, Ireland, Brighton, East Midlands. Film Scores: Nocturne (2020) The Power (2021, with Max de Wardener)

GIRLI joins the Drowned in Sound Podcast to discuss her powerful new single 'Slap on the Wrist, which is a collaboration with recent podcast guest Eliza Hatch of Cheer Up Luv, built on real anonymous survivor testimonies filmed in real locations. We also discuss the new Youth Music report "Just The Way It Is?" exposing the scale of unsafe conditions, unfair pay, and discrimination facing young people in the music industry. The stats are stark: 72% of young music industry workers have felt unsafe. 90% have been paid unfairly. 75% have considered giving up entirely. GIRLI speaks with total honesty about being signed to a major label as a teenager, being sent to LA alone at 18 with no safeguarding, and being dropped by phone call at 21 with zero support. She talks about why the music industry still hasn't had its Me Too moment and what she'd do with £500 million to fix it, as well as why the silence of the biggest artists is the loudest statement of all. ⚠️ Content note: This episode contains discussion of sexual harassment, assault, and industry exploitation.  Links: 🎵 GIRLI — "Slap on the Wrist" https://girli.bfan.link/sotw 📄 Youth Music — "Just the Way It Is?" report https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/community/resource-hub/just-way-it-report 📄 Youth Music — Resources to promote safety and rights in music https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/resources/community/resource-hub/resources-promote-safety-and-rights-music-industries 📞 Rape Crisis England & Wales — 24/7 Support Line: 0808 500 2222 https://rapecrisis.org.uk 📞 WeAreMusic have compiled various campaigns and resources to help if you're dealing with harassment or abuse https://wearemusic.info/  💛 Cheer Up Luv https://www.cheerupluv.com ✊ Right to Be (GIRLI donated pre-save proceeds) https://righttobe.org 📰 DiS — "Why We Need to Talk About Speaking Out" (Nina Creswell feature) https://www.drownedinsound.org/why-we-need-to-talk-about-speaking-out/ 🎧 DiS Podcast — Eliza Hatch / Cheer Up Luv episode https://www.drownedinsound.org/misogyny-in-music-the-numbers/  🏛️ CIISA — Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority https://ciisa.org.uk 🎤 Musicians' Union https://themu.org 🎤 Featured Artists Coalition https://www.featuredartistscoalition.com 💚 Help Musicians / Music Minds Matter https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk 🎵 "Believe Women" companion playlist + Qobuz free trial https://www.drownedinsound.org/playlists 📰 Subscribe to the DiS Newsletter https://www.drownedinsound.org/newsletter Credits: Hosted, engineered, edited, researched, and produced by Sean Adams Recorded at The Shure Experience Centre, London Guest: GIRLI (Milly Toomey) accompanied by Heather Swaine (Youth Music) The Drowned in Sound Podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz — the ethical music streaming platform for music enthusiasts. Start your free trial at drownedinsound.org/playlists For 25 years our publication and podcast has recommended music. We now also spark conversations and create resources to help music fans discover their collective power. Mentioned in this episode: Cheer Up Luv / Eliza Hatch · Youth Music · Musicians' Union · Music Guardians · Rape Crisis England & Wales · CIISA (Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority) · Featured Artists Coalition · Help Musicians / Music Minds Matter · Kate Nash · Gazelle Twin · Sinéad O'Connor · MIA · Amy Winehouse · Lily Allen · Laura Mary Carter (Blood Red Shoes) · The Anchoress / 2% in Rising · Nina Creswell / Good Law Project · Patsy Stevenson · Raye · Right to Be

"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, releasing two compilations featuring Yard Act, Mandy Indiana, and others to raise funds for Help Musicians, Black Minds Matter, and Music Venue Trust. Guest links: - PVA on Bandcamp: https://pvaareok.bandcamp.com - PVA on Instagram: @pva_are_ok - Ella Harris on Instagram: @lime.zoda

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: [email protected]  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 - Intro 01:30 - Standout episodes and “slow-burn” editing 03:20 - When to cut vs when to let a story breathe 05:10 - What makes a “good” episode in hindsight 07:00 - Work gaffs, embarrassment, and shared vulnerability 12:00 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces 14:00 - Why people are quietly quitting 18:00 - Why podcasts work on boring journeys 21:00 - Community Garden Radio and the art of warmth 22:30 - What great broadcasting feels like 24:00 - Power, responsibility, and attention 25:30 - Why trust matters more than reach 27:00 - 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 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 44:07 - The importance of having your own project and taking the time 46:55 - 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: 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  

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 venues https://www.musicvenuetrust.com David Byrne — How Music Works https://davidbyrne.com/books/how-music-works Fabric London — venue history and cultural importance https://www.fabriclondon.com Piccadilly Records (Manchester) https://www.piccadillyrecords.com Pure Groove Records (London) https://puregroove.co.uk Kelly Lee Owens https://kellyleeowens.com Stop Making Sense — Talking Heads https://www.talkingheadsofficial.com Cocteau Twins https://cocteautwins.com The Knife — Silent Shout https://theknife.net Warehouse Project (Manchester) https://www.thewarehouseproject.com Neuadd Ogwen / Bethesda community venue https://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 next 06:50 - Scenes, genres, and the collapse of old categories 12:00 - Cities as culture: Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton, Beirut 16:40 - Resilience, mental health, and sustaining music ecosystems 20:40 - Grassroots levies, touring economics, and venue survival 26:00 - Ticketing, regulation, and the slow response to abuse 28:20 - AI, platforms, and the erosion of trust 30:30 - Predictions: returns, collaborations, and surprise records 35:20 - Tech futures, headphones, and augmented concerts 38:50 - 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

Season 5, Episode 1: What if swifts sound like Slipknot? What are flying rivers? And how do you give water a voice? This New Year special takes you backstage at EarthSonic Live, where over 3,000 people gathered at Manchester Museum to explore how music and nature sounds can help us reconnect with the planet and drive real climate action. Recorded across a single extraordinary day in November 2025, this episode captures conversations with conservationists protecting endangered species, climate activists working with Brian Eno and Billie Eilish, and Brazilian artists who travelled from Belém where the performed at COP30. From sampling frogs in the museum's Vivarium with Japanese composer Hinako Omori to learning about the UK's temperate rainforests (yes, really!), EarthSonic Live had it all. In the first episode of 2026, you'll hear from RSPB conservationists Annabel Rushton and Roshni Parmar-Hill about why swifts are disappearing and what red squirrels tell us about biodiversity loss. Climate activist Tori Tsui shares how music became central to her campaigning. Hannah Overton from Warp Records explains more about the event. And we meet four members of FLOW, female artists from three continents to reflect on their journey to Belém for COP30, where they turned droughts, floods, and flying rivers into hip-hop, spoken word, and song. 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 drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at qobuz.com/dis. Continue the Conversation: Join the discussion on the Drowned in Sound forums and share your thoughts on music, nature, and climate action. Subscribe: Get the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights into music, culture, and building a fairer industry. Links & Resources: Tori Tsui - Climate activist and author of "It's Not Just You: How to Navigate Eco-Anxiety and the Climate Crisis" EarthSonic Live - Event details and future dates Takkuuk - Inside Bicep's Arctic Masterpiece (DiS article) Full Tori Tsui Interview - Climate justice and music with Brian Eno & Billie Eilish RSPB - Conservation and volunteering opportunities Wildhoarse Water - RSPB nature reserve in the Lake District with UK temperate rainforest In Place of War - Arts organization for social change Manchester Museum Vivarium - Home to the frogs sampled during workshops Sohini Alam - British-Bangladeshi composer and vocalist Keila - Brazilian singer from Gang do Eletro, FLOW artist Bebé Salvego - Brazilian jazz vocalist, FLOW artist Jaloo - Brazilian gender-fluid artist and producer, FLOW artist Hinako Omori - Japanese artist and composer Wellcome Trust - Event partner Arts Council England - Event partner Ableton - Event partner and workshop provider About the Host: Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound, an independent music publication championing underground and independent artists since 2000. Through the DiS podcast, newsletter, and community, Sean explores how to build a fairer, more sustainable music industry while supporting the artists and fans who make it meaningful. This episode was completely self-produced by Sean Adams, recorded on location at Manchester Museum. Thanks to Shure for providing the mics to record this special episode.