Brisbane’s staple music fest is back again for another round, taking over Fortitude Valley from September 4-7 with the aim of empowering the change-makers and booty-shakers of the Australian music industry.
In previous years, BIGSOUND has hosted names such as Flume, Tash Sultana, Courtney Barnett, Winston Surfshirt, Cub Sport, Confidence Man, Alex the Astronaut, Gang of Youths… The list honestly never ends. BIGSOUND 2016 saw over 7,000 attendees check out a mixture of rising stars and industry professionals, while BIGSOUND 2017 saw a 40% increase in attendance. Needless to say, Executive Programmer Maggie Collins saw this growth as an opportunity to expand the Festival as a both an insight into the industry and a rowdy party at the heart of Brisvegas.
“We will be inviting people […] to help us reimagine the future of the music industry and open our eyes to new ways of doing things,” says Collins.
This year, the fest is going to implement a new format that will allow a “whole new level of participation and discussion” from attendees. Panels and keynotes will be met with forum sessions, and there will be a new emphasis on learning practical skills to take back to the industry. That being said, BIGSOUND 2018 is set on creating a ‘call-in’ culture that “welcomes people of all walks of life to contribute”, and simultaneously stresses the importance of acknowledging and learning from Australia’s First Nations people. Newly instated First Nations producer Alethea Beetson is working alongside the BIGSOUND team to enhance cultural appropriateness of the event.
BIGSOUND is revered as a sort of rite of passage for Australian musicians and artists alike who are just breaking onto the world stage, such as King Gizz, Methyl Ethyl, and San Cisco. Aussie musos: if this isn’t enough incentive to put yourself up for applications, showcasing artists are eligible for the $100,000 Levi’s Music Prize – this resulted in $25,000 each for Stella Donnelley and Alex Lahey since last year’s event, which helped them achieve their export goals. In other words; get around those applications, ASAP.
