Every September, Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley precinct is overrun with energetic music performances and informative industry panels, all in the name of BIGSOUND.
Today, the southern hemisphere’s largest music industry event unveils its abundant conference and festival schedules, set to take place from 3 to 6 September.
On top of the already rich cohort of knowledge to be delivered, the conference has been expanded with three new keynote speakers and a plethora of panel members.
BIGSOUND 2024
- Fortitude Valley | Brisbane, QLD
- Music Festival: 3- 6 September
- Conference: 3-6 September
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Tones and I joins packed BIGSOUND lineup
Global household name Tones and I has been added to the already jam-packed BIGSOUND Conference schedule, to present her own Keynote In-Conversation with popular ABC personality Myf Warhurst.
As an inimitable vocalist, clever lyricist, and deft producer, Tones and I stretches the scope of pop music with unpredictable and undeniable anthems of her own unique design. Since exploding onto the global stage, her hit “Dance Monkey” went 6x platinum in the United States, helping her become “the first female artist to reach 3 billion streams on Spotify with one song”. After smashing records, receiving multiple awards and selling out international tours, Tones and I will be touching down at BIGSOUND to deliver a Keynote outlining her vibrant musical journey.
Alongside Tones and I, Garrwa and Butchulla songman Fred Leone will be delivering a Keynote about the importance of honouring his role as a custodian of the traditional songs of the Butchulla tribe and how it intersects with his contemporary music career. ABC’s new Head of Music Emily Copeland will also be delivering her own Keynote, discussing her illustrious career in media and how its future will connect with the Australian music landscape.
They join the already stacked conference lineup that includes huge names like international powerhouse Kelis, Amy Taylor (Amyl and The Sniffers), Lutz Leichsenring (VibeLab), Lyndsey Havens (Billboard US), Josh Simons (Vinyl Group & Vampr) and Mark Davyd (Music Venue Trust).
BIGSOUND keynotes
- Kelis – Artist / Author / Chef (US)
- Amy Taylor – Amyl & The Sniffers (AU)
- Tones & I – Tones & I, Lemon Tree Music (AU)
- Annabelle Herd – ARIA (AU)
- Elijah – Artist / Thought Leader / DJ (UK)
- Elliott Lefko – AEG / Goldenvoice (US)
- Emily Copeland – ABC (AU)
- Fred Leone – Birdz and Fred Leone, Fred Leone (AU)
- Glenn McDonald – Furia / Every Noise At Once (US)
- Josh Simons – Vinyl Group / Vampr (AU) Korda Marshall – Mushroom Group (UK)
The newly minted conference schedule sheds light on some of the engrossing panels to be expected from the 2024 event, including the inspirational In-Conversation Sniffing Out Gold, featuring speakers Simone Ubaldi and Andrew Parisi, on their journey to discovering and developing major export band Amyl & The Sniffers.
There’s no one that knows music quite like Glenn McDonald. In Everything; Every Noise; Everywhere All At Once: In Conversation With Glenn McDonald, the former ‘Data Alchemist’ for Spotify joins BIGSOUND to talk about his groundbreaking website Every Noise At Once, his new book You Have Not Yet Heard Your Favourite Song: How Streaming Changes Music, his latest practices within the AI realm and what Australian audiences really want to hear in 2024.
Other highlight panels will include Artist vs Advocacy featuring Miss Kaninna and Ali Tomoana, which will discuss the cross section of musicians and the use of their political inherently political voices; The Dopamine Brain, which delves into the science of dopamine and its influence on our habits and behaviours; and Can A Tour Ever Really Be In The Green?, discussing the present and future of carbon neutrality in touring featuring Live Nation’s Lucy August-Perna.
The Kitchen Sync, featuring Netflix Soundtracks manager Andy Kalyvas and Music Supervisor Jemma Burns (Heartbreak High, Boy Swallows Universe), will explore the power of film sync and ask whether the only way to land right now is via social media. Plus, triple j’s Nick Findlay, Ash McGregor, and Lucy Smith will each feature, with triple j also offering in-person listening sessions for the first time post-pandemic, and the first time ever on-ground in Brisbane.
Goolwal Goolwal Indigenous program
The 2024 Goolwal Goolwal Indigenous program schedule is rich with First Nation’s talent. With the full program still to be come, highlights include Fred Leone’s Keynote, as well as panels Self-Determination: Securing First Nations Music For The Future with Kev Starkey; Yarning Strong, where audiences can hear about the lived experiences of First Nations music workers within the industry; and Agents of Change, which discusses the changing landscape of artist management. Plus, the artist showcase calendar is filled with incredibly talented names in First Nations talent – from Immy Owusu to Same Blood, aka J-MILLA x Yung Milla.
Expanding BIGSOUND’s export series, including Export US and Export UK, this year Export Asia will be introduced along with several panels exploring the current state of Asian music in the global scene, featuring the exclusive launch of Live Nation’s report: More than a Genre: Asia Pop is a Certified Global Phenomenon. Among the representation from Asian countries at BIGSOUND 2024 is Taiwan Beats; the Asia Pop Breakfast and the Split Works Asian Music Takeover.
BIGSOUND tickets
BIGSOUND 3-Night Music Festival ticket
A BIGSOUND 3-Night Music Festival ticket gives you access to all performances: 120+ artists, across 18 venues, with just one wristband.
Early Bird 3-night: $75 +bf (on sale until midnight, 31 July, or until sold out).
BIGSOUND 1-Night Music Festival Ticket
Festival 1-Night Ticket: Standard rate $44.50 + bf Festival 1-Night Ticket: 25 & Under $25 +bf Mobility Access Ticket* $24.50 +bf
All-Access Delegate Passes
This is your ticket to access the full conference, 3-night Music Festival, parties and workshops. Second Release Offer: General: $679 / QMusic Members: $579 / Students $379 (On sale until midnight, 5 August, or until sold out).
Delivering three huge nights of live music across 17 venues, adventurous music lovers can now map out your sonic adventures to discover their next favourite act with over 120 of Australia’s finest talent showcasing including Stand Atlantic, Miiesha, JUNO, Keli Holiday, Sly Withers, Alex the Astronaut and many more. Keen eyes will notice Beddy Rays have joined the bill, with two final spots to be allocated by triple j Unearthed.
Single and three-night Music Festival tickets range from $25-$89(+ booking fee) and the in-demand Delegate Pass gives you the full BIGSOUND experience including access to exclusive parties, special events, mixers and meet-ups, conference sessions and more.
Find out everything about BIGSOUND and explore the full program here.
