The full BIGSOUND picture has finally been revealed with 101 industry leaders rounding out a massive line up of talent who will be both sharing knowledge on the speakers’ stage and checking out the 150 showcasing artists from September 9 – 11, to set Australian music’s global agenda for the coming year.
New international announcements including BMI’s Brandon Haas (US), Third Side Music’s creative licencing manager Caitlin Veitch (US), Beggars Group’s head of live Ruth Barlow (UK), Warner Chappell Music’s director of A&R David Goldsen (US), memBrain’s Jennifer Sullivan (US) and Believe Digital’s international officer Stephen King (UK).
The panel program explores topics like gender equality in music, the role of record stores in 2015, the changes in artist development and the new roles record labels play, focus panels on hip hop, heavy and electronic music, the tension between music journalism and clickbait, safety in Australian music venues, the art of the remix and many more.
After last year’s critically acclaimed closing keynote about surviving as an artist in the music industry jungle,Justin Heazlewood (The Bedroom Philosopher) will present his sequel, while music journalist Tim Byron will take us through the year in #1s which promises to be fascinating, infuriating and amusing as he pulls apart songs from Taylor Swift to Mark Ronson.
Today’s speaker announcement also sees NME’s new music editor Matt Wilkinson and Pitchfork’s Jessica Hopper sitting alongside our local media including triple j, TheMusic, Vice, Thump, FasterLouder, Music Feeds, 2Day FM, ABC Local Radio, FBI, RRR, 4ZZZ and more in what will be one of the strongest contingents of global public influencers in BIGSOUND’s history.
Artists on the BIGSOUND conference panels include Birds of Tokyo’s Adam Spark, singer/songwriters Emma Donovan and Ben Salter and more, while in a BIGSOUND first, at a bar somewhere after a few too many, watchSecret Garden Festival’s Adam Lewis (AUS) run into Planetary Group’s Adam Lewis (US).
“The final line-up of BIGSOUND 2015 is something that we’re really proud of,” said executive programmer Nick O’Byrne. “This is the most influential and diverse array of international music industry representatives that we’ve ever assembled in Australia while our local delegation grows stronger each year. We’ve also put together a conference program which is at times practical, at times thought-provoking and at all times progressive.”
To read the full Industry Speakers/Buyers List, full Conference Program and and BIGSOUND Live Program, head to the BIGSOUND website.
