What does a music "magazine" need to be in 2023? Sean Adams, of Drowned in Sound, on building a modern music publication

Music Ally Focus Ep. 93: What does a music publication need to be in 2023? We talk a lot on the podcast about marketing from the artist-side: getting projects to launch and connecting to as many people as possible. But what about the point after that - when music fans debate and discuss music – and explore and discover music they don’t know that they don’t know? Sean Adams, of Drowned in Sound, explains how he’s going to build a modern music publication. Drowned in Sound was one of the UK’s earliest music blogs back in 2000, and it then became one of the UK’s leading music publications, growing into a successful record label, an early podcast, and also live shows on the way. Having “paused” Drowned in Sound for a few years, Adams is bringing the publication back - but in a format that connects with the needs of music fans in a 2023 environment. So what is the mix of content, platforms, and community that music fans need now if they want a jumping-off point that is more contextual and community-driven than a playlist? Sean explains his plans. Drowned in Sound’s new podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6hdFH47LWFXxL1Jdp9QqYK?si=20a4bf26d94946aa Announcing DiS’s relaunch: https://twitter.com/seaninsound/status/1614909932184141824 Sean’s music pick: Warszawa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7kg5hq1eCc Most shrimps eaten in one minute ------ 👋 The Knowledge, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo 🎉 You may be eligible for a FREE Music Ally subscription, worth £399/year, via our corporate and sponsored subscriptions. If you work for a DSP, a major label, an indie label, or if you’re an artist manager, an employee of a CMO or a publisher, check here to see if you’re eligible: musically.com/subscription-options Ⓜ️ Subscribe to Music Ally's industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: musically.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz Twitter: https://twitter.com/musically Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicallyfb