In part two of this Q&A experiment, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams delves into various topics, including the process of discovering new music, the complexities of the music industry, and nostalgic reflections on MySpace and defunct London music venues.

He also touches on the importance of human connection in music curation, potential improvements for music streaming platforms, and the socio-political challenges affecting the UK's music industry post-Brexit. Additionally, Sean reflects on memorable interviews.

Thank you to everyone for your questions, please submit any for the next edition to sean@drownedinsound.org and be sure to subscribe to the newsletter at drownedinsound.org

To mark Drowned in Sound's 24th anniversary and before we begin a new season of the podcast, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams answers your questions.

Here are some links related to topics covered in the Q&A in case you'd like more context.

• Listen to: Choose a Bright Morning by Jeniferever on Bandcamp
• Read: Wendy Roby's brilliant review of Plastic Beach by Gorillaz
• Listen to: Mystery Jets featuring Laura Marling
• Read: Mike Diver's 2005 interview with Saul Williams
• Read: DiScover Santigold

Questions for this episode submitted by our social media followers and over on the Drowned in Sound forums:

Sweetsonix on Twitter: A nice easy one. How do we return respect to, and appreciation of, the arts?

Anthony Gibbons who wrote for DiS in the early days: I've had my fair share of interviewing gaffes in my time, so what is the most cringeworthy question you've asked an interviewee and what was their response?

Body in the Thames: If you had to do it all over again, what one thing would you change?

My Yada on DiS forums: What was the first review on the site?

Drastic Measures: Were you aware that Drowned rhymed with Sound when you came up with the name, or was it just a happy coincidence?

Icarus Smicarus: If you could be a DiS album review, which DiS album review would you be?

Jamie Cameron: What happened to Jeniferever?

Rose Wiles: Favourite gig at Verdis?!

Karl Hamilton: Why weren't Microdisney massive?

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Elijah is a profound thinker and this conversations draws on his influential grime nights with Stormzy & Skepta, writing about music, DJing and to his Yellow Square instagram posts, which are a form of community-building journalism that act as prods and prompts that agitate thoughts into focus.

DiS021 | S2: The Future of the Music Press EP13

From his experience as a pirate radio DJ to running Butterz label & clubnights to being a musician and artist manager, Elijah considers yellow squares to be a former of journalism and the conversation explores the ecosystem that feeds into it and swirls around it.

In this conversation with Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams, we discuss mediums and spaces, online platforms and club cultures. The conversation sways from curation as a form of journalism, the YouTube mindset, Twitter, 10 minute or 10 hour radio shows.

We also try to deconstruct the gatekeeper and the creative challenges facing people working in music, journalism and anything that involves publishing online. We also discuss the joy of Tumblr, yow electronic music in the UK clusters around its pirate radio, BBC media structures, and why not all clubs closing is a bad thing.

Quotes out of context:

“What’s the musical equivalent of a community note?”

“Some people say ‘I don’t make any money’. Well, what do you sell?”

“Imagine if a review is all the possibilities that the album lays down”

“It's one bit of work. With all these different mediums, but it’s just the language hasn't adjusted to, to serve that yet, you know what I'm saying?”

“…there's a hundred thousand, ten thousand histories happening at once. And that's like something that music journalism, the box, cannot fully capture.”

“People just think, ‘oh, that's their job to write about music.’ And it's like, no, their job is to sell advertising space wrapped around the coverage of music. That's what magazines have been historically. Right?”

Links

• Eli1ah on Instagram
• Various links: https://linktr.ee/Eli1ah
• YouTube recommendation: Super Eyepatch Wolf
• YouTube recommendation: Nathan Zed

• Make The Ting album
• Eli1ah's Resident Advisor Takeover
• Further reading: "Close The App, Make The Ting": Elijah's Yellow Squares are making a difference by cutting through the noise (DMY)
• Podcast referenced with Bandcamp founder

Please note, this conversation took place in November 2023.

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