Drowned in Sound

With 41% of grassroots community music spaces at risk of closure due to financial pressures, what does the future hold for young musicians trying to break through? And what role can the wider industry and everyday fans play in keeping these vital pathways alive? In this special DiSpatch episode of the Drowned in Sound podcast, Emma Wilkes heads to Troxy in London for Youth Music's annual awards ceremony, which celebrates some of the stars of tomorrow and the grassroots projects behind them. Youth Music is the UK’s largest music charity, providing funding for hundreds of grassroots music organisations and supporting over 100,000 children and young people every year up and down the UK. Their work has never felt so urgent. Through conversations with industry leaders, grassroots organisers, and emerging artists, this episode explores what equal access to music looks like, the vital importance of grassroots opportunities for young people, and what music fans can actually do to help. From major label perspectives to Cambridge's rising rap talent, we hear how the music industry can and must support the next generation. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Who are Youth Music? 01:50 – Charlotte Edgeworth (Sony Music) on the industry’s role in supporting grassroots music. 05:50 – Dan Tsu (Lyrix Organix) on money vs creativity and mapping pathways for young people. 09:40 – Matt Griffiths (CEO, Youth Music) on meeting young people where they're at. 14:00 – Sister Bliss (Faithless) on giving every young person the opportunity to create.  17:50 - Dan Tsu (Lyrix Organix) on creating spaces for young people 23:50 – Sister Bliss (Faithless) on what we can do next 28:50 – What comes next? A grassroots funding crisis, and what music fans can do to help. 30:50 – JayaHadADream on Youth Music's impact on her life and career. 32:20 – Resources, Rescue the Roots, and Youth Music’s call to action. Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: DiS Podcast: Matt Griffiths in conversation with Sean Adams Youth Music Official Website Youth Music’s Rescue the Roots Campaign Youth Music’s Industry Connect Programme Lyrix Organix Official Website JayaHadADream Official Website Cover photo by Jack Oliver.

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? Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. 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

In this engaging discussion, Alexa Speed, founder of Cut Off The Spigot, investigates the dark side of streaming giants. Musician Kadhja Bonet shares her decision to pull her art from Spotify, highlighting artists' frustrations over payola and corporate influence. Activist Laura Burhenn emphasizes the need for accountability within the industry. Together, they explore ethical alternatives like Bandcamp and Qobuz, envisioning a future where music is valued beyond profit, advocating for community-focused solutions over corporate monopolies.

DiS founder Sean Adams sits down with DiS’s newest staff writer, Emma Wilkes, to mark 25 years of Drowned in Sound and what the future holds for the website, newsletter, and podcast.  They reflect on Emma’s recent interview with Jeremy Corbyn as he champions grassroots venues, and turn the tables by asking each other questions usually reserved for podcast guests. Sean finally reveals how he would spend the $450m Spotify gave Joe Rogan, as this conversation explores the intersection of music, politics, journalism, and the survival of independent culture. Sean and Emma discuss how music can be a gateway into politics (and vice versa), the pressures facing artists, publicists, and journalists in today’s music industry, and what a fairer ecosystem could look like. They also imagine music’s future in 2050 - the hopes, fears, and possibilities of where culture might go next. Chapters: 00:00 – Introducing Emma Wilkes & 25 years of DiS 02:00 – Jeremy Corbyn, grassroots venues & music for the many 07:00 – Why music and politics can’t be separated 14:00 – Music as a gateway into politics 15:00 – Ticketmaster, Live Nation & the fight for fairness 18:00 – What is journalism today? 24:00 – Asking questions, telling stories & accountability in music journalism 29:00 – $450m for Joe Rogan: how should money flow into culture? 33:00 – Building connections between artists and audiences 37:00 – Music media as infrastructure 39:00 – Supporting mental health and addiction in the music industry 45:00 – Stress behind the scenes: labels, PRs & campaign work 46:00 – The albums we love and buried treasures 48:00 – Music in 2050: hopes, fears & future sounds 57:00 – What’s next for DiS at 25 Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Sign up to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights on music, culture, and resistance. Links: Drowned in Sound Newsletter Emma Wilkes on interviewing Jeremy Corbyn (DiS) Music Venue Trust – safeguarding grassroots venues Music Minds Matter – mental health support for musicians

Eliza Hatch is a journalist, photographer, and the founder of the Cheer Up Luv project, dedicated to documenting everyday harassment in the music industry. In this engaging talk, she delves into the shocking stats revealing over half of women in music face discrimination. Eliza discusses the role of grassroots initiatives and how everyday sexism contributes to a hostile environment. They explore the responsibilities of men in combating misogyny and envision a safer, more equitable music scene by 2050, emphasizing the need for accountability and reform.

What creates a national sound? How does Scotland run through the veins of a band like Idlewild, despite their American influences? Roddy Woomble and Rod Jones from Scottish indie stalwarts Idlewild join us to explore their new self-titled album and dig into the complexities of musical identity. Beginning in Scotland's tight-knit music community, then feeling like outsiders in London, the band reveal how geography and culture have shaped their sound and music over three decades. Chapters: 03:00 – Exchange of Ideas: What music as conversation means beyond technical ability 06:00 – Literary Influences: Books, writers, and the Patti Smith revelation 09:00 – Sonic Youth Revolution: How Daydream Nation changed everything about playing guitar 13:00 – Scottish Identity: Self-deprecating culture and the outsider mentality 20:00 – Not Fitting Scenes: Missing Britpop and feeling closer to American bands 26:00 – Community Culture: Regional success and Scottish musical support networks 29:00 – Working with Producers: People skills and studio education 36:00 – New Album Production: Rod as producer capturing "melodic chaos" 40:00 – Visual Identity: Photography, album art, and the 28-year bookend 43:00 – Six Year Gap: COVID, solo projects, and finding renewed energy 47:00 – Rock's Resilience: Why rock refuses to die… Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your thoughts on regional music scenes Share your own experiences of musical identity and belonging Subscribe to DiS newsletter for weekly insights on music and culture Links: Idlewild Official Website New Album: Idlewild (Official Store) Tour Dates

Laura Burhenn, a musician known for her work as The Mynabirds and the Postal Service's live band, passionately discusses the fallout from Spotify's CEO Daniel Ek's $700 million investment in military AI. Her protest efforts, including viral TikTok videos, have encouraged artists like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard to pull their music from the platform. Burhenn explores the ethical implications of streaming, the disconnect between artists and technology, and the urgent need for alternative, artist-friendly music platforms.

How do artists decide what to say when everything from grassroots music to the climate is in crisis? Backstage at Reading Festival, Drowned in Sound’s Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes sat down with Rou Reynolds, the frontman of Enter Shikari, one of the UK's most politically engaged bands. We discuss a range of topics including the St Albans music scene and how they pioneered the grassroots music venue levy - adding £1 to arena tickets to support small venues. With 20 years of activism and seven albums under the band’s belt, Rou’s learned that having a platform means constantly choosing which crisis at a time or polycrisis deserves the spotlight. And we chat a lot about the interconnected issues and the need for system change. Chapters: 03:00 – How the £1 venue levy actually works in practice 05:00 – Why supporting grassroots is community organizing, not charity 07:00 – How St Albans scene prepared Enter Shikari for mainstream success 09:00 – The neoliberal isolation crisis and music's role as antidote 11:00 – Connecting Gaza, climate crisis, and music industry exploitation 12:30 – Climate speech: "430 parts per million" and the season finale 16:00 – The impossible choice: which crisis gets the platform tonight? 22:00 – Reading Festival Gaza speech: "This is not a tragedy, it's a war crime" "To be silent in times of atrocity is to assist in maintaining that atrocity" Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your platform responsibility experiences Join the discussion about choosing battles in poly-crisis times Subscribe to DiS newsletter for weekly insights on building alternatives Links: Enter Shikari Official Music Venue Trust Rou chats from COP in Glasgow on the Sounds Like A Plan podcast  

Is rage the soundtrack of summer 2025? Can joy exist alongside political solidarity when climate change turns fields into dust clouds? Are main stages becoming platforms for resistance? And how do grassroots venues create the community foundations that allow festivals like Reading to exist at all? This DiSpatch captures Reading Festival 2025 as both a celebration and political flashpoint - a weekend where Chappell Roan's euphoric main stage triumph coexisted with Palestine solidarity, climate crisis manifestations, and urgent conversations about the grassroots music ecosystem that supports it all. Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes navigate backstage conversations revealing how artists choose which urgent topics to address when "there's a lot of things happening in the world." From Enter Shikari's pioneering grassroots levy work to Cliffords’ Cork scene community building, the episode maps how small venues create the collaborative culture that eventually reaches festival main stages. These conversations connect individual artist journeys to systemic challenges: venue closures, climate impacts, and the intersection of music with broader political movements. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Festivals as cultural battlegrounds in climate crisis era 05:00 – Chappell Roan: Joy as political resistance on main stage 08:00 – Cliffords on optimism as radical act and Cork scene collaboration 11:00 – Sofia Isella: From classical training to festival mud, building versatile artistry 16:00 – Rage as summer's soundtrack: Artist perspectives on political expression 22:00 – Enter Shikari: Choosing urgent topics and grassroots levy pioneer work 28:00 – Grassroots venues: Community infrastructure beyond music 35:00 – Climate crisis reaches UK festivals: Dust storms and venue sustainability 43:00 – Political solidarity: Palestine flags and artist platform responsibility 47:00 – Reading 2025: Cultural battleground assessment Featured Links: DrownedInSound YouTube Channel - Full artist interviews from Reading Festival DiS Instagram - Behind-the-scenes festival content and artist clips Grassroots Music Venue Crisis - Learn about the £1 levy supporting venues Muse at Reading Festival 1999 - A history of Muse performances at Reading Festival DiS Bookshop - Supporting independent bookstores and music writing Artists Featured: Chappell Roan, Cliffords, Sofia Isella, Enter Shikari, Heartworms, The Linda Lindas, Mannequin P*ssy, Amyl and the Sniffers, Lambrini Girls, and more About DiSpatch: DiSpatch episodes capture music events as cultural moments that reveal broader political and environmental currents. These aren't traditional festival reviews - they're explorations of how live music spaces become essential infrastructure for community building, political discourse, and cultural resistance in the climate crisis era. Continue the Conversation: Email sean@drownedinsound.org with your thoughts on festivals as political spaces Join the discussion in our community forum about venue sustainability Subscribe to DiS newsletter for climate crisis generation journalism 

Cherie Hu, a music and technology journalist and founder of Water & Music, dives into the intersection of tech and music. She explores how current platforms prioritize profit over artistry, emphasizing the need for community building in an oversaturated landscape. Cherie discusses the evolution of digital journalism and collaboration in music, while shedding light on the vital role of trust and patience in creating sustainable online spaces. Plus, she connects the creative realms of music and mathematics, highlighting their shared emotional depth.