Ollie Wards, Christian O’Connell and more announced for inaugural Australian Audio Summit

Ollie Wards, the newly-named head of music at TikTok, will be mic’d up for the inaugural Australian Audio Summit, locked in for Friday, 27th November.

NZ-born Wards is the first-ever local head of music at the streaming video platform, taking the leap after ten years with triple j, where he served as content director.

At the virtual audio industry powwow, Wards joins a speakers lineup that includes veteran radio jockey Christian O’Connell; Sam Cavanagh, Head of Entertainment and News Content – Digital Audio at Southern Cross Austereo; and rising broadcast talents Christian Hull and Bree Tomasel.

“It has never been a more exciting time to work in the audio industry,” comments the summit’s co-founder and Director Kate Meade. “The Australian Audio Summit aims to celebrate the best makers in the business. Podcasters, Content Creators and Radio Broadcasters. The time is now for the creators of audio to come together.”

Christian O’Connell

Podcasts are no longer a niche business. Spotify has identified spoken-word content as a growth driver for its business and has invested more than $600 million in snapping up podcast networks like Gimlet and The Ringer.

Earlier this year, the streaming giant made its intentions clear when it signed Joe Rogan in a blockbuster podcast deal worth an estimated US$100 million over several years.

Just last month, Sony Music ANZ launched the ‘Time to Talk’ podcast series, led by journalist and artist Sean Sennett and lauded as “ambitious in its scope.” 

The Australian Audio Summit spans four hours and will be hosted by podcast pro, radio talent coach and event co-founder Craig Bruce.

Visit australianaudiosummit.com for more.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.