Bigsound

Tones And I is the latest addition to the lineup of speakers for Bigsound 2024, Australia’s music industry summit and showcase event.
A one-time busker who was discovered performing in Byron Bay and landed a global smash with “Dance Monkey,” Tones will discuss her vibrant musical journey for an in-conversation with Australian TV personality Myf Warhurst.

Since she unleashed “Dance Monkey” in 2019, Tones (real name Toni Watson) has smashed records with monotonous regularity. The track ruled the ARIA Singles Chart for an all-time record 24 weeks, and held top spot on the Official U.K. Singles Chart for 11 weeks, a record for a solo female artist.

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Earlier this year, “Dance Monkey” clocked three billion streams on Spotify, making her the first female artist to pass that threshold.

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Written by Tones and recorded with Brisbane producer Konstantin Kersting, “Dance Monkey” ruled charts in at least 30 territories and crashed the Billboard Hot 100, landing at No. 5 and securing for Tones top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 Songwriters Chart. Earlier this year, Tones opened for Pink on the U.S. pop superstar’s Summer Carnival Tour, which sold 970,000 tickets (second only to Ed Sheeran’s Divide tour) and played to 20 stadiums — a national record for a single tour.

Also announced today (July 24), Garrwa and Butchulla songman Fred Leone will deliver a Bigsound keynote on the importance of honoring his role as a custodian of his tribe’s traditional songs, while Emily Copeland, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s new head of music, will deliver her own keynote, recounting her career in media and how its future will connect with the Australian music landscape.

They join the daytime conference lineup that includes previously-announced speakers such as Kelis, Amy Taylor, singer with Amyl and The Sniffers; VibeLab co-founder Lutz Leichsenring; Billboard’s Lyndsey Havens; Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons; and Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd.

Meanwhile, ARIA Award-nominated indie band Beddy Rays is added to the 120-strong bill of homegrown showcase acts, joining the likes of Stand Atlantic, Miiesha, JUNO, Keli Holiday, Sly Withers, Alex the Astronaut and many more.

Set for Sept. 3 – 6 in Brisbane, the 2032 Olympic city, Bigsound’s day-and-night action will once again make a splash in the vibrant Fortitude Valley.

The event is supported by the Queensland government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and is presented by Oztix and Brick Lane.

Visit Bigsound.org.au for more.

Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons, Billboard senior editor Lyndsey Havens and VibeLab co-founder Lutz Leichsenring join the second wave of speakers locked-in for Bigsound 2024, Australia’s annual conference and showcase extravaganza.
Also confirmed to this year’s lineup is Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd and Live Nation’s Kamran Haq, senior national promoter at the concerts giant and senior booker for Europe’s Download Festival.

Simons, the leader of Vinyl Group, Australia’s only ASX-listed music business, will speak at Bigsound just six months after the company completed the acquisition of The Brag Media, which is now housed alongside Jaxsta, Vampr and Vinyl.com. A former artist with indie band Buchanan, Simons has, over time, successfully raised A$20 million for his tech startups.

Havens, say organisers QMusic, will share her thoughts on leadership and authenticity in the current landscape, while Leichsenring will offer perspectives on creating sustainable music ecosystems.

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The daytime industry sessions will include a timely panel discussion, “Who Gives a F*ck About Australian Music?,” which will explore the global perception of Australian music and engagement from local music fans.

Meanwhile, a slew of 50-plus buzz acts are added to the nighttime program, including Miiesha, Bean Magazine, tiffi, Stella Bridie, Neptune, Same Blood, TOWNS and Alayna.

Set for Sept. 3 – 6 in Brisbane, the 2032 Olympic city, Bigsound’s conference and showcase extravaganza will once again make a splash in the vibrant Fortitude Valley.

As previously reported, “Milkshake” star Kelis and Amy Taylor, singer with ARIA Award-winning punk rock act Amyl And The Sniffers, are keynote speakers, while a lineup of international speakers has been confirmed, including Korda Marshall (Mushroom Group), Bradly Palmer (Concord Music Publishing), Elliott Lefko (AEG / Goldenvoice).

The event is supported by the Queensland government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and is presented by Oztix and Brick Lane.

Visit Bigsound.org.au for more.

BRISBANE, Australia — Mike Shinoda, co-founder of Linkin Park, the nu metal favorites fresh from reigning over several Billboard charts, is now part of the lineup for Bigsound 2023.
In March of this year, Linkin Park’s “Lost” saw the band return to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for the first time in almost nine years, and hit the summit of the Alternative Airplay chart for the first time in nearly a decade.

“Lost” features vocals from Chester Bennington, who died in 2017, and was featured on the 20th anniversary release of Meteora, which led the Billboard 200 for two weeks following its original release, and is one of the group’s six leaders on the all-genres albums chart.

Away from the studio and stage, Shinoda, a music industry innovator in the NFT space, was tapped last year by Warner Recorded Music (WRM) to help shape the major’s “artist-centric approach” to Web3.

Also part of the third-wave of announcements is Christine Anu, who appears in the capacity as an official Bigsound headline speaker. One of the country’s most recognizable voices, Anu’s performance of Neil Murray’s “My Island Home” is a solid-gold classic, earning entry in APRA’s list of Top 30 Australian songs, published 2001, just one year after she performed it during the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.

Organized by trade body QMusic, Bigsound will boast more than 100 speakers, from international and national buyers, agents, music supervisors, bookers and “industry decision makers.”

Speakers at this year’s summit include Simon Napier-Bell, the celebrated author, filmmaker and artist manager, who guided the careers of Rock Hall inductee George Michael and Wham, English composer Simon Franglen, Cockenflap Festival promoter Cora Chan, artists Ziggy Ramo, Kate Miller-Heidke, Georgia Maq, and more.

Also, upwards of 140 emerging acts from around the globe will play the showcase program, which adds Zheani, Full Flower Moon Band, Dean Brady, FELIVAND, Loren Ryan and others.

This year’s edition will be held Sept. 5 – 8 in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

Earlier in the year, the Palaszczuk state government announced funding for Bigsound to the tune of nearly A$4 million over four years, a boost that comes as the Queensland capital gears-up for the 2032 Olympic Games.

Bigsound 2023 is presented by Brick Lane Brewing and independent ticketer Oztix, and supported by national youth broadcaster triple j.

Visit bigsound.org.au for more.

Simon Napier-Bell, the celebrated author, filmmaker and artist manager, who guided the careers of Rock Hall inductee George Michael and Wham and introduced the duo to Chinese audiences for a historic 10-day visit in the mid-’80s, becoming the first Western pop act to do so, joins the lineup of speakers for Bigsound 2023.
The British allrounder’s addition to the daytime Bigsound program is a timely one, coming fresh off the release of the popular Netflix documentary Wham, in which he appears.

It was Napier-Bell who masterminded Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s trip to China in 1985, a trailblazing moment that was captured for the documentary Wham! in China: Foreign Skies.

Across his colorful career, Napier-Bell, owner and CEO of music firm Pierbel Entertainment Group, has managed the likes of the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ultravox, T Rex, Marc Bolan, Japan, Asia, Candi Staton, Boney M and Sinéad O’Connor, and written four best-selling books, including 2001’s Black Vinyl White Powder.

International speakers at this year’s music industry summit include English composer Simon Franglen, Cockenflap Festival promoter Cora Chan, ATC Live’s Caitlin Ballard, FKP Scopio’s Silke Westera, president of FUGA / Downtown Christiaan Kröner, Patrick Daniel from Reeperbahn, and more.

Organized by trade body QMusic, Bigsound will boast more than 100 speakers, from international and national buyers, agents, music supervisors, bookers and “industry decision makers,” plus upwards of 140 showcasing acts from around the world.

“Whether it’s helping formalize a global partnership or simply putting acts in a room where they could discover a piece of advice that could transform their career,” comments QMusic chair Natalie Strijland, “Bigsound is 100% dedicated to creating an environment for artist change, and providing the best people to help make those changes happen.”

Previously announced speakers include Omar Grant, co-president of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and former road manager for Destiny’s Child; Michele Ronzon, A&R coordinator for Interscope / Geffen / A&M Records; Hazel Savage, the Australia-born London-based spearhead for AI business Musiio and now VP of music intelligence at Soundcloud; and others.

This year’s edition will be held Sept. 5 – 8 in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

Earlier in the year, the Palaszczuk state government announced funding for Bigsound to the tune of nearly A$4 million over four years, a boost that comes the Queensland capital gears-up for the 2032 Olympic Games.

Bigsound 2023 is presented by Brick Lane Brewing and independent ticketer Oztix, and supported by national youth broadcaster triple j.

Visit bigsound.org.au for more.