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

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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.