BIGSOUND RETURNS BIGGER THAN EVER FOR ITS 21ST BIRTHDAY

September 6 - 9

26/04/22

BIG SOUND RETURNS BIGGER THAN EVER IN 2022

Gearing up to blow out 21 candles on its birthday cake, BIGSOUND, the southern hemisphere’s biggest celebration of new music, is returning to take over Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley from 6 - 9 September. The huge milestone is being celebrated with new additions to the festival and conference program and we’re thrilled to share some of the exciting details today.

Finally back to an in-person event, the first since 2019, BIGSOUND is now more important than ever. As the live music and events industry realises the current landscape, it’s time to reconnect with each other to navigate the post-pandemic future through live music, idea sharing, changemaking conversations and the electric energy that BIGSOUND provides.

QMusic CEO Kris Stewart says, “This year sees the return of our first live conference and festival since 2019. We’re feeling from the industry far and wide that they’re itching to be back in rooms together and we couldn’t be more excited to get artists back on stages and industry back in their live element.”

Over the years, BIGSOUND has given some of the biggest names in Australian music their start, including A.B. Original, Ball Park Music, Courtney Barnett, DMA’s, Flume, Gang of Youths, The Jungle Giants, Miiesha, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Sampa the Great, Tkay Maidza, Tash Sultana, Thelma Plum, Vera Blue, Violent Soho, Ziggy Ramo and many more. And with that in mind, we’re pleased to announce that artist applications for BIGSOUND 2022 are now open.

Former BIGSOUND artist and newly elected QMusic Management Committee member Thelma Plum says she can’t wait for Fortitude Valley’s streets to come alive, with the incredible energy BIGSOUND brings.

“Growing up in Meanjin, BIGSOUND has always been such a huge vibe where fans, artists and industry from all over the country assemble over our common love for music. I played my first BIGSOUND in 2013, when I was super young, it was a huge opportunity for me and I absolutely encourage artists to apply. From totally new artists to more established acts, the line-up is always amazing.”

Thelma Plum

BIGSOUND has always been a place of discovery for the music industry and music fans alike. This year will be no different, with the domestic and international industry there to discover and sign artists, form partnerships, catch up and celebrate the reopening and re-emergence of our music scene.

BIGSOUND Festival Co-Programmer Ruby-Jean McCabe said “By the time we get to September, it will have been three years since we have had an in-person BIGSOUND. This year we’re going big with 150 artists across 21 venues. That’s 300 performances over three nights with our industry all in the same rooms again across Fortitude Valley.”

“It’s been two years of artists sitting in their bedrooms, lounge rooms, hometowns. These are artists who may not have yet performed live but are ready to make their industry debut at BIGSOUND. We’ll also have export-ready favourites to rediscover who will finally be able to impress BIGSOUND’s international delegates and speakers and take their music overseas.”

Photo: G Flip at BIGSOUND 2018 by Bianca Holderness.

Photo: Kymie at BIGSOUND 2019 by Lachlan Douglas.

#What's New in 2022?

This September will see the addition of a new arm of the BIGSOUND family in the form of BIGSOUND Country. Australia has been identified as the world’s fastest-growing country music market, however the conference and development side here at home still has plenty of room for expansion. Introducing BIGSOUND Country, which will fill this gap by creating artist and industry development opportunities whilst further growing the profile of Australian country music both here and overseas. Developed in partnership with industry bodies including APRA AMCOS and The Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA), and supported by the Brisbane Economic Development Agency, BIGSOUND Country will be threaded throughout this year’s event, and will include a party, showcases, dedicated panels and a special show featuring some of Australia’s finest country music artists.

BIGSOUND 2022 is looking for Australia and New Zealand’s finest country music artists, in particular those who may have felt in the past BIGSOUND wasn’t for them.

Kris Stewart said, “Our feedback in the past has been that a large proportion of country music artists and industry haven’t felt that BIGSOUND serviced them. We want to change that. We want artists from every spectrum of country music; pop, alt-country, bluegrass, First Nations country artists. Everybody!”