Music industry conference FastForward returns in April

FastForward fever is about to sweep the Australian music industry for the third time.

Organisers of the boutique music conference have just confirmed the two-day event will return to Sydney April 30 to May 1, with a new venue also revealed.

Previous years have proved that FastForward Sydney is an opportunity for ambitious music executives to develop new skills and knowledge from thought-leaders and fresh faces.

“I’m very excited to be coming back to Australia in April,” said FastForward founder Chris Carey.

“It’s been a very busy year personally, moving jobs (TicketSwap) and moving countries (Amsterdam) and I’m really pleased that FastForward gets to continue in the same way.

Carey joined secondary ticketing reseller TicketSwap as its marketing chief in December.

Carey and event collaborator Van Picken have also found a brand new home for 2020 in the recently relocated Studios 301.

“We have big plans for 2020,” he says. “The new venue gives us lots of opportunities to do some new things, as well as the 7 panels, 4 keynotes and 10 rapid-fire ‘FastFifteens’.

“Expect lessons from outside music (Cricket Australia already lined up) and many insights from leading music executives, in a friendly and welcoming environment,” added Carey.

FFWD founder Chris Carey

The intimate conference will again gather 150 people from across the Australian music industry – and around the world – for a no holds barred discussion on the future of the biz.

Carey says the conference is designed to attract all corners of the industry. It was first established in Amsterdam before expanding to Londen and Sydney.

Sponsors include APRA AMCOS, Soundcharts, Comes with Fries and TicketSwap.

Attendees from the previous two years included staffers from Live Nation, Universal Music, Sony ATV, Ticketmaster, EMI, Warner, Spotify, YouTube, Chugg Music, Havas Media and Twitter.

Studio manager at Studios 301, Shelly Bishop, is a long-time admirer for the conference’s content and looks forward to opening its doors to attendees.

“We are very proud to host the 2020 FastForward conference at Studios 301,” she said.

“Being able to utilise the unique capabilities of our facility to showcase live music, multimedia, and historical tours of the studios will bring a new element to the conference that we are very excited about.

“I am always blown away by the calibre of outstanding speakers at the conference and the thoughtful curation of topics.”

Watch this space: tickets for the 2020 edition of FastForward Sydney will go on sale early February.