Drowned in Sound

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. 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.

What does it actually mean to be a musician in an economy built for creators and why does it feel like the workload keeps growing while the rewards shrink? In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams is joined by Hanna Kahlert from MIDiA Research, whose work sits at the intersection of music, platforms, and the wider creator economy. Drawing on recent research into artists’ working lives, they explore why musicians increasingly face the same pressures as YouTubers and streamers without a lot of the same tools, protections, or paths to sustainability. They talk about the time sink of constant content creation, the distortion of success metrics, and how discovery has become both easier and more exhausting than ever. This includes: “lean back” listening,  “lean through” fandom whilst the conversation reframes what engagement really looks like and why likes, views, and viral moments so often fail to translate into income or longevity. As streaming platforms push endless discovery and passive consumption, the duo ask hard questions about value, ownership, and what gets lost when music is treated as content and not an integral part of culture. 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. Chapters 00:00 - Why musicians are being reframed as “creators” 05:20 - The problem with monetisation, takedowns, and copyright 12:10 - Lean back, lean in, and what “lean through” really means 20:00 - Discovery, algorithms, and the illusion of reach 28:00 - Are superfans real - and what actually makes a fan? 36:10 - Scenes, culture, and what’s been lost in platformisation 44:30 - AI, ownership, and the coming copyright reckoning 52:30 - The “dark forest” internet and the return of small spaces 59:30 - What the next 25 years of music might look like 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: Cross Platform Success Using Social Platforms to Build Audience and Fandom MIDiA Research Hanna Kahlert – MIDiA Research Spotify Loud & Clear Report Music Publishers Begin Spotify Podcast Takedowns (Variety)

What were the big music news stories of the year? In part 1 we charted the pressures building across music’s foundations and now Part 2 turns to the systems that decide who gets paid, who gets heard, and who gets left behind. Drowned in Sound’s founder Sean Adams and music journalist Emma Wilkes count down stories #3, #2 and #1 -  from the strange feeling that there wasn’t really a song of the summer at all, to solidarity protest movements filled with eloquent musicians, and the growing wave of artists turning their backs on Spotify. They examine how streaming payouts continue to shrink for artists, even as platforms post record profits public conversations around alternatives, and ethics (war tech?! ICE ads?! Joe Rogan?!) turned into artist boycotts.  The biggest music stories share one consistent theme: who holds the power, and who gets to challenge it? 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.   Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - Story #3: Was there a ‘song of the summer? 01:10 - Rage, memes, and culture reflecting the moment 03:42 - Sofia Isella and the power of feminine rage 06:20 - Nova Twins, activism, and grassroots credibility 08:32 - Mannequin Pussy and what rock should stand for 09:29 - Story #2 begins: protest movements in music 11:02 - Boycotts, divestment, and corporate accountability 13:02 - Solidarity, Ireland, Palestine, and shared histories 16:12 - Culture as a battleground 29:26 - Story #1 begins: the Spotify exodus 32:13 - Streaming power, ethics, and alternatives 36:16 - Hope, resistance, and building something better 42:22 - 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: Switched On Pop - Why the Song of the Summer Is Disappearing No Music for Genocide – Artist Boycott Campaign NME – Paramore & Hayley Williams Join No Music for Genocide Resident Advisor Podcast – Sama’ Abdulhadi Together for Palestine – Yara Eid Concert Spotify Loud & Clear Report Music Publishers Begin Spotify Podcast Takedowns (Variety) Spotify Payola Lawsuit Explained (Music Business Worldwide) Cut Off the Spigot – Streaming Economics Campaign Mozilla Foundation – The Post-Naive Internet Era

What were the biggest stories in music this year?  No, not the releases or the hype cycles but the forces reshaping how music is made, played, toured, and valued. In Part 1 of Drowned in Sound’s Stories of the Year, Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes count down stories #5 and #4, starting with a contradiction that defined 2025: record-breaking mega-gigs and billion-pound industry headlines on one side, and a grassroots ecosystem under existential pressure on the other. They talk through the “mega gig” (stadium shows, park festivals, corporate-backed cultural events) and also ask what their success is hiding. Taylor Swift-level touring power continues to drive economic growth but artists at every other level are cancelling tours. What is the purpose of growth if the foundations are cracking? From there, the conversation turns to AI. A now present-day force that is reshaping music. This is the year artificial intelligence stopped being theoretical and started demanding political, legal, and cultural responses. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the countdown. 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. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:15 - Story #5 begins: mega gigs vs grassroots 02:10 - What defines a “mega gig” now? 04:11 - £8bn industry headlines vs lived reality 06:26 - Taylor Swift, scale, and monopoly economics 07:18 - Employment figures and the invisible labour of music 08:43 - Grassroots venues as cultural homes 09:32 - Inequality, wealth concentration, and responsibility 13:22 - How the industry decides who gets tipped 16:01 - Why discovery systems feel broken 19:30 - Story #4 begins: artificial intelligence enters music 23:19 - Consent, transparency, and “human-made” music 28:30 - Power, control, and social isolation 35:30 - 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: UK Music – This Is Music Report (Industry Growth Context) Competition & Markets Authority – Secondary Ticketing Investigations BBC – Ticket Scams and Secondary Resale Issues Fan-Led Review of Music – UK Parliament Music Fans Voice – Fan Campaigning for Fair Ticketing Independent Venue Community Music Venue Trust Youth Music – Rescue the Roots Campaign AI-Generated Music Appearing on Artist Profiles  Oneohtrix Point Never is searching for soul in the slop (Dazed) UK Music on AI Training Data and Copyright