News April 8, 2019

BIGSOUND reveal 2019 dates, new venue, and enhanced program

BIGSOUND might be five months away, but the annual music showcase is wasting no time in laying the groundwork, announcing its dates, new venue, and enhanced program today.

With BIGSOUND’s 2018 event wrapping up back in September, fans of the now-iconic music conference have been eagerly awaiting news of the next event. While we’ve got a little while to go before we hear who’s on this year’s lineup, organisers have already begun to deliver vital info.

Taking place from September 3rd to the 6th, BIGSOUND will once again take over Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley Live Music Precinct, with this year’s theme being revealed as ‘The Artist As CEO’.

Focusing on the new reality of the music industry which sees artists making empowered creative and
business choices around their music, this year will see artists, managers, labels, publishers, bookers and other music professionals coming together to learn more about the new direction of the field in which they work.

Check out footage from BIGSOUND 2018:

Sadly though, 2019 will see BIGSOUND waving a fond farewell to its traditional conference home at the Judith Wright Centre, and instead saying hello to Cloudland, which will provide expanded conference and meeting facilities right in the heart of the BIGSOUND Festival precinct.

“Over the years, BIGSOUND has changed, with networking, workshops and other events becoming far more integral to the event,” explains BIGSOUND Executive Programmer Maggie Collins.

“So making the move to Cloudland will give more programming flexibility as well as bringing the conference events closer to the live music that is at the heart of BIGSOUND.”

This year will also see Maggie Collins joined by a new programming team, with Tom Larkin (Shihad, VVV Management) assisting the conference events and Melody Forghani (Twnty Three) and Tim Shiel (Spirit Level, Double J) joining the live music team.

Meanwhile, BIGSOUND Tech will also return in 2019, with applications for tech entrepreneurs open over at the BIGSOUND website.

Likewise, the event will also witness the expansion of the ‘Hook Up’ sessions to provide opportunities for artists and industry to connect through deeper one-on-one face time.

This year will also see the introduction of ‘WTF’ micro-workshops to provide attendees with a deeper understanding of some of the more deeper and more daunting subjects that they face.

accelerated understanding of important but often daunting subjects such as blockchain or neighbouring rights as well as a focus on relatable storytellers, thinkers and innovators

Last, but not least, artist applications for BIGSOUND 2019 are open today, with the festival set to provide three nights of showcases for over 150 artists across Australia.

With an audience consisting of global industry decision makers, this is the event in which future music icons will first have their voices heard. Applications are also open via the BIGSOUND website.

If you’re keen on heading along, purple passes are on sale now, which will guarantee entry to BIGSOUND Hook Ups, WTF sessions, and other conference events. Head along to the official website for more info on special rate purple passes.