New magazine launched for UK’s grassroots music scene

Music industry publication, Drowned in Sound, has joined forces with UK charity, Music Venue Trust, to launch a new print title dedicated to live music.

Edited by writer and author Hannah Ewens, who has worked with publications including Rolling Stone, Vice, and Vogue, SHOWNOTES will aim to give a voice to music fans, support the UK’s grassroots scene, and provide a range of information about upcoming gigs.

Creative director Raissa Pardini, a poster designer for bands including Rolling Stones and Blur, will be in charge of designing the magazine.

The publication will cover both rising acts playing small local venues and performers playing in stadiums and arenas who support the grassroots levy, a £1 contribution added to tickets for UK venues with a capacity over 5,000 to support the country's independent music venues.

50,000 copies of SHOWNOTES will be available for free at over 500 live music venues across the UK from the beginning of November. The 64-page magazine will include gig recommendations, interviews, and essays by a range of music journalists.

SHOWNOTES editor, Hannah Ewens, says: “Our small editorial team – which I’m really proud to say is all-female[…] has done a great job of shaping the first issue in just a few weeks.

“Music journalism can feel static and drained of life, especially after years of rolling staff cuts and publications folding. The concept of a magazine that uses something as visceral and immediate as the live experience as the lens through which to understand and celebrate music is a perfect antidote to that.”

The launch of the publication was made possible by a grant from Music Venue Trust, a charity that aims to protect, secure, and improve UK grassroots music venues.

The launch of the new title comes at a time when both music publications and grassroots music venues are closing at a rapid rate due to compounding costs and rental fees.

The Music Venue Trust reported that 53% of grassroots music venues in the UK failed to make a profit in 2025, with the sector surviving on an average profit margin of just 2.5%.

The independent media sector has faced a parallel crisis, driven by a sharp rise in postage and paper stock costs alongside diminishing advertising revenues. Recent closures include British style and culture magazine THE FACE which ceased operations for a second time in March 2026, as well as Classical Music Magazine which shut down in the same month.

SHOWNOTES publisher, Sean Adams, says: “SHOWNOTES is a magazine for every music lover in a time of media apocalypse, where finding trusted human voices is harder than ever. Whether you’re a trad folkster, operatic metaller, both, or neither, having glimpsed the first issue and knowing the plans going forward, you will find something in the magazine to pique your curiosity.”

Ewens adds: “SHOWNOTES will be something fans can leave with after a gig, relive the excitement through at home, and use to start planning their next show. On a personal note, I’m obsessed with print and being able to commission my weird ideas and some of my favourite writers and photographers is a pleasure I feel blessed to indulge in again.”