The southern hemisphere's largest dedicated music showcase and conference, BIGSOUND just levelled up with a massive second batch of industry speakers.
With representatives from ROC Nation, Sub Pop, The Great Escape, Netflix, Soundcloud, Interscope, Paramount and SXSW already jetting into Brisbane's Fortitude Valley next month (5-8 September), the new additions are highlighted by a couple of industry legends.Influential artist manager, Simon Napier-Bell – who was integral to the success of Wham!, the late-great George Michael, The Yardbirds and Boney M (among many more) – will be joined by Grammy Award-winning English composer Simon Franglen (whose 400-plus credits include 'Avatar', 'Titanic', and 'Cool Runnings' as well as working with the likes of Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Barbra Streisand).
The new international arrivals also include a diverse list with immense global reach including Clockenflap Festival's promoter Cora Chan (arriving from China), ATC Live's Caitlin Ballard (from UK) and FKP Scopio's Silke Westera (from Germany).
Then there is President of FUGA / Downtown in Netherlands Christiaan Kröner alongside German music industry heavyweight Patrick Daniel from Reeperbahn.
Other highlights of the second batch of conference speakers includes South By Southwest's Senior Music Programmer Dev Sherlock, president of Sub Pop records Tony Kiewel, CAA agent Cameron Kaiser (Doja Cat, A$AP Rocky, Christina Aguilera, Troye Sivan, Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy) and The Great Escape Festival's New Music Festival Programmer and Promoter Adam Ryan.
The impressive list of industry heavyweights will join the more than 140 artists who'll be showcasing at BIGSOUND 2023.
"While we're extremely fortunate to have a thriving, tenacious and ever-expanding industry in our own backyard, the importance of global relationships cannot be overlooked," BIGSOUND programmer Tom Larkin says.
"So, in 2023, we're leveraging all 22 years of our collective BIGSOUND experience to secure the most important figures in the industry for our next crop of Aussie acts.
"Deals mean meals and every person we are bringing to BIGSOUND can further an artist's career immeasurably."
Adds QMusic Chair Natalie Strijland: "Whether it's helping formalise a global partnership or simply putting acts in a room where they could discover a piece of advice that could transform their career, BIGSOUND is 100 per cent dedicated to creating an environment for artist change, and providing the best people to help make those changes happen."
The annual event will once again return to Brisbane’s one-of-a-kind Fortitude Valley music precinct, where by day, the world's music decision-makers come together to drive the industry forward with important discussions around the development of art and commerce, and by night adventurous music lovers discover the future of music.
Both delegate passes and music showcase tickets are on sale.
BIGSOUND takes place at numerous venues in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley Entertainment Precinct 5-8 September.
BIGSOUND 2023 Conference Speaker Line-up
Adam Ryan (The Great Escape)Alexandra Idiart-Benavides (The Vault)
Caitlin Ballard (ATC)
Cameron Kaiser (CAA)
Carlo Scarampi (Communion Music)
Chloe Pean (AEG Presents)
Chris Brearley (Greyline Touring / School Night)
Chris Duncan (The Orchard)
Christiaan Kröner (FUGA / Downtown)
Cora Chan (Clockenflap Festival)
David Telfer (DMT Law Firm)
Dev Sherlock (SXSW)
Ed Lilo (Festival Republic)
Eli Gelernter (Wasserman)
Hallie Anderson (Rareform)
Hannah Sklonick (Secretly Group)
Jackie Palazzolo (Riot Games)
Jaclyn Ulman (Grandstand Media)
Jacob Daneman (Pitch Perfect PR)
Jamie Shaughnessy (CAA)
Jule Konrad (FMLY)
Kate English (Parallel Lines)
Louisa Robinson (Form Presents)
Matt Hanner (Runaway Artists)
Patrick Daniel (Reeperbahn)
Seth Hubbard (Polyvinyl)
Seth Kallen (This Faction)
Silke Westera (FKP Scorpio)
Simon Franglen (Composer/Producer)
Simon Napier-Bell (Manager)
Steve Zapp (ITB) (UK)
Tony Kiewel (Sub Pop)
Who join:
Andy Kalyvasl (Netflix)
Ash Stahl (Flightless)
Cabrea Casey (Downtown Music)
Hazel Savage (Soundcloud)
Michele Ronzon (Interscope)
Omar Grant (ROC Nation)
Scott Cohen (JKBX)
Vanessa Palmer (Paramount)
