Bigsound 2025 Reveals First Round of Speakers
This year’s list of speakers includes music industry legends Darcus Beese, Anne Booty and Deb Grant.
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BIGSOUND returns to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley from September 2–5 for another four days of conferences, workshops and live performances.
While the musical lineup is yet to be confirmed, the first round of speakers attending the Southern Hemisphere's largest music event have been revealed, with legendary music industry executive Darcus Beese OBE, the man who signed Amy Winehouse to Island Records UK, the key speaker of this year’s event.
Ahead of his appearance at BIGSOUND, Beese shared his thoughts on the state of the industry: “The landscape is tougher. The industry seems to be re-setting itself. But music still matters, people still experience profound moments through music, they still buy tickets for shows, so the future is healthy, we just don’t know exactly what shape it will be. So, I’m excited to head down to BIGSOUND to talk about this and to check out potential new acts for DAP.”
Along with Beese, who now runs his own independent company, Darco Artist Partnerships (DAP), the first list of speakers announced includes music industry vet Anne Booty, who has worked as both an artist as a film music supervisor at SixtyFour, Executive Producer and Music Curator at KCRW, Ariana Morgenstern, and Dublin-born DJ, broadcaster and writer Deb Grant.
This year’s BIGSOUND welcomes a fab array of international dignitaries from agent agencies such as One Finnix Live, Ground Control, Wasserman and CAA, alongside promoters from C2C Festival (Country to Country), Reading and Leeds Festival, Eat Your Own Ears and Communion One. Indie labels are represented by Secretly Group, Nettwerk Music Group, Third Man Records and Believe.
“BIGSOUND is about taking stock of where we are and imagining where we want to go next,” said QMusic and BIGSOUND CEO Kris Stewart. “At a time of rapid transformation in the music sector - across tech, touring, sustainability, and artist income - we want to amplify the value of meaningful connection. Between creators and audiences, between industry peers, and artists and the people who can take their careers to the next level. Whether it’s onstage or over coffee, BIGSOUND is where new ideas and partnerships begin.”
Cathy Oates and Niriko McLure, new members of the BIGSOUND 2025 team and Conference Programmers, are excited for what this year’s event has up its sleeve.
“We don’t need to tell you that the Australian music industry landscape has shifted and over the last five years, consumer habits have changed forever,” Cathy stated. “The gatekeepers of music may not be as influential, and the old strategies no longer have the same impact on fan building and careers. But on the upside, there are less barriers to entry than ever before, and Australian talent continues to cut through in the new landscape.”
Co-Programmer Niriko added, “The 2025 BIGSOUND Conference will have two focus areas, to provide as many export opportunities as possible to the showcasing artists and the industry as a whole, and to acknowledge the unique challenges that Australian artists are facing. We want to platform those doing things differently, inviting new voices and perspectives to tell their stories. It’s about what’s working now, and what’s next.”
Early bird all-access Delegate Passes are on sale now via bigsound.org.au.
BIGSOUND is held at Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley precinct and runs from Tuesday, September 3 to Friday, September 6. Tickets are on sale now via BIGSOUND.
BIGSOUND 2025 Speakers & Buyers First Announcement
Adam Ryan - The Great Escape (UK)
Anne Booty - SixtyFour Music (UK)
Ariana Morgenstern – KCRW (USA)
Boaz Saidman – Wasserman (USA)
Boyan Pinter – Believe (BGR)
Calhoun Rawlings – Creative Artists Agency (USA)
Camille Augarde – Third Man Records (UK)
Darcus Beese – Darco Artist Partnerships (UK)
Deb Grant – BBC Radio 6 (UK)
Eve Thomas – Communion ONE (UK)
Jana Recmanikova – Festival Republic (UK)
Josh Stern – Ground Control Touring (USA)
Lau Frías - Secretly Group (USA)
Lucy Pitkethly – Eat Your Own Ears (UK)
Mario Stresow – FKP Scorpio (GER)
Rachel Cragg – Nettwerk Music Group (CAN)
Rachel Lloyd – AEG Presents / Country to Country / C2C Festival (UK)
Sean Goulding – One Fiinix Live (UK)
