Streaming into living rooms on Wednesday October 21 and Thursday October 22, the BIGSOUND 2020 showcase will look a little different from previous years but will continue its mission to bring the business and arts community together via a new custom-built conference program that has been created for the unique challenges this year has delivered. This year’s event will focus on the timely pillars of community, survival and re-futuring to plot the industry’s immediate survival, while taking the opportunity to have the necessary discussions about reimagining the building blocks on which the industry operates. Sadly, as a result of ongoing restrictions and border closures, the live music component will be cancelled. However, the festival’s co-programmers Dom Miller and Ruby-Jean McCabe, alongside First Nations Programmer Alethea Beetson, will still select the best artist applications to spotlight the next crop of emerging Australian music talent to become The BIGSOUND50. The event will also double down on its role in shining a global spotlight on the artists of tomorrow and sharing them with the wider music industry. The BIGSOUND50 artists will also get first priority application access for BIGSOUND 2021, giving special consideration for attendance and live performing at next year’s event as the industry moves towards a new normal.

The full BIGSOUND program will be released in late September however we are told to expect keynote addresses, online workshops, panels and discussions that will explore the serious needs of the music industry. As always, the event will have big conversations, from the new commercial realities through to the mental and physical health of industry participants. BIGSOUND 2020 will also feature First Nations House in partnership with Spotify to provide a poignant and important program of domestic and international delegates discussing the future of the music industry, creating virtual performance opportunities and offering valuable connections to those across the music industry from a First Nations perspective. Free digital registrations open from today at BIGSOUND however the full BIGSOUND delegate portal will be open for registrants from the end of September for networking and exclusive content. While it may not be the rager we’ve come to know and love, BIGSOUND 2020 promises plenty of big discussions, big tunes and big virtual hugs to bring people together at a time we need it most.

Image: Dave Kan