Sound NSW

Sound NSW has announced it will invest $1.4 million in programs aimed at improving gender equity and workplace safety across the state's music industry.

Greater protections for music venues, events and festivals will come into effect after the NSW Government passed the Contemporary Music Act 2026.

Sound NSW has confirmed the judging panels and Nominations Committees for the second edition of the NSW Music Prize, which returns this year.

Thirty-three metropolitan and regional venues have received funding through the latest round of the NSW Government’s Venue Upgrade Grants.

Sound NSW has opened applications for its 2026/27 funding programs, including grants for music development and venue upgrades of up to $300,000.

SongMakers, a songwriting program for young people, will be expanded in New South Wales, thanks to new funding from the NSW Government.

The venue will close its doors for just under a month, to reopen with a new accessible space for all patrons in 2026.

The judging panel will be tasked with determining who will win the NSW Music Prize and NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Sound NSW’s latest batch of grants total $9.3 million in funding for local musicians, representing the “biggest ever” package of its kind.

“The rich data and insights," says Sound NSW's Emily Collins, "will help us better understand and support the live music ecosystem."