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:

Control, The Thaumaturge

DL Gaming: A PC Gamecast

Control's Storytelling: Unreliable Narration

The AI-powered Podcast Player