What does it feel like to attend Glastonbury for the first time?

Music journalist Emma Wilkes brings us along for her debut pilgrimage to the UK's landmark musical gathering. She spins us a sonic diary with interviews from Terminal 1 and Laima Layton, along with reactions to some of the politically charged moments of the festival (shouts to Amyl and the Sniffers).

Along the way, there are vox pops with strangers, overlooked corners, and moments that slipped under the mainstream radar…

00:00 Introduction

01:51 Pre-festival preparation with Emma Wilkes

03:26 Attendees' expectations of Glastonbury 2025

04:22 First impressions and Thursday observations

06:19 Terminal 1 and an interview with Laima Layton

18:32 The sounds of Worthy Farm

19:12 How does the real-life festival compare to the coverage seen previously?

21:45 The political moments of Glastonbury 2025

30:42 The journey home, the Tuesday after, and a summary from a slightly raspy Emma

34:11 Expectations vs. reality with the people of the festival

Mentioned in the episode:

Laima Layton

In Place Of War

GRRRL

Terminal 1

Amyl and the Sniffers

JADE

Seun Kuti

Maruja

Lambrini Girls

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How do you build genuine community when algorithms reward viral moments over real connection? What if sustainable music careers start with just five super fans rather than chasing millions of followers?

Drowned in Sound founder & artist manager Sean Adams speaks with Nikki Camilleri - music strategist, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and founder of mana - about the ground-level realities of building a music career in 2025.

From growing up in Malta and navigating geographic disadvantage to working with breakthrough artists like Cat Burns, Nikki breaks down what actually works in today's oversaturated landscape.

This conversation digs deep into authentic community-building versus audience accumulation, the "five super fans" principle that challenges conventional wisdom, and why most artist advice around social media is fundamentally broken.

Plus: Nikki's vision for fixing music industry infrastructure by 2050, including transparency tools and direct fan connection platforms that don't rely on algorithmic gatekeepers.

"You need five super fans to start getting going - that's equal to about 250 passive fans. When you start looking at it that way, it doesn't seem as daunting."

— Nikki Camilleri on why quality beats quantity in fan building

Episode Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction: Music Reality Check for 2025
• 02:03 Envisioning Music in 2050: Transparency and Infrastructure
• 04:34 The Malta Factor: Geographic Disadvantage in Digital Times
• 08:26 The Resilience Crisis: From "Ready to Fight" to Viral Expectations
• 16:28 Five Super Fans vs Viral Algorithms: Quality Over Quantity
• 20:14 Real Community vs Audience: Building Genuine Connection
• 32:15 Artist Purpose and Identity: The "Horror Electronica" Story
• 39:21 Fixing the Industry: Where Would You Spend Spotify's Money?
• 44:48 Key Takeaways: What Actually Works

Mentioned in the episode:

Nikki Camilleri

ROSTR

Royal Society of Arts

Volt.fm

Kat Abu

The Anchoress

Kevin Kelly on 1000 True Fans

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What does it mean to “metabolize” emotion through music? Do wellness tools actually work better when paired with your favourite artist? Why does the music industry treat artists like products and not caregivers?

Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams is joined by Ariana Alexander-Sefre, co-founder of the mental health app SPOKE⁠, to talk about the future of therapy and how music can play a pivotal role in that. The conversation explores the science behind sound, the emotional toll on musicians, and why music should be taken seriously as a public health tool.

Spoke has worked with over 100 artists, training them in techniques like CBT and mindfulness to embed into lyrics and melodies - and the results are changing lives.

Episode chapters:

0:00 - 2:45 - Introduction

2:46 - 4:55 What would Ariana hope music to be like in 2050?

4:56 - 7:46 Using music to “metabolize” emotions

7:47 - 11:50 Who are SPOKE and who is Ariana Alexandre-Sefre

11:51 - 13:42 The relationship between music and mental health

13:43 - 20:28 Inside the SPOKE app - embedding music with culture with therapy

20:29 - 31:18 Why the music industry needs a fresh perspective on artist value

31:19 - 37:08 The science behind functional music and mindfulness

38:09 - 40:04 The real-world impact of therapy delivered through music

40:05 - 48:08 Can artists become a recognised part of healthcare?

48:09 - 54:13 - Closing thoughts from Sean

Mentioned in the episode:

Music Minds Matter

Can Music Make You Sick? (Sally Anne Gross)

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist (Liz Pelly)

Endel

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