Australian artists, for so long at the mercy of gatekeepers and the tyranny of distance, now have control in a shrinking world.
That’s the positive pitch.
Today’s level playing field is also a minefield, dotted with the challenges of visibility, discoverability, and AI.
The struggles are real. Australian artists’ presence on the triple j Hottest 100 and ARIA’s weekly and year-end charts have been the stuff of nightmares for a community that’s competing with US and UK superstars (and their superstar marketing budgets), along with the 100 million-plus songs ingested into the leading streaming platforms, a figure that’s growing by 100,000s each week.
Music industry conferences, a pop-up seat of learning, exist to shine a light, connect dots, and fill your cup.
Like Austin’s SXSW, and Europe’s once-great industry events Popkomm and Midem, BIGSOUND has a point of difference. Now entering its 24th annual event, BIGSOUND is a road trip for the bulk of the music industry, presented at the dawn of the warmer months.
The bill is a balancing act, says Kris Stewart, CEO of QMusic, producers of BIGSOUND. Underdeliver, and you won’t be around for long. Building an event that overwhelms and overdelivers isn’t a winning strategy.
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“Certainly, our ambitions grow every year, and the relationship we have with global partners and visitors also grows each year,” says Stewart. “But we weigh that next to the fact that we don’t want BIGSOUND to be so big that it starts to lose value, and its impact begins to feel lost. It’s crucial to us the things we grow are about improving experiences, that we grow offers for artists, and grow the networking we can do. We don’t necessarily want more artists, we want a richer experience for every industry member that attends and that is what we want to grow each year.”
This year’s event is set for September 2nd-5th in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, with a program stretching across 130 performers, 100 industry speakers, 70 conference sessions and workshops, and 18 stages.
With a range of spaces in action and catering to different elements of the festival, including the Delegate Hub at Fortitude Music Hall, the Artist Hub at BrewDog, and the BIGSOUND Content House taking over Summa House, there’s no shortage of action to see, learn and explore.
With BIGSOUND’s quarter century milestone on the horizon, and an Olympic Games looming in the distance, Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with the team behind the show.
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Rolling Stone AU/NZ: The evening program is legendary. But the conference program is super-important for educating the next generation and bringing the music industry to Australia. What works?
Kris Stewart: There have always been three essential parts of BIGSOUND. There’s the talent discovery of the evening festival, but also what happens during the day, which is idea discovery and relationship discovery. It’s a way to have some of the best practitioners in the world discuss and share what they’ve learned, but also giving the opportunity not just to listen to people, but to meet them and speak to them.
It’s an opportunity to connect to people with the same priorities and tastes as you, to you find your gang within BIGSOUND. Everything that happens during the day at BIGSOUND are often those things that have the longest-term impact.
We’re heading into a Brisbane Olympics. How is BIGSOUND helping position the domestic music community for what could be the opportunity of a lifetime?
KS: We’ve been in consistent discussion with the State Government about how we believe opportunities like the Olympics can be maximised. Part of that surrounds slightly boring things like procurement and ensuring the overseas companies that are engaging with our Olympics as broadcasters or sponsors know they have an expectation of prioritising Queensland talent as part of their involvement.
But equally, we want to make sure the pathway for excellence is carved for artists as well as sports-people.
We want career development in place and for venues and precincts to be invested in. We want to be thinking of the use of sporting stadiums once the Olympics has passed, so they’re ready for events and music programming.
Most importantly, we want Queensland and Australian artists to be centred throughout the entire event.
Visitors will spend more time in Brisbane’s night-time and music venues while they’re here than they ever will stadiums, so we want to make sure that offering is as exciting as possible.
What’s bigger and better at BIGSOUND this year?
Katie Rynne, BIGSOUND Festival Co-Programmer: I’m particularly excited for the new and improved Artist Hub, which the BIGSOUND team have been working tirelessly on. BIGSOUND always provides a space during the day where artists can get hands on information via workshops and masterclasses, as well as a place to meet the other showcasing acts and share their knowledge peer to peer. Community is so crucial for up and coming artists, so hopefully we can see some amazing new relationships between artists form during the festival.
What are some of the must-see shows or sessions?
KR: That’s like asking us to pick a favourite child! What I will say is that we aimed to program the festival across not only genres, but also the stages of an artist’s career, so that there is something for everyone – whether you are a high-ranking international delegate looking for an established Australian artist to export overseas, or a young Australian manager looking to discover an artist right in the very beginning stages of their career.
And for the music fans that come just to see the bands play live, you’ll be able to see an extremely broad representation of the incredible artists that we have in our country right now. No matter what day or what time, something special will be happening, whether that’s a music fan discovering a new act that they love, or the seeds of a life-changing deal being sown.
Niriko McLure, BIGSOUND Conference Programmer: A must-see would be the always entertaining and occasionally controversial members of The Meeting Tree, who will discuss the integration of music and technology, or you can delve into the story behind Bondi Lines, which has transformed from a simple Instagram page into one of Australia’s most influential EDM communities.
The Industry Leaders Reflect & Reimagine panel includes Cindy James, GM of Virgin Music US, reflecting on her path from Sydney to a prominent role at one of the world’s largest music distributors, along with Nikki Boon, manager of Kane Brown, an award-winning US country music artist. To find the stories, connections and inspiration in between the heavier industry conversations – I can suggest heading to BIGSOUND presents Saddle Club! – a queer line-dancing collective from Sydney, which offers a unique opportunity for attendees to find some friends and boot scoot with the best of them.
Or head to Lost Motel presents Banish Burnout, which will provide techniques for mindful breathing and performance enhancement in the busy world of touring.
Cathy Oates, BIGSOUND Conference Programmer: The 2025 delegates represent an impressive calibre of professionals, all of whom are deeply committed to advancing Australian music on the global stage.
With conversations on unique pathways into UK and Europe with Camille Auguarde from Third Man Records, who signed Bel Air Lipbombs; Skully Kaplin (ITC), the UK agent behind breakout act Royel Otis; Josh Stern (Ground Control), representing Speed who just played Coachella; Lau Frias (Secretly), A&R for indie dream-pop artist Hatchie; and Rachel Cragg from Nettwerk, the label that has long championed Australian artists worldwide.
The 2025 conference program focuses on fostering genuine connections and exchanging ideas to empower Australian musicians and creatives.
Expect entertainment and inspiration.
Even if you leave with just a small idea, it could be enough to ignite something monumental.
