Music Industry Misconduct: Why The System Still Protects Abusers

In this episode of the Drowned in Sound podcast, Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes are joined by Sophie K and Yasmin from the podcast, ’On Wednesdays We Wear Black’. Together they unpack what accountability really looks like inside the music industry - and why it’s still lagging decades behind.

From the Marilyn Manson, Chris Brown and Brand New controversies to the long-standing normalisation of abuse in classic rock (as laid bare in The Guardian’s review of Look Away), the group explores how power, money, and silence continue to shape who gets forgiven…and who doesn’t.

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction
03:10 – The State of Rock: Power, Money, and Silence
08:45 – Cancel Culture vs Accountability
13:00 – When Does “Sorry” Stop Counting?
18:25 – Justice Without a System
23:40 – The Media’s Role in Reckoning
30:10 – What the Look Away Documentary Reveals
37:20 – Generational Shifts and Moral Gray Areas
45:00 – Lazy Activism and Online Moralism
52:15 – Festivals, Representation, and Tokenism
58:00 – Closing Thoughts: Can the Industry Evolve?

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Further Reading, Links & Mentions:

• On Wednesdays We Wear Black Podcast
• Look Away -  horrifying stories of abuse at the hands of male rock stars (The Guardian)
• Bodies: Life and Death in Music — Ian Winwood
• The Persuaders - Anand Giridharadas