Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works – and this week Steve and Stu grapple with Harry Styles, Bonnie Tyler and Bruno Mars...

Don't forget - you can become a Superfan of the podcast for free – and access an extra 20 mins of show each week!

• Stu's big number is $11bn - and that’s ⁠how much Spotify paid out to the music industry in 2025⁠. But will that be enough to get its critics off its back?

• Apple Music ⁠identified up to 2 billion fraudulent streams on its service in 2025 alone⁠. But did it pay any money out for them?

• Music is now ⁠a third of all the time people spend watching YouTube⁠. But is that good news?

• UK venues complained bitterly about proposed changes to business rates tax which would increase ticket prices and force small venues to close: now the government has announced some changes…

• Remember when we talked about Bonnie Tyler’s Spotify royalties in a show last year? ⁠Both Bonnie and Spotify have chipped in with a follow-up to that story⁠…

• Harry Styles’ "world tour" is ⁠only playing in seven cities⁠. Is this a new model for superstar touring?

• Bruno Mars’ latest concert ⁠attracted 12.8 million people⁠! But what's the twist?

• ⁠No one wanted a global chart for AI-generated music⁠ - but here it is anyway!

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our ⁠⁠⁠Patreon Superfans⁠⁠⁠, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• Steve and Stu reflect on last week's excellent interview with Ricky from Southampton Joiners - and the pressures on venues; and the changes in touring routes.

• ... and also the dubious reality for young gig-goers: who's putting gigs on for them – and do they even want gigs?

• Football’s January transfer window has just closed in most of the big countries, which made us think: what if there was an equivalent for bands...

• If you’ve been wondering what Liza Minnelli, Art Garfunkel and the Pope think about AI music… it’s your lucky week!

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As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

TPOM online: http://tpom.uk/

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works – and this week they speak to Ricky Bates, head of booking and promotion at the Joiners in Southampton - one of the UK’s great grassroots venues. But first they chat about:

• Half a million pounds is being distributed in the UK to grassroots venues artists and events - and it’s money gathered from the levy on ticket sales in the UK. Steve and Stu discuss how this money is being spent – and how it will make a difference.

• Last week, Steve spoke to highly successful UK manager Niamh Byrne (Blur, Gorillaz and more)  and you’ll be able to hear that interview in a couple of weeks.

• But one notable thing she spoke about was how managers are working harder than ever, and need to provide more services than before. So what is a manager’s job now?

• Also at the Music Ally Connect conference, a key Universal music exec spoke about how AI can create new songs when one song is “covered” by AI versions of other artists: “I really want to hear what it sounds like for Jimi Hendrix to play Bitches Brew”. But do people really want to hear AI-generated cover versions?

Then the duo speak to Ricky Bates and he discusses the reality of running a local grassroots venue in 2026 – and it’s a solid-gold local venue that has hosted most of today’s biggest bands on their way up. It's where both Coldplay and Manic Street Preachers signed their first deals, and how Green Day "accidentally" played their Kerplunk! album launch show at the Joiners.

The public podcast contains highlights of the interview – however Patreon Superfan listeners can hear the whole interview as this week’s lock-in content! (Become a Patreon Superfan here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠⁠)

Ricky speaks about:

• How he started at the venue  by being thrown in at the deep end – and how he cleared a huge rent debt (with help from some Frank Turner gigs)

• How a “reset button” has been hit in the last few years – and how people’s gig-going habits have changed recently

• What the hidden costs are of running a venue – and why the profit margins are so tight

• The stressful process of buying the venue with the help of the Music Venue Trust

• How artists are starting to book shorter “big city” tours that avoid the regional towns and cities, leaving local fans with fewer options.

• How under-18s fans are often drawn to the huge arena shows at the expense of cheap local shows.

• The future of the venue and what decades of moshing has done to the floor of the dancefloor!

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As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

TPOM online: http://tpom.uk/

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works – and this week, Stu’s Big Number is also the Big Story – and here are some mind-boggling facts to bewilder your friends with: 

• There are now 253 million tracks available on streaming sites

• … and 55.3 million songs were not played even once in 2025

• (And, over 100 million songs have been played less than 100 times)

• Over 50 million songs - 20% of all the music available on streaming – were uploaded in 2025

• 106,000 songs were uploaded each day - that’s 7,000 hours of music or 10,000 albums per day

Naturally, this gave Steve and Stu a lot to talk about, including:

• On many platforms, artists don’t get paid until their song gets over 1000 streams – is this fair?

• Nearly half of those daily song uploads might, data suggests, be AI-generated – and this means more noise for real artists to fight through to be heard.

• How much does it cost a company like Spotify to host all this music? (And what about the carbon footprint?)

• Should the platforms pay money out when AI-generated songs are played?

• If there were 50m+ new tracks last year, doesn’t that mean there will be even more this year - and who wants this AI slop?

Also this week: the UK’s Music Venue Trust released it’s annual report which revealed, amongst the data, that the profit margins for its member venues are razor thin – under 3%.

The state of play for grassroots venues is still precarious – Steve digs deep into the data. Plus – music platform Bandcamp has banned all AI-generated music from its platform.

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our ⁠⁠Patreon Superfans⁠⁠, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• A question for you, dear listener: have you ever missed the last bus or train home after a gig? Did you end up sleeping in a bus shelter? Let us know! [email protected]

• (Steve remembers spending a lot of time trying to nap at Liverpool Street station having missed the last train home… and which superstar band was “so bad” that Stu got accidentally drunk and fell asleep on the train on the way home?)

• Steve’s Shameless Plug – after months of praise, he finally got Little Grandad into the famous BBC Maida Vale studios for a live session [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ps7b]

• Which big towns and cities are starting to be left off touring schedules in the UK? (people in Coventry, Stoke and Milton Keynes may wish to avert your ears)

• And what happens to artists and music fans if quality emerging artists are not able to go and perform in cities (very slightly) off the beaten track?

• Some of the biggest songs on YouTube are… nursery rhymes. One Wheels on the Bus video got over 2 BILLION streams in 2025, and Bah Bah Black Sheep is the 15th biggest video of ALL TIME.

• And finally… a company called Alan’s Factory Outlet has a  fascinating/hyperbolic piece of indie band data.

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

TPOM online: http://tpom.uk/

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works – and this week, it’s a Billionaire Special!

• Stu’s big figure has three commas: Beyonce is now worth a billion dollars – the fifth musician to do so, according to Forbes. (Experience being ultra-wealthy by listening to TPOM's extra content for FREE here: https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join)

• Elon Musk versus the music industry: the world’s richest man doesn’t like paying for music

• The head honcho of Universal Music has thoughts on how AI slop shouldn’t be paid in the same way as human artists

• The state of the UK industry – people are streaming more and spending more on music than ever

• Classic label Sun records have been selling records at 1952 prices – so what could you have bought?

• There’s a listener question from Martin Bull, who asks about making a short run of vinyl records: Steve explains how to do it, how pricing can vary a lot – and how to make money doing it.

• (Also check out this earlier episode on physical album sales https://open.spotify.com/episode/40JrxtmsGfZwzPki0HFGzC?si=GQgiojyrTU2Io7XADcHTUA)

•  Spotify has a new feature that lets you see what friends are playing - but why?

• And finally, a rare feel-good internet story: there’s now a “London Metal Ladies” WhatsApp group.

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our ⁠⁠Patreon Superfans⁠⁠, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• Rapper La Russel sells $57,000 of records to Superfans in one day, selling albums on a pay-what-you-want basis.

• Steve has a neat idea: what if Bandcamp was a touring festival?

• The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess had Merch Market last week - and how has he become such an interesting and multi-faceted influence in UK music?

• And speaking of artist merchandise: Elton John has released his own zero-alcohol, vegan-friendly sparkling wine (and how does a product like this come about in the first place?)

• Plus, Stu reveals that he’s a Norwich City fan.

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

TPOM online: http://tpom.uk/

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. And it’s a bumper episode as Steve and Stu take a look ahead into 2026: what will the big stories be in the coming year? Here are their predictions:

• It’s a year of change for the UK record industry, and where the UK stands in terms of influence in a global context – including acts like Sleep Token who have broken through in the USA.

  And there’s been a lot of layoffs at UK major labels – why might that be good for indie artists? 

• (BTW - get a free trial of our extra content, The Lock In, right here! ⁠https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join⁠)

• AI inevitably will be playing a major role (again) – but what are the potentially erosive impacts now that it’s an established technology, what difficult decisions might the streaming platforms need to make, and how might it be used by indie music-makers?

• Live music will reach a pivotal point this year: the mega stadium shows will continue – but will people keep paying mega ticket prices? And what about the smaller venues who are under more pressure than ever?

• And will Oasis play Knebworth in 2026 – or 2027? The rumour mill is aggregated by Steve.

• Those reunion tours will keep coming – but can the bands keep doing it; and what happens when they find they can’t sell any more tickets?

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our ⁠Patreon Superfans⁠, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• Are bigger gigs becoming like Premier League Football - where tickets (and everything else at the show) are expensive, gigs are once-yearly events, and people with less cash are being priced out?

• And what do people want from smaller, cheaper gigs these days anyway? Steve has been jostling shoulders with The Kids to find out.

• In TPOM fandom news: Steve has already seen Little Grandad in 2026! Stu squeezes in the first Black Crowes mention of the year!

• Stu tries to create an AI version of a Dry Cleaning song – how did he do it and what did it sound like? And what if a human band took his song, developed it, and performed it live?

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

Here it is! The long awaited, much feared Great Price of Music Christmas Quiz 2025 – which sees Steve pitted against Stu in a battle for the ages, as both vie to be crowned QUIZ CHAMP 2025.

Our daring duo face questions about the show, band names, and each other – as well as especially tricky questions submitted by our Patreon Superfans, plus one question from a Very Special Indie Guest Star. Spoiler alert: it was a fiendishly tricky quiz, and a very close-run race.

Look, the best thing to do is to hit play and just listen (Superfans get an extra 30 mins in the Lock-In, where Steve and Stu answer their questions about favourite gigs, best new bands, frozen toilets and much more.)

We will be back after Christmas in the first full week of January. But until then, grab a glass of sherry and a mince pie and enjoy the sound of your two favourite music biz commentators squirming in the face of of some tricky trivia.

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Steve and Stuart

======

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, Steve and Stu get stuck into a late-year flurry of big news:

• "This could be the death knell for small venues" – enormous increases in business rates are coming for UK venues – Steve has a lot to say about how a seemingly-innocuous business rates policy point in the recent UK budget may prove to have a devastating effect;

• UK band Los Campesinos! have laid bare their streaming royalties – by publishing some numbers for their 2024 album ‘All Hell’ – and it's fascinating (and sobering) info;

• The UK government has launched an urgent major inquiry into how the country's live industry works – but why, and what are they trying to find out?

• How safe is the music industry to work in for young people?

• Stu's big number is 200 million – and there's a good chance you're one of them;

• More evidence that the music biz might not be ready to truly deal with AI-music;

• Christmas is coming, so for the heritage-rock-music fan in your life, what stocking-fillers are Mick Jagger and The Kinks selling?

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• In Spotify Wrapped, Stuart’s ‘listening age’ was a sprightly 20... so why is that?

• And what is Steve's 'listening age'?

• Which of Steve and Stu are most anxious about next week's TPOM Christmas Quiz?

• A veteran DJ thinks that phones are ruining dancefloors. His solution... is hardly less dystopian.

• In Stu's quest to make up for insulting the whole of Australia (see last week's show...) he has news of something positive Olivia Dean is doing down under.

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, Steve and Stu pull on their Santa hats and get stuck in to:

• Spotify Wrapped 2025 has just launched (and has now taken over your social feeds) But why is it such a big deal this year?

• Steve answers a great listener question: "why don’t more bands and venues do afternoon gigs for people who can't stay out late?"

• Olivia Dean is the breakout British star this year... and is now taking on Ticketmaster – but why?

• Is it or isn't it Jorja Smith? (It isn't). She's at the centre of a row about AI technology and vocal soundalikes.

• Stu's big number this week is £134 million – and indie labels have spent it... but on what?

• Part 654 of the "Universal wants to buy indie firm Downtown Music" story

• Last week we predicted that AI music firm Suno might finally sign licensing deals... and two hours after we recorded, they did! So who’s the partner?

• Why have Oasis reopened their pop-up merch stores in London and Dublin? (VFX: Sleigh bells jingling)

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• When bands implode spectacularly: Steve and Stu revel in the story of Portland death metal band Vitriol, who abandoned their frontman at a remote gas station, mid tour

• Is Spotify Wrapped a good thing?

• Stu accidentally insults all of Australia

• Steve and Stu chat more about matinee gigs and weigh up the pros and cons (and their boozing opportunities)

• Stu has a news based joke about Johnny Cash, his song ‘A Boy Named Sue’, and the Coca-Cola corporation

• Would you like an art print of Amy Winehouse in the bath? (It’s not as creepy as that sounds…)

🎄🎄 DON'T FORGET TO SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS FOR OUR XMAS QUIZ! (SUPERFANS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/price-of-music-n-144529777 AND FANS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/price-of-music-n-144542513) 🎄🎄

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Get more TPOM in the post-show "lock-in" – try it for FREE!: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/thepriceofmusic/membership⁠

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Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, Steve and Stu unwrap the week's music biz goings-on:

• An exploding toilet caused a gig cancellation – but what now for the band, fans and the venue?

• Stu’s Big Number is $2.45bn - it’s big, but why might it feel scary to artists and labels?

• Spotify might also put their prices by a dollar in the US - who will welcome this (and who won’t?)

• Three AI music-making companies have struck deals with major labels - but who and why?

• The UK ticket levy to help smaller grassroots venues is taking off – so what's next? Stu's been chatting to an MP to find out.

• TPOM’s continued role as your Primary Baby Shark News Resource continues as Stu explains how many millions of dollars it made last year (it was a lot).

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• Steve once flew several thousand miles to watch a band, only for them to quit after a mere three songs. But which now-massive band was it?

• Who are Steve and Stu's artists of the year? (Including Wet Leg and Self Esteem)

  What was the annual Reader's Poll like behind the scenes at the NME for Steve?

• More unusual gig cancellation stories - including pigeons pooping on Kings of Leon, Neil Young’s sandwiches, and more

• What’s the city of Manchester doing to support local venues and promoters?

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

One more round? The post-show "lock-in" is just for our ⁠⁠Patreon Superfans⁠⁠ - try it for FREE!: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/thepriceofmusic/membership

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Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, Steve and Stu pour a couple of foaming pints of:

• Stu’s Big Number is 10 million – but how does it relate to the premature jingling of Christmas bells?

• The UK government has announced that tickets will soon only be able to be resold at face value – but will the law work in reality?

• Why don't some venues share set times for concerts? (And if you knew when the artists were onstage would you arrive earlier or later?)

• Paul McCartney's released a completely silent song - but why?

• Why has a UK radio DJ spent 24 hours playing songs that peaked at number two in the charts? (‘Number two' is a clue.)

• Metal legends Megadeth have released their own beer

• Spotify is shaking up its subscription tiers as a test in five countries. What does it say about its future plans elsewhere in the world?

• Veteran British band Squeeze are releasing a brand new album... of songs written when they were teenagers.

• Why is streaming service Tidal adding an ‘upload’ feature for DIY artists?

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• Steve weighs in on venues and artists announcing venue stage times - who is it good for, and how might doing this harm venues? 

  • (Read the piece this relates to here: https://markdavyd.substack.com/p/the-room-where-it-happens)

• Stu’s Megadeth beer taste test (spoiler: it’s very hoppy)

• • Steve recalls a time when he and Suggs were forced to drink Madness’ own beer
  • Mariah Carey is starting to dominate the charts again… so when is it appropriate to start playing Christmas music?

• 
  

  As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

  Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

  See you next week!

  Steve and Stuart

  ======

  Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

  ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

  Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

  Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

  Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

  For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]

Have you heard the now-legendary post-show "lock-in" section, just for our ⁠Patreon Superfans⁠? Try it for FREE!: https://www.patreon.com/c/thepriceofmusic/membership

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Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, our dynamic duo Steve and Stu grapple with the following:

• Stu’s Big Number is 713 million – and you are quite possibly one of them. But what is it?

• Can YOU tell the difference between human-made music and AI-generated music? A study suggests: almost certainly not.

• The 1975 have deleted a song from their last album on streaming services... because frontman Matty Healy didn’t like it any more. (And are artists, as Steve says, often bad judges of whether their songs are actually any good?)

• Music contributed a record £8 billion to the UK economy last year... but why is there still a reason to be concerned?

• Last week Steve said he couldn’t understand why Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ is still popular … well, it turns out someone literally wrote the book that answers the question.

• A quick update on the music biz deals with AI companies and what they mean for musicians;

• Music Venue Properties, which saves UK grassroots venues from closing, has bought two more venues;

• A vinyl record made using… coal dust?

• Thundercat’s remix of Diana Ross’ ‘Upside Down’ can be listened to via – oh yes – a ‘bone-conduction lollipop’.

And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stuart prop themselves at the bar to chat about:

• 97% of people can't tell AI music from human music. Stu is going to put Steve to the test by playing an AI song about… rock bands in Camden.

• The Grammy Awards nominations have been announced - including one for… Milli Vanilli?

• More on the ‘live show value for money’ debate… featuring Radiohead!

• All-seater shows in small venues – Steve’s got a puzzler for Stu about Southampton Joiners...

As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

======

Support The Price of Music on Patreon:

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠

Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq

Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge

Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod

For sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠[email protected]