Drowned in Sound

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

It’s that time again: lists, arguments, consensus (or lack of it). So.. how do we choose an ultimate “Album of the Year’? In this episode, Emma Wilkes joins Sean Adams to talk through their favourite albums of 2025. No this is not the definitive list, not the ‘right’ list, just the stuff that has stuck, been obsessed over, demanded repeat listens, or just briefly rearranged their internal wiring. They also talk openly about the collapse of monoculture, the impossibility of ‘keeping up’, and why criticism still matters amongst the fractured scenes, algorithmic bubbles, and overwhelming volume of new music to choose from. This is not so much a ranked list and more as two very online music obsessives trying to map a year that refuses to be summarised. 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 – Hayley Williams and the case for a bold AOTY 01:00 – Emma’s pick: The Callous Daoboys and joyful heaviness 04:00 – Grassroots venues, noise scenes, and Atlanta’s rise 06:30 – Introducing Emma Wilkes: rock, metal & Kerrang! 09:00 – Why heavy music needs catharsis, humour, and chaos 12:00 – Hardcore’s new era and the crossover wave 14:00 – The collapse of monoculture in 2025 16:00 – Discovery fatigue and the algorithm problem 18:30 – Model/Actriz, grief albums, and theatrical noise 22:00 – Heartworms and the art of gothic storytelling 24:00 – Ska, cowbells, and unexpected nostalgia 27:00 – Honourable mentions: Lambrini Girls, Wolf Alice, Nova Twins 30:00 – Hayley Williams’ political arc and southern identity 32:00 – Easter eggs, vocal shifts, and how fans decode albums 34:00 – Allyship, perspective, and storytelling in pop 35:00 – Production notes: Efterklang, Daniel James & sonic detail 37:00 – Why music criticism still matters 39:00 – Emma’s Top 10: heavy, emotional, ambitious 42:00 – Sean’s curveballs: Postcards, DARKSIDE & more 45:00 – So… who really made Album of the Year? Albums mentioned: Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party The Callous Daoboys - I Don't Want to See You in Heaven Backxwash - Only Dust Remains Kathryn Joseph - We Were Made Prey FKA twigs - Eusexua Afterglow Ethel Cain - Perverts Model/Actriz - Pirouette Alan Sparhawk - With Trampled by Turtles Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment Die Spitz ‧ Something to Consume Little Simz - Lotus Lily Allen - West End Girl The Mynabirds - It's Okay To Go Back If You Keep Moving Forward Wolf Alice - The Clearing Turnstile - Never Enough Addison Rae - Addison Sharon Van Etten - Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Marissa Nadler - New Radiations Nova Twins - Parasites & Butterflies Anna von Hausswolff - Iconoclasts Sudan Archives - The BPM Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On JADE - THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! Dave - The Boy Who Played the Harp Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be the Light Scowl - Are We All Angels Postcards - Ripe DARKSIDE - Nothing Jools - Violent Delights Witch Fever - Fevereaten Deafheaven - Lonely People with Power Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out Sprints - All That Is Over Pinkshift - Earthkeeper Creeper - Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death Melody’s Echo Chamber - Unclouded  HEALTH - CONFLICT DLC 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.

82% of music fans want to stop climate breakdown but only 3% know what to do. Climate activist Tori Tsui reveals how Billie Eilish, Brian Eno, and Massive Attack are building the infrastructure to turn that care into action. Recorded backstage at EarthSonic Live in Manchester, this conversation bridges the gap between wanting to help the planet and knowing how. Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams meets Tori Tsui, the climate justice activist, author of "It's Not Just You," and senior advisor to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Tori works with Brian Eno's EarthPercent and Billie Eilish's Overheated climate conferences. IN THIS EPISODE: • How Tori got Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to sign the Fossil Fuel Treaty before introducing Massive Attack • What streaming platforms are hiding about their energy use • Why 94% of some carbon credits are phantom scams with no climate benefit • How green touring saves artists money • The Chris Martin/Coldplay connection • What music fans can actually do (beyond guilt) Organizations mentioned include: • Fossil Fuel Treaty: https://fossilfueltreaty.org  • EarthPercent (Brian Eno): https://earthpercent.org  • Billie's Overheated: https://www.imoverheated.com  • Green touring: https://www.soliphilia.co.uk/ Read Tori's book "It's Not Just You" https://www.toritsui.com/  Follow Tori: Instagram @tori_tsui_ ABOUT DROWNED IN SOUND: Independent music journalism exploring how music catalyzes systemic change. Newsletter: https://drownedinsound.org  Recorded at EarthSonic Live, Manchester Museum, November 2024. #ClimateChange #MusicIndustry #BillieEilish #BrianEno #MassiveAttack #ClimateActivism #Podcast

The UK Government have announced a landmark decision: ticket resale above face value is to be made illegal, backed by strict limits on service fees and new enforcement powers. After decades of music fans being fleeced by industrial-scale touting, could this be the turning point? In this special episode, the FanFair Alliance’s Adam Webb (a central figure in the long-running campaign against exploitative secondary ticketing) joins Sean Adams to unpack the announcement, its implications, and what it means for fans, artists, venues, and the future of the live industry. Webb lays out how the crisis unfolded, with resale platforms enabling huge mark-ups that now cost fans an estimated £112 million a year. They trace the steady pressure that’s been building for years: Trading Standards investigations, CMA interventions, tabloid exposés, Ed Sheeran’s court cases, and sustained evidence-gathering by managers, artists, unions, and campaigners. Together, Adam and Sean explore the possibilities opened up by this week’s announcement and ask the simple question: what happens when fairness is restored? And will these reforms be delivered quickly enough to stop another cycle of exploitation? Chapters: 00:00 – The scale of the problem: how industrialised touting took hold 05:10 – Viagogo, StubHub, and the ecosystem that lets abuse thrive 10:45 – The £112 million question: super-touts, bots, and business models 16:20 – Ed Sheeran, prosecutions, and the moment artists pushed back 22:40 – Why enforcement has failed — and what must change 29:15 – Politics, lobbying, and the slow road to reform 36:00 – Fans, consent, and the ethics of the live economy 41:30 – What a fair ticketing future could 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 Fan-Led Review of Music: Parliamentary Inquiry into Ticketing Reform https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9161/fanled-review-of-music/ Music Fans Voice: Campaigning for Fair Ticketing and Fan Rights https://musicfansvoice.uk/ Which? – Stop Fleecing Fans: Ending Rip-Off Ticket Resale https://www.which.co.uk/campaigns/stop-fleecing-fans Robert Smith: 7,000 Cure Tickets Cancelled on Secondary Sites https://accessaa.co.uk/robert-smith-says-7000-the-cure-tickets-have-been-cancelled-on-secondary-resale-websites/ FanFair Alliance: Guide to Buying Tickets Safely https://fanfairalliance.org/resources/ CMA Investigation: Enforcement Action on Secondary Ticketing https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/secondary-ticketing STAR: The UK’s Ticketing Standards and Consumer Protection Body https://www.star.org.uk/ Ed Sheeran’s Legal Battle Against Ticket Touts (BBC) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47620979 Your Consumer Protection Rights (Gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights Adam Webb – Updates and Advocacy on Ticketing Reform https://twitter.com/webboideas