Drowned in Sound | Newsletter & Podcast & Community
DiS is one of the original music blogs and online communities, founded back in 2000. Its back as a weekly newsletter about the future of music and as a podcast hosted by founder Sean Adams. ⚓︎ http://drownedinsound.org
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- @emmabwilkes.bsky.social: @musicvenuetrust.bsky.social Identifies Live Nation As Unsupportive Of Grassroots Music Levy | @drownedinsound.org www.drownedinsound.org/music-venue-...
- This might be the most important episode of the podcast I’ve ever recorded The Ticket Bank is like a food bank for culture. I hate that it needs to exist, but I’m glad it does Please spread the word podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
- Glimmers of hope in grassroots music amidst the despair of seeing just 8.8% of shows contribute £1 per arena and stadium ticket to the voluntary grassroots levy Will Live Nation get onboard before it becomes mandatory? www.drownedinsound.org/music-venue-...
- Important writing as ever from the @drownedinsound.org crew. Interesting piece here from @mrtrick.bsky.social on how Bill Graham faced similar issues over half a century ago. networknotes.motiveunknown.com/p/how-a-1971...
- When is a t-shirt more than a piece of merch? www.drownedinsound.org/girls-love-t...
- The closure of fabric and Brexit were two big moments for Kelly Lee Owens
- To mark 25 years of Drowned in Sound I’m doing a series of interviews with some of my favourite acts of the 21st century Was thrilled to finally interview the techno / ambient / electronic icon Kelly Lee Owens about class, community, and clever ideas to save grassroots music #music #depechemode
- To mark 25 years of Drowned in Sound I’m doing a series of interviews with some of my favourite acts of the 21st century Was thrilled to finally interview the techno / ambient / electronic icon Kelly Lee Owens about class, community, and clever ideas to save grassroots music #music #depechemode
- Not a bad list.
- Yep, these are all great places to start...
- Totally agree with @emmabwilkes.bsky.social in today's @drownedinsound.org newsletter. Imperfection makes human music that drives connection. I always think about AC/DC's Whole Lotta Rosie, which is _slightly_ out of tune, and all the more thrilling for it. www.drownedinsound.org/drowned-in-s...
- OUT Artists propping up fascism Spotify Industry plant discourse Trying to separate music from politics Exploitative ticketing practices The music industry's superfan obsession Festivals powered by the military-industrial complex Doomerism
- Lots of albums to look forward to in 2026! www.drownedinsound.org/upcoming-alb...
- Describe your 2026 goals using only song titles:
- Was a meme the song of the summer?! DiS founder Sean Adams and music journalist @emmabwilkes.bsky.social (NME, Kerrang and DiS) rundown the biggest stories of the year, including lots of things you might have missed podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
- We’re going to be making a lot more of our editorial subscriber only on @drownedinsound.org next year People are getting the media they don’t pay for at the moment and the people paying are billionaires… 🤦 Journalists and content creators need your support
- How many of our top 25 have you heard? www.drownedinsound.org/drowned-in-s...
- your regular reminder that spotify sucks shit and doesn't pay artists for shit and is not your only option for convenient streaming
- Have you quit Spotify? Now is the time to do so Please take a time to watch (or bookmark for later) our latest podcast with @mynabirds.bsky.social about Spotify CEO’s investment in military tech youtu.be/svJnpYwgo9A?... (Be grateful of any shares as I’m new to YouTube and building an audience)
- This feels like a real moment with satire sites calling out Spotify We went pretty deep about this on recent editions of our podcast
- I don’t know who needs to hear this but please repost www.drownedinsound.org/how-to-suppo...
- A deep dive into the Eurovision divisions, written with incision, but not for television. (I am very tired). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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- Feel like a lot of people wrapped up their relationship with Spotify this year and it’s gonna be a bit of a badge of shame to share this over the coming weeks Or am I wrong? youtu.be/yPC6Xt6wGho?...
- We talk a lot about the things that need to change in music and on this week’s Drowned in Sound podcast we meet one of the driving forces behind ending touts and bots ripping off fans 🙌
- Ticket touts have long been out of control and extracting millions from the music ecosystem The announcement of a cap means scalpers can’t profit from fans by using bot farms Adam Webb from @fanfairalliance.bsky.social has pushed for change since 2012, so was great to chat on this week’s pod
- How do you feel about people sharing Spotify Wrapped in 2025?
- Thanks to the good people of the ‘Ridiculous music bargains’ thread on the @drownedinsound.org forums for this one 👍 community.drownedinsound.com/t/ridiculous...
- Are you sick of guessing gig times? According to the Music Fans’ Voice Survey conducted earlier this year, 44 per cent of respondents said that having advance information about the stage times and/or the show end time would enable them to attend more live music events #MusicThreads
- Should venues share stage times? We went deep into this bugbear of many fans in this week’s newsletter www.drownedinsound.org/the-guesswor...
- “But if you listen to it again and again, you might go, well, what's that about? Or on a different day, a certain line will strike you in a different way.” This is becoming as relevant for podcasts as it is for songs, which Paul Smith was referring to.
- Recording our album of the year pod this week. What great record musn’t we forget?
- Not gonna lie, this was a dream commission to mark 25 years of @drownedinsound.org
- I was a day one @maximopark.bsky.social fan, so it was a joy to discuss music obsession and the myth of indie sleaze with Paul youtu.be/TFIZfO9Ckp8?...
- Excited to announce my FIRST podcast interview with @drownedinsound.org in their latest episode with Laura Bird (The Mynabirds), and Kadhja Bonet! You can watch the full video, or listen to the podcast wherever you get yours! www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbWU...
- We’re 25 today. Which artists have we turned you onto over the years?
- ✉️ get music recommendations, community resources, and learn how music fans can collectively surface music’s power for change, alongside some fun stuff, in your inbox www.drownedinsound.org
- The scale of misogyny in the music industry is astonishing www.drownedinsound.org/misogyny-in-...
- This is a really important conversation and I urge all the men in music to tune in to this (send it to your friends etc) youtu.be/rOJlgMMTuCE?...
- Former Labour leader @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social is starting a music festival to support grassroots scenes and DiS’ @emmabwilkes.bsky.social caught up with him to find out more www.drownedinsound.org/jeremy-corby...
- List 3 things you can talk about for 3 hours with no prep 1) whether Pinkerton is better than Blue 2) why rock isn’t dead 3) a new song I’ve had stuck on repeat for about 8 days
- BREAKING: Microsoft has blocked the Israeli military from some cloud and AI services. The block comes after The Guardian revealed last month that Microsoft’s services were being used for mass surveillance of Palestinians. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/785733/...
- Welcome to all the new listeners to the @drownedinsound.org podcast this week Every week I meet a person pushing for change or an innovative musician This week, it was Rod and Roddy from iDLEWiLD and we walked about Patti Smith, Scottish pride and their 10th LP podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
- Have you ever met your favourite band? As a teenager I interviewed Idlewild and 25 years on I’ve done it again. A lot has changed but they’re still thoughtful, eloquent, and humble The new record - their 10th - is sensational and we get into that on this week’s podcast youtu.be/aCkK9quhuDc?...
- Massive Attack pulling out of Spotify is equally significant The CEO’s investments in war technology was the subject of last week’s podcast with a musician who is leading the exodus youtu.be/svJnpYwgo9A?...
- “I counted down the days until my favourite music magazines went on sale, reading and re-reading till the words were half-memorised, learning by osmosis how to write about music.” @emmabwilkes.bsky.social www.drownedinsound.org/idlewild-pal...
- Getting a few reactions like this Fantastic to see the response to last week’s @drownedinsound.org podcast
- The Cure's Songs of a Lost World is 1 of 20 nominees for the Neptune Music Prize from @drownedinsound.bsky.social. Voting will close on 15th October 2025. You can vote for up to 3 albums. www.drownedinsound.org/drowned-in-s...
- Kat is one of the sharpest journalists around and this piece is a must read When she joined me on the @drownedinsound.org podcast we talked about the future of media and how toxicity chills free speech and she goes much deeper on that in this piece podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
- Excellent discussion with Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds about leaving Spotify—well worth a listen 🎧 . As we plan to put out new music soon, I will take this advice and use better platforms. Our art should not be financing war machines. Thanks for creating this @drownedinsound.bsky.social
- Have you quit Spotify? Now is the time to do so Please take a time to watch (or bookmark for later) our latest podcast with @mynabirds.bsky.social about Spotify CEO’s investment in military tech youtu.be/svJnpYwgo9A?... (Be grateful of any shares as I’m new to YouTube and building an audience)
- Have you quit Spotify? Now is the time to do so Please take a time to watch (or bookmark for later) our latest podcast with @mynabirds.bsky.social about Spotify CEO’s investment in military tech youtu.be/svJnpYwgo9A?... (Be grateful of any shares as I’m new to YouTube and building an audience)
- Friends! Be an absolute star and vote for us in Drowned in Sounds Neptune Prize please! It’s the alt competition to the Mercury and it’s a pure buzz to be nominated alongside some legends and heros. We put everything into making this album so to be recognised in this way means a lot. Vote!
- "Echobelly pissed all over Oasis as a live band" A choice quote of @jamesbpcook.bsky.social's in this double interview we did for @drownedinsound.org about the *other* Britpop... 🙌 www.drownedinsound.org/inside-the-o...
- Disappointed by this year’s Mercury Prize list? We had this feeling back in 2008 and set up an alternative prize. No entry fees. Our community of music lovers recommend records for the long list. We’ve listened to over 100 nominees and here’s our 2025 Neptune Prize shortlist
- Wait, what!? The Cure aren't on the Mercury Prize list!? www.drownedinsound.org/mercury-priz...
- As someone who became obsessed with the scene too far away and almost too late (pre-Y2K Mexico), this double interview was a beautiful journey.
- New: 30 years on from the britpop wars, two authors in the thick of it, one a teenage fan, the other in a band you’ve somehow never heard of @annadoble.bsky.social and @jamesbpcook.bsky.social on The Other #Britpop www.drownedinsound.org/inside-the-o...
- New: 30 years on from the britpop wars, two authors in the thick of it, one a teenage fan, the other in a band you’ve somehow never heard of @annadoble.bsky.social and @jamesbpcook.bsky.social on The Other #Britpop www.drownedinsound.org/inside-the-o...
- It's an interesting one, there does seem to be vastly more each year, and it can be a lucrative income stream for venue owners. There is however evidence that many do not sell out... abundant tickets through seat fillers and the like.
- Have we reached peak megagig? www.drownedinsound.org/have-we-reac...
- Two authors speak out about Britpop! My joint interview with the brilliant @annadoble.bsky.social www.drownedinsound.org/inside-the-o...
- Always love the @drownedinsound.org newsletter. Reading it is like listening to knowledgable friends talk about music (the recommendations are always so good!), and I would happily devour many more words from @drownedinsound.bsky.social and @emmabwilkes.bsky.social.
- Have we reached peak megagig? www.drownedinsound.org/have-we-reac...
- Back to school vibes. What artist logo are you tippexing onto your folder?
- A big weekend ahead www.drownedinsound.org/chappell-roa...
- Who’s your favourite TikTokker, YouTuber or music journalist? Over the last few weeks we’ve spoken to Mary Spender who has had over 100m views on YouTube, @lanikaps.bsky.social who’s one of our favourite feature writers, and this week the brilliant TikTokker @shoshinboy.bsky.social
- This week’s newsletter has kicked off a lot of discussion. Feels like we really need more focus on how to fix the systemic issues with music discovery If you’ve not already got it in your inbox, you can read the piece online here www.drownedinsound.org/music-discov...
- Music discovery: 2000-2025 In doing some research, I realised *How* those life-changing acts entered our world and why some acts had lengthy careers is perhaps less discussed in our recent history than the who www.drownedinsound.org/music-discov...
