BIGSOUND 2020 Moves To Entirely Online (And Free) Format

3 September 2020 | 9:00 am | Staff Writer

“It has never been more important for the Australian industry to come together to focus on survival and re-futuring."

It has today been announced that BIGSOUND will move to an entirely online format for its 2020 event. 

The much-loved industry will still take place across 21-22 October and will focus on three pillars of community, survival and re-futuring across the all-new conference program. 

Artists will still be featured too, with the introduction of The BIGSOUND50; a program that will highlight 50 emerging artists and connect them with industry mentors, provide meeting opportunities and more. These artists, which are to be selected by BIGSOUND Festival co-programmers Dom Miller and Ruby-Jean McCabe, and First Nations Programmer Alethea Beetson, will also be given first priority application access for the 2021 event. 

“BIGSOUND has always been about bringing our business and arts community together and while we were hopeful of being in our spiritual home in the Fortitude Valley live music precinct, 2020 has made other arrangements,” said QMusic CEO Angela Samut

“It has never been more important for the Australian industry to come together to focus on survival and re-futuring with a program that offers a mainstream conference program, professional development and mental health activities as well as the introduction of The BIGSOUND50.”


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The full BIGSOUND 2020 program is set to released later this month, thanks to Creative Director Janne Scott, Conference Programmer Tom Larkin, and First Nations Producer and Programmer Alethea Beetson, and will feature keynote addresses, online workshops, panels and discussions. 

The First Nations House will return once more, in partnership with Spotify, "providing a poignant and important program of domestic and international delegates discussing the future of the music industry, creating virtual performance opportunities and offering valuable connections to those across the music industry from a First Nations perspective". 

“BIGSOUND 2019 saw the largest cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists showcasing at BIGSOUND,” said Beetson. 


“With the move to a virtual platform, we have the potential to showcase First Nations artists throughout the whole year; have the long-term Indigenous led conversations required to dismantle and change the music industry; and continue the work of those who have gone before us in building the sovereign music sector.” 

“Working with Spotify, we are able to give more space to First Nations artists from these lands, and also continue our collaborations with our First Nations relatives across the oceans – in particular Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Turtle Island (Canada).”

Virtual delegate passes are available now, head to the BIGSOUND website for all the info.