What 1% of DiSsers are doing - and how you can join them

Hello DiSser,

Apparently the day after "Cyber" Monday is now known as Giving Tuesday, so I’m joining your hopefully not too overcrowded inbox with a small (but important) ask.

Right now, only 1% of readers support this newsletter and I'm super grateful to all of you paying it forward to make this mostly free to access and totally independent publication possible.

As well as special additional editorial, our supporters have funded several guest essays this year (head to drownedinsound.org to read the archive), as well as contributed towards running costs, and paid for a bag or two of ground coffee whilst I was spending my weekends writing investigative essays like these recent ones on the state of live music and how the Lily Allen feet pics discourse explains the streaming economy and how record deals (don't) work.

These two pieces seem to have resonated more than anything I've ever written before, and underscore the campaigning for change approach that will ramp up even more in 2025.

Confession Time

I was chatting to a friend who was a bit stunned how much time I spent on researching, fact-checking and editing down these pieces to ensure they were digestible and informative. I then admitted that I only make a few quid a week from doing this newsletter. Then, rather sheepishly, I confessed how little effort I've made to ask people to support my work.

Can you guess what they said next...?

Who Funds DiS Nowadays?

Don't be fooled, the current supporters of this newsletter are not billionaire oligarchs - they’re music fans like you and I, chipping in as little as £1/month.

This newsletter isn’t backed by ads, because I didn't want to spend my life chasing brands trying to avoid adding more clickbait to the content farm.

Since relaunching as a newsletter in February, I'm doing what DiS has always been: something for the music fans, by a massive music nerd.

We’ve never made a profit in over 20 years of running Drowned in Sound, but giving some of the costs involved, it’d be great to not end the year at a loss so I'm hoping you can chip in.

For context, DiS is now a one man show, and I'm thrilled that almost a quarter of a century since registering the domain, that it's still going strong.

Your support will make it possible for me to dedicate time to:

• Endless quests in search of music to recommend (currently obsessed with this)
• Develop initiatives to support challenges in grassroots music.
• Compile "epic" playlists
• Make things like these helpful & surprisingly viral Bluesky starter packs for music
• Collect my thoughts, and your insights, by sparking conversations across the internet about important stuff (ok, maybe this one wasn't that important but it asked a big question about how inclusive record shops are and reached over 600k people?!)
• Trying out new tools (artisanal noise app, anyone?) and speaking to start ups with music platforms to analyse if it's worth recommending them to labels, artists, and you

What's Next?

In the months to come, your support will be funding pieces on music in Lebanon, 2024 favourites lists, The Class of 2025 new music poll, and a year-long look into the utopian/dystopian future of music, spanning from climate justice to VR recording studios (more on that soon!)

I know emails like this, asking for support, feels awkward - it feels even stranger writing it. But if you’ve ever enjoyed reading DiS, now is the time to join the 1% and help keep this going.

Thank you. Whether it's a fiver or a high five, it means the world and keeps this independent project thriving.

Cheers,
Sean

p.s. to clarify if anyone is curious, there aren't a lot of running costs for this newsletter but when you have thousands of subscribers the price of Ghost does add up. You can look at the prices and sign up for an account here.