Drowned in Sound

Apr 12 2025 38 ep. 48 mins 60
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.

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Can You Hear Earth Singing? Meet Musicians Using Sound to Protect the Planet

Apr 12 2025 64 mins  
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 Earth

Synths, Sound & Music's Future with Martyn Ware (The Human League / Heaven 17 / BEF / Electronically Yours podcast)

Apr 12 2025 31 mins  
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 crea

Offline Joy: The Do-It-Together Spirit Fueling Stealing Sheep’s New Era

Mar 30 2025 59 mins  
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

A Goth Walked Into Nature To Make a Radio Show. A Zine Walked Out.

Mar 23 2025 73 mins  
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

Are Cover Bands Killing Music Scenes? (Q&A Episode)

Mar 20 2025 24 mins  
Drowned in Sound founder and DiS podcast host, Sean Adams answers your questions. Send Qs for future episodes to [email protected] mentioned in this episodeArticle: Cafe Oto at Oscars - The GuardianArtist Recommendation: Nina VersypArtist Recommendation: TTSSFUArtist Recommendation: Maella Video: Apple on Dolby AtmosTicket App: DiceLink: Tim Burgess listening partyArtic

The Report That Shook the Music Industry & Exposed Inequality

Mar 16 2025 69 mins  
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

How Do We Save Our Music Scenes? Meet Sound Diplomacy’s Shain Shapiro

Mar 02 2025 40 mins  
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

Festivals For Future: Frances Fox on Music’s Role in Climate Justice

Feb 23 2025 65 mins  
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 sha

How We Open Music’s Doors to Everyone (Not Just the Rich)

Feb 16 2025 45 mins  
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 project

Will music survive the next 25 years? - Season 3 Prologue

Feb 16 2025 14 mins  
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 m