BIGSOUND 2024 Speaker Emily Copeland on the Future of Australian Music
Among the myriad notable names in BIGSOUND 2024’s stacked program, which features US R&B icon Kelis, Vampr founder and Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons, Amyl and the Sniffers lead singer Amy Taylor, and more, is Emily Copeland, one of the most important figures in Australian radio.
Earlier this year, Copeland was appointed head of music at the ABC, a role that sees her leading the Corporation’s music strategy across triple j, Double J, triple j Unearthed, ABC Country, ABC Classic and ABC Jazz.
In an In-Conversation session at Australia’s grand industry and showcase event, Copeland will discuss things both old and new.
The old will be familiar to regular TMN readers: Copeland has enjoyed an illustrious career in Australia media for almost two decades, from her early days at FBi Radio to launching youth radio station CADA in 2021.
It’s the new, however, that will likely draw most attendees to her BIGSOUND presentation.
At the ABC, Copeland plays a crucial part in shaping the landscape of Australian music, from the artist community through to their profile at music festivals and on DSPs.
And while the annual is concerned with our industry’s past and present, the real importance of the annual event is the new, the future, and where music and the industry is heading.
Ahead of her BIGSOUND appearance, TMN asked Copeland several questions about her new role, the current challenges facing radio, and how Australian artists can better get their voices heard, which you can read below.
Emily Copeland’s BIGSOUND In Conversation takes place at the Judith Wrights Arts Centre on Wednesday, September 4th. Find out more information about BIGSOUND 2024 here.
TMN: Congrats on your appointment. Can you describe, in a nutshell, what those first few months in the role have been like?
Emily Copeland: Thanks. My role as head of music is a new role at the ABC, and it’s one that I’m thrilled to be in.
The role looks after the music strategy and industry relationships across the ABC’s audio brands, including triple j, Double J, Unearthed, ABC Country, ABC Classic, and ABC Jazz. I work with a team of music programmers, who are all incredibly passionate about local music and the support and growth of opportunities for Australian artists.
Stepping into this role has felt like a great culmination of many roles that I’ve done during my career.
From leading partnerships for Foxtel’s music channels to running my own strategy agency which worked with music festivals, artists and labels, to launching hip-hop radio station CADA and leading music industry partnerships for radio network ARN.
I’ve spent the first few months in the role meeting with artists, labels, and industry to get a picture of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry at the moment, to help shape strategies which will allow the ABC to best continue to support and grow opportunities and audiences for music.
What does a typical day-to-day for you look like?
I am currently having a lot of conversations, and am in a lot of meetings. My team look after the programming and playlisting of tracks, so I support them and sit in on music meetings when I can, but I am not receiving music pitches.
My music strategy role allows me to think more holistically about how the ABC can be supporting the music industry, and where the opportunities are for audience growth – both for our own ABC brands, as well as how we can support the growth of audiences and fans for artists and their music.
For decades, naysayers have said radio is dead or dying. And yet, here we are. Not dead, but certainly facing its challenges. What are some of your biggest challenges?
I recently attended Indie-Con, and Mardi Caught from The Annex, who gave a great speech in which she said that the music industry needed “more hope and less nope.”
That is one of the largest challenges more broadly – keeping up everyone’s positivity in a time where the economic climate is challenging, the media landscape is fragmented, and we’re hearing so much negativity about the Australian music industry.
It’s really important that we’re also looking at all the good things that are going on – like three weeks of Australian artists at #1 in the ARIA charts and triple j’s One Night Stand selling out 15,000 tickets in one day.
We’re also announcing Unearthed High’s winner soon, and the talent that has come through that process is incredible. We’ve got five finalists making world-class music, all of whom are still in school. It’s these kinds of things that make me hopeful and excited about the future of Australian music, and the role that radio plays in it.
The media landscape has shifted a lot in the past decade, but radio is shifting with it. Triple j is not just an FM radio station any more – it now has almost one million followers on Instagram, over 280,000 followers on TikTok, and 1.77 million subscribers on YouTube. The opportunity to reach large audiences with a multi-platform approach via triple j is immense.
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Triple j has, over time, committed to playing 50% or more Australian music. Is that something the ABC content team talks about?
The support of local content and creativity is incredibly important to us, and is at the forefront of everything we do.
And that’s not just triple j. In the last year, triple j, ABC Country, and ABC Classic all played over 50% Australian music.
And, of course, Unearthed is only playing music from local artists, and has been instrumental in the launch of the careers of so many Australian artists including Flume, G Flip, Amy Shark, The Kid Laroi, and Tones & I.
Big picture question: Australian artists are struggling to be heard on streaming platforms and through digital and conventional media. If you could wave a wand, how would you fix it?
There is no one media platform that you can rely on for mass reach any more, and that is not unique to the music industry – it’s a challenge that is facing every brand, every organisation, every individual who is trying to get themselves out there.
I don’t know that there is a magical wand solution to this – cutting through to a mass audience is harder than ever.
I would also say to artists that if they are looking at triple j based only on our FM platform, they are missing a huge opportunity. You need to consider all media platforms in terms of their full offerings – across audio, digital, social, and events, not just one small part of how they reach and engage with audiences.