25 Years of DiS (Podcast Version)
Twenty-five years ago this week, Drowned in Sound published its first review, so on this week's podcast, our staff writer Emma Wilkes and I sat down to reflect on what those 25 years taught us, and my big plans about where we go from here.
In this week's episode of the Drowned in Sound podcast, we talked about:
* Why music journalism needs to recognised as a key part of grassroots music infrastructure
* What we learned from interviewing Jeremy Corbyn about class and music access
* How the phrase "politics is downstream from culture" shapes our new direction
* Why the next 25 years won't (and can't) look like the last 25
Plus: what would we do with Spotify's $450 million they paid to Joe Rogan? (Spoiler: not give it to one podcaster)
**👉****Watch on YouTube****|****Listen on Apple Podcasts**
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### Coming soon: Spotify Exodus Part 2
After our first episode asking "why are artists leaving Spotify?", we're exploring what they're moving _to_. Conversations with:
* **Cut off the Spigot** : Recommending ethical alternatives
* **Kadhja Bonet** : Get the artist's perspective on Spotify
* **Laura aka The Mynabirds** : Disarm Spotify campaign update
### Why subscribe to our Podcast?
For 25 years, I've been running an independent label, managing artists and trying to figure out how independent music media survives. Turns out: not by chasing algorithms or selling ads, which is why we went on pause from 2019-2023, unable to hobble on financially, despite having 3 million readers.
If you've been reading this newsletter but haven't watched or listened to the podcast yet, this anniversary episode is a good place to start. It's us being honest about why we're still doing this.
**New episodes are released every week.** With conversations with musicians some weeks (recently Idlewild, Enter Shikari, Stealing Sheep, Heartworms, Sofia Isella and more), but most of the time we're analysing challenges and meeting people who have some inspiring solutions - the recent episode with Eliza Hatch who runs the Cheer Up Luv campaign on addressing harassment and misogyny is well worth a listen - especially if you're a man who is unsure how the patriarchy impacts you.
Speak to you soon,
Sean
**P.S.** Coming soon: Festival DiSpatches from Youth Music Awards and Bulgaria's SoAlive Conference. Plus in November, we'll have a series of interviews about how music can help the climate justice movement.
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