BIGSOUND may very well be the biggest showcase of up-and-coming bands that Australia has to offer, akin to SXSW in the States or The Great Escape in the UK, but for many it’s also the biggest music industry event of the year.
Each year, the BIGSOUND conference side of the event is packed with a huge array of workshops and seminars from industry heavyweights, which is extremely useful for those working, or looking to work in the music industry. Speakers include an array of industry leaders and great musical minds, with talks on a massive variety of topics spanning different sectors of the music industry.
BIGSOUND can be pretty overwhelming, and while all of the talks occur during the day so as not to clash with the festival side of the event, knowing where to go can be tough. With this in mind, we’ve chosen a selection of talks that we think will be very enlightening. Go forth and soak up the juju!
Are you heading up to BIGSOUND for the conference side of things as well as the festival? Make sure you enlighten yourself at these 6 panels.
Touring UK and Europe: One Size Doesn’t Fit All
For those looking to take their music outside Australia, this is a must-see. The panel will look at different touring strategies for different territories aimed at debunking the mentality that “one size its all” when it comes to international touring – super important for artists and managers alike. On the panel will be Jess Beston, founder and director of Tiny Monster (artist strategy and management); Alex Bruford from Reprise Agency; Emile Davainie from A Gauche de la Lune Agency in France; and Marco Wazel from German agency Avocado Booking amongst other industry luminaries.
Keynote – A.B Original
A.B Original is a collaboration between Briggs and Trials, respectively from the Yorta Yorta and Ngarrindjeri tribes and both socially conscious outspoken Indigenous artists. Both are funny as hell and have a lot to say about Australian music, and this is the perfect chance to listen. The talk will be facilitated by Lindsay “The Doctor” McDougall.
WORKSHOP – Neighbourhood Watch: Exploring the relationship between community and curator
This workshop is aimed at exploring music scenes and the role that curators have in different music communities. The workshop will be a big discussion between some of the most prominent tastemakers and scene curators from Australia and around the world including Johann Ponniah and Travis Banko (I OH YOU and Laneway Festival respectively) and Sean Horton and Aaron Miller (Red Bull Sound Select [USA] and Arts & Crafts [Canada] respectively.
WORKSHOP – Digital Advertising: More Than Just Boosting A Post?
This workshop is run by Paige X. Cho and Alex Zaccaria from Bolster Digital in Melbourne, who are a creative digital agency who specialise in digital advertising, management and creative services for music, events and entertainment sectors. The talk will discuss digital advertising for the music industry – a topic that is becoming increasingly pertinent for bands, labels and promoters alike. It will dive into the different advertising channels on offer including Google Search, Google Display Network, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, plus other kinds of Facebook advertising types.
The Value of Sync and Artist Placement
This panel will look at everything to do with sync, exploring topics like the worth of a song, managing an artist’s reputation, audiences and distribution, and the different roles and variations in music sync. Speaking will be likes of Alex Black (Big Deal Music in the USA), Jon Coombs (Secretly Publishing in the USA), Anthony Dever (Industry 5000 in Australia), Tyler McLoughlan (The Sound Pound in Australia) and Julia Wilson (Midnight Choir, Nice Rights and Rice is Nice) amongst other dignitaries.
Opening Keystone – Kim Gordon
This year’s keynote speaker will be none other than Kim Gordon, whose illustrious career includes founding Sonic Youth – one of the most iconic and influential rock bands of all time – a successful tenure as a visual artist, fronting experimental guitar duo Body/Head and writing her widely successful memoir Girl In A Band. We reckon she’ll have some stories to tell.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to illuminating panels at BIGSOUND 2016 – take a look at the BIGSOUND website for the full industry lineup and timetables.
Get your delegate pass here if you haven’t got it already and soak up some knowledge from some of the finest minds in the industry.
While you’re here, check out our piece on how to promote your band.
