Drowned in Sound

Jan 02 2025 28 ep. 48 mins 54
Drowned in Sound Podcast artwork

Sean Adams hosts conversations on the future of music. From inclusion in the industry to the sustainability of music journalism, the founder of the pioneering music blog Drowned in Sound (est. 2000) explores the importance of justice, truth, possibilities, and the joy of music.

  Music
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Introducing... 2025 Theme: What will music be like in 2050?

Jan 02 2025 10 mins  
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 i

How does music get discovered? Favourite venues? Brexit? - Q&A Special: Part 2

Dec 13 2024 21 mins  
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 platf

Why weren't [insert band] massive? Music's true value? Gaffes? - Q&A Special: Part 1

Dec 11 2024 28 mins  
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 List

What is the function of record reviews in 2024?

Feb 27 2024 63 mins  
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 rad

The joys of magazine-making with PROG Editor Jerry Ewing

Feb 04 2024 61 mins  
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 t

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

Feb 04 2024 41 mins  
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 Ne

Should music critics 'pivot to video'?

Feb 04 2024 51 mins  
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

Why Music Journalism Matters

Feb 04 2024 78 mins  
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

Is 'Traditional Media' Still Relevant for New Artists?

Nov 23 2023 58 mins  
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 surroundin

If $600 billion a year is being spent, why are so many publications closing?

Nov 14 2023 67 mins  
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