Episodi

  • From 500 Podcasts to Radio 1: DiS meets 101 Part Time Jobs (Part 2)
    Jan 20 2026
    Picking up where Part 1 left off, DiS returns to its conversation with Giles Bidder. Not to talk about how musicians survive, but about how stories travel, how listeners connect and what it really takes to build a music podcast in 2026. In this second instalment, Sean Adams turns the lens on the medium itself (yes, we’ve gone meta). Drawing on nearly 600 episodes of 101 Part Time Jobs, Giles reflects on the craft of interviewing, the ethics of editing, and why the best conversations often need space to breathe. This is less about hustle and more about care: how to hold people well, how to listen properly, and how to build trust over time. The conversation ranges from standout episodes and “slow-burn” storytelling to what it feels like to make work that actually helps people navigate their lives. Giles speaks openly about bad bosses, fear-based workplaces, and the quiet anger that fuels his show (as well as the small, human moments that make it worthwhile). A love for radio runs through this episode: Giles describes producing Shaun Keaveny’s Community Garden Radio as a lesson in warmth, humour, and emotional intelligence on air. From there, the pair broaden out into why podcasts have become such a powerful space for connection, especially for people stuck in boring jobs, long commutes, or lonely routines. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - Standout episodes and “slow-burn” editing 03:20 - When to cut vs when to let a story breathe 05:10 - What makes a “good” episode in hindsight 07:00 - Work gaffs, embarrassment, and shared vulnerability 12:00 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces 14:00 - Why people are quietly quitting 18:00 - Why podcasts work on boring journeys 21:00 - Community Garden Radio and the art of warmth 22:30 - What great broadcasting feels like 24:00 - Power, responsibility, and attention 25:30 - Why trust matters more than reach 27:00 - Outro Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today. In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive. Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs. What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour. Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host 04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you 07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability 08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists 11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs 13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke 16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies 18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact 19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life 20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect) 23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity 25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit 29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces 31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting 44:07 - The importance of having your own project and taking the time 46:55 - Outro Continue the Conversation: Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode. Subscribe: Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance. Links & Resources: 101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder) Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny) Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues Gilla Band Lambrini ...
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    51 min
  • Why Some Festival Headliners Still Need Part-Time Jobs (Part 1)
    Jan 20 2026

    From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today.

    In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive.

    Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.”

    What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour.

    Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host

    04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you

    07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability

    08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists

    11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs

    13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke

    16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies

    18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact

    19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life

    20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect)

    23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity

    25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit

    29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces

    31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting

    Continue the Conversation:

    Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

    Subscribe:

    Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

    Links & Resources

    101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder)

    Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny)

    Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues

    Gilla Band

    Lambrini Girls

    Soho Radio

    Reading Festival

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    36 min
  • Kelly Lee Owens: Record Shops, Raves, and Rebuilding Music From the Ground Up
    Jan 13 2026

    Fresh from touring stadiums with Depeche Mode, DiS meets electronic music pioneer to discuss her past, the present, and the future of music.

    This is part of Drowned in Sound’s 25th anniversary series in which Sean Adams continues the anniversary series by sits down with some of our favourite acts of the past quarter century. Kelly Lee Owens is very much one of those artists, who has featured in DiS year end lists and awards and playlists since releasing her debut EP.

    The episode starts on the education that comes from working in record shops and becomes a wide-ranging conversation about how music communities form, fracture, and sometimes regenerate. Moving across North Wales to London basements, from pressing white labels by hand to playing for 75,000 people with Depeche Mode, Kelly Lee Owens traces a path through all corners of music: the shops, venues, teachers, collectives, community centres, and accidental mentors that shaped her, her music, and her career.

    Sean and Kelly chat about their working class roots, the discipline of DJing as storytelling, and the economics of grassroots music. Kelly Lee Owens reflects on why she now deliberately plays shows in places artists rarely go, why she sees music as a form of healing as much as entertainment and why community matters more than scale.

    If there’s a thread running through it all…it’s this: music isn’t a product or a pipeline. It’s a relationship. And like any relationship, it needs time, space, and care to survive.

    Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Introduction

    02:00 - Record shops as education and community

    05:05 - Obsession, discovery, and how taste is formed

    10:00 - The early 2010s shift: risk, hedonism, and electronic culture

    13:05 - DIY culture, SoundCloud, and pressing your own records

    15:00 - Human curation vs automation and playlists

    22:10 - Playing huge rooms: Depeche Mode, confidence, and scale

    26:05 - Returning to small places: community shows and access

    29:00 - Grassroots collapse, class, and structural inequality

    32:10 - What £500 million could fix in music culture

    42:05 - Music as healing, frequency, and emotional space

    48:25 - The future: rebuilding value, community, and care

    50:15 - Outro

    Continue the Conversation:

    Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

    Subscribe:

    Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

    Links & Resources:

    Music Venue Trust — protecting grassroots venues https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    David Byrne — How Music Works https://davidbyrne.com/books/how-music-works

    Fabric London — venue history and cultural importance https://www.fabriclondon.com

    Piccadilly Records (Manchester) https://www.piccadillyrecords.com

    Pure Groove Records (London) https://puregroove.co.uk

    Kelly Lee Owens https://kellyleeowens.com

    Stop Making Sense — Talking Heads https://www.talkingheadsofficial.com

    Cocteau Twins https://cocteautwins.com

    The Knife — Silent Shout https://theknife.net

    Warehouse Project (Manchester) https://www.thewarehouseproject.com

    Neuadd Ogwen / Bethesda community venue https://neuaddogwen.com

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    54 min
  • Our 2026 predictions: New Acts, Big comebacks, Gig ticket laws, and more
    Jan 6 2026

    So what will 2026 sound like?

    In this episode, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams and journalist Emma Wilkes look into their crystal balls (and the release schedules).

    Tips on which artists should break through and the corporate barriers they’ll need to navigate.

    Beyond tipping season, we explore the strange absence of shared musical moments, the growing anxiety around AI-generated music, the slow unravelling of trust in big tech platforms, and whether changes to ticketing, touring, and grassroots funding might start to rebalance power (and money) back towards scenes.

    There are also predictions - some cautious, some hopeful, some deliberately ridiculous. This episode tries to map the forces underneath the surface…the things that will shape what we hear, how we find it, and what it means to care about music in the first place.

    The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.

    Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Introduction: What will music be like in 2026? 02:30 - New bands, tipping season, and who breaks through next 06:50 - Scenes, genres, and the collapse of old categories 12:00 - Cities as culture: Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton, Beirut 16:40 - Resilience, mental health, and sustaining music ecosystems 20:40 - Grassroots levies, touring economics, and venue survival 26:00 - Ticketing, regulation, and the slow response to abuse 28:20 - AI, platforms, and the erosion of trust 30:30 - Predictions: returns, collaborations, and surprise records 35:20 - Tech futures, headphones, and augmented concerts 38:50 - Hope, uncertainty, and what comes next

    Continue the Conversation:

    Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

    Subscribe:

    Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

    Links & Resources:

    FanFair Alliance - ticketing transparency and anti-touting campaigning

    Music Venue Trust - grassroots venue support and levy campaigning

    UK Government - ticket resale reform & consultation

    Action Fraud - advice on ticket scams and resale fraud

    Subvert - artist / label-owned music platform

    Bandcamp - direct-to-fan model and editorial writing

    The Jump - Shirley Manson's podcast

    Vespertine - Björk's podcast

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    46 min
  • Flying Rivers, Slipknot Swifts & Musical Frogs: Take This Podcast For A Walk In Nature
    Jan 1 2026
    Season 5, Episode 1: What if swifts sound like Slipknot? What are flying rivers? And how do you give water a voice? This New Year special takes you backstage at EarthSonic Live, where over 3,000 people gathered at Manchester Museum to explore how music and nature sounds can help us reconnect with the planet and drive real climate action. Recorded across a single extraordinary day in November 2025, this episode captures conversations with conservationists protecting endangered species, climate activists working with Brian Eno and Billie Eilish, and Brazilian artists who travelled from Belém where the performed at COP30. From sampling frogs in the museum's Vivarium with Japanese composer Hinako Omori to learning about the UK's temperate rainforests (yes, really!), EarthSonic Live had it all. In the first episode of 2026, you'll hear from RSPB conservationists Annabel Rushton and Roshni Parmar-Hill about why swifts are disappearing and what red squirrels tell us about biodiversity loss. Climate activist Tori Tsui shares how music became central to her campaigning. Hannah Overton from Warp Records explains more about the event. And we meet four members of FLOW, female artists from three continents to reflect on their journey to Belém for COP30, where they turned droughts, floods, and flying rivers into hip-hop, spoken word, and song. The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show. Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at qobuz.com/dis. Continue the Conversation: Join the discussion on the Drowned in Sound forums and share your thoughts on music, nature, and climate action. Subscribe: Get the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights into music, culture, and building a fairer industry. Links & Resources: Tori Tsui - Climate activist and author of "It's Not Just You: How to Navigate Eco-Anxiety and the Climate Crisis"EarthSonic Live - Event details and future datesTakkuuk - Inside Bicep's Arctic Masterpiece (DiS article)Full Tori Tsui Interview - Climate justice and music with Brian Eno & Billie EilishRSPB - Conservation and volunteering opportunitiesWildhoarse Water - RSPB nature reserve in the Lake District with UK temperate rainforestIn Place of War - Arts organization for social changeManchester Museum Vivarium - Home to the frogs sampled during workshopsSohini Alam - British-Bangladeshi composer and vocalistKeila - Brazilian singer from Gang do Eletro, FLOW artistBebé Salvego - Brazilian jazz vocalist, FLOW artistJaloo - Brazilian gender-fluid artist and producer, FLOW artistHinako Omori - Japanese artist and composerWellcome Trust - Event partnerArts Council England - Event partnerAbleton - Event partner and workshop provider About the Host: Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound, an independent music publication championing underground and independent artists since 2000. Through the DiS podcast, newsletter, and community, Sean explores how to build a fairer, more sustainable music industry while supporting the artists and fans who make it meaningful. This episode was completely self-produced by Sean Adams, recorded on location at Manchester Museum. Thanks to Shure for providing the mics to record this special episode.
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    1 ora e 7 min
  • Can music still cut through in 2026? DiS meets a leading researcher
    Dec 27 2025

    What does it actually mean to be a musician in an economy built for creators and why does it feel like the workload keeps growing while the rewards shrink?

    In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams is joined by Hanna Kahlert from MIDiA Research, whose work sits at the intersection of music, platforms, and the wider creator economy. Drawing on recent research into artists’ working lives, they explore why musicians increasingly face the same pressures as YouTubers and streamers without a lot of the same tools, protections, or paths to sustainability.

    They talk about the time sink of constant content creation, the distortion of success metrics, and how discovery has become both easier and more exhausting than ever. This includes: “lean back” listening, “lean through” fandom whilst the conversation reframes what engagement really looks like and why likes, views, and viral moments so often fail to translate into income or longevity.

    As streaming platforms push endless discovery and passive consumption, the duo ask hard questions about value, ownership, and what gets lost when music is treated as content and not an integral part of culture.

    The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.

    Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Why musicians are being reframed as “creators”

    05:20 - The problem with monetisation, takedowns, and copyright

    12:10 - Lean back, lean in, and what “lean through” really means

    20:00 - Discovery, algorithms, and the illusion of reach

    28:00 - Are superfans real - and what actually makes a fan?

    36:10 - Scenes, culture, and what’s been lost in platformisation

    44:30 - AI, ownership, and the coming copyright reckoning

    52:30 - The “dark forest” internet and the return of small spaces

    59:30 - What the next 25 years of music might look like

    Continue the Conversation:

    Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

    Subscribe:

    Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

    Links & Resources:

    • Cross Platform Success Using Social Platforms to Build Audience and Fandom
    • MIDiA Research
    • Hanna Kahlert – MIDiA Research
    • Spotify Loud & Clear Report
    • Music Publishers Begin Spotify Podcast Takedowns (Variety)
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    1 ora e 11 min
  • Spotify Boycotts, Solidarity, and Jet2 Rage: Our Top 3 Moments of 2025
    Dec 20 2025

    What were the big music news stories of the year? In part 1 we charted the pressures building across music’s foundations and now Part 2 turns to the systems that decide who gets paid, who gets heard, and who gets left behind.

    Drowned in Sound’s founder Sean Adams and music journalist Emma Wilkes count down stories #3, #2 and #1 - from the strange feeling that there wasn’t really a song of the summer at all, to solidarity protest movements filled with eloquent musicians, and the growing wave of artists turning their backs on Spotify.

    They examine how streaming payouts continue to shrink for artists, even as platforms post record profits public conversations around alternatives, and ethics (war tech?! ICE ads?! Joe Rogan?!) turned into artist boycotts.

    The biggest music stories share one consistent theme: who holds the power, and who gets to challenge it?

    The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.

    Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Introduction

    02:00 - Story #3: Was there a ‘song of the summer?

    01:10 - Rage, memes, and culture reflecting the moment

    03:42 - Sofia Isella and the power of feminine rage

    06:20 - Nova Twins, activism, and grassroots credibility

    08:32 - Mannequin Pussy and what rock should stand for

    09:29 - Story #2 begins: protest movements in music

    11:02 - Boycotts, divestment, and corporate accountability

    13:02 - Solidarity, Ireland, Palestine, and shared histories

    16:12 - Culture as a battleground

    29:26 - Story #1 begins: the Spotify exodus

    32:13 - Streaming power, ethics, and alternatives

    36:16 - Hope, resistance, and building something better

    42:22 - Outro

    Continue the Conversation:

    Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

    Subscribe:

    Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

    Links & Resources:

    • Switched On Pop - Why the Song of the Summer Is Disappearing
    • No Music for Genocide – Artist Boycott Campaign
    • NME – Paramore & Hayley Williams Join No Music for Genocide
    • Resident Advisor Podcast – Sama’ Abdulhadi
    • Together for Palestine – Yara Eid Concert
    • Spotify Loud & Clear Report
    • Music Publishers Begin Spotify Podcast Takedowns (Variety)
    • Spotify Payola Lawsuit Explained (Music Business Worldwide)
    • Cut Off the Spigot – Streaming Economics Campaign
    • Mozilla Foundation – The Post-Naive Internet Era
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    49 min
  • The Stories of 2025 - Part 1: Megagigs, Grassroots, and AI slop
    Dec 15 2025

    What were the biggest stories in music this year? No, not the releases or the hype cycles but the forces reshaping how music is made, played, toured, and valued.

    In Part 1 of Drowned in Sound’s Stories of the Year, Sean Adams and Emma Wilkes count down stories #5 and #4, starting with a contradiction that defined 2025: record-breaking mega-gigs and billion-pound industry headlines on one side, and a grassroots ecosystem under existential pressure on the other.

    They talk through the “mega gig” (stadium shows, park festivals, corporate-backed cultural events) and also ask what their success is hiding. Taylor Swift-level touring power continues to drive economic growth but artists at every other level are cancelling tours. What is the purpose of growth if the foundations are cracking?

    From there, the conversation turns to AI. A now present-day force that is reshaping music. This is the year artificial intelligence stopped being theoretical and started demanding political, legal, and cultural responses.

    Stay tuned for Part 2 of the countdown.

    The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.

    Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Introduction

    01:15 - Story #5 begins: mega gigs vs grassroots

    02:10 - What defines a “mega gig” now?

    04:11 - £8bn industry headlines vs lived reality

    06:26 - Taylor Swift, scale, and monopoly economics

    07:18 - Employment figures and the invisible labour of music

    08:43 - Grassroots venues as cultural homes

    09:32 - Inequality, wealth concentration, and responsibility

    13:22 - How the industry decides who gets tipped

    16:01 - Why discovery systems feel broken

    19:30 - Story #4 begins: artificial intelligence enters music

    23:19 - Consent, transparency, and “human-made” music

    28:30 - Power, control, and social isolation

    35:30 - Outro

    Continue the Conversation:

    Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

    Subscribe:

    Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

    Links & Resources:

    • UK Music – This Is Music Report (Industry Growth Context)
    • Competition & Markets Authority – Secondary Ticketing Investigations
    • BBC – Ticket Scams and Secondary Resale Issues
    • Fan-Led Review of Music – UK Parliament
    • Music Fans Voice – Fan Campaigning for Fair Ticketing
    • Independent Venue Community
    • Music Venue Trust
    • Youth Music – Rescue the Roots Campaign
    • AI-Generated Music Appearing on Artist Profiles
    • Oneohtrix Point Never is searching for soul in the slop (Dazed)
    • UK Music on AI Training Data and Copyright
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    38 min