The 5 BIGSOUND Panels You Must See

Every year the scope of topics covered during the panels and keynote speeches at the BIGSOUND conference seems to broaden and diversify, and the 2014 instalment is no exception – for instance, this year you can experience experts in the fields of metal, hip hop and country music delving into their respective genres, on top of the myriad other industry-related themes that are tackled each year.

What you will want to see at BIGSOUND will depend on what you do and what you’re hoping to take away from the experience – it will ultimately be completely different for everyone, much like how a festival experience is different for each punter depending upon their individual tastes and proclivities – and with that in mind here’s our list of must-see panels and keynotes over the three days of BIGSOUND 2014.

WEDNESDAY

10am Opening Keynote – Neil Finn

Despite our unique tastes, everyone loves Neil Finn, right? The man’s damn close to a national treasure (despite coming from across the ditch) and has touched the hearts of generations with his work for Split Enz, Crowded House and countless other musical outlets. He’s spawned some of the biggest hits ever to come from Australasia and worked with artists like of Radiohead, Wilco and Pearl Jam – plus he loves a yarn – so it will be music geek heaven when he sits down with respected Melbourne broadcaster Fee B-Squared (RRR) to delve into the nooks and crannies of his venerated career.

11.35am Hell F*ck Yeah – The Future Of Australian Music

Pictured: Claire Collins

It’s become something of a BIGSOUND tradition to open the panels with a look at the present and future of the Australian music scene, but never before has that panel been named after the chorus of a Violent Soho song. Walkley Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Paul Barclay (ABC RN) will facilitate a massive panel comprising Claire Collins (Bossy Music), Jessica Ducrou (Village Sounds, Splendour In The Grass), Mardi Caught (Warner Music), Nathan McLay (Future Classic) and Andrew Stone (Chugg Music). Together this brains trust will look at the recent successes (and otherwise) of Aussie acts in overseas markets, and what can be gleaned from these wins and applied to other projects moving forward.

THURSDAY

11.05am Mini-keynote – Anthony Fantano

Pictured: Anthony Fantano

Internet geek/music nerd Anthony Fantano – aka Needle Drop – has become one of the most respected music bloggers on the web, at the vanguard of the new breed of music. Love him or loathe him, he’s making a massive difference to the way that today’s tech-savvy punter discovers and appreciates new music, so on his first visit to Australia it should be fascinating to get his perspective on the past, present and future of music criticism.

3.45pm Amazing Labels

Pictured: Julia Willinger

In this day and age of constant flux in the music industry the independent label is arguably more important than ever before, giving a home and passionate support to those bands whose artistic endeavours exist outside of the mainstream’s embrace. Indie labels are the true pioneers of the music world, and this panel will look at the current indie landscape, recent trends and developments and how an indie can make and break an act both here and overseas. The panel will be led by the ever-astute Tim Janes (Caroline Label Services) who will have at his disposal the combined acumen of Justin Cosby (Inertia), Derek Davies (Neon Gold Records), Tor Hansen (Redeye/Yep Roc), Pip Newby (Play It Again Sam), Darius Van Arman (Secretly Group) and Julia Willinger (Mom And Pop Music/Q Prime) to dissect this intriguing topic from every angle imaginable.

FRIDAY

2.45pm Funemployment

Pictured: Evelyn Morris (Pikelet)

By Friday everyone is thinking more about survival than networking opportunities and knowledge acquisition, so let’s finish BIGSOUND 2014 on a fun note (albeit one with practical ramifications for burgeoning musicians and industry hopefuls). Justin Heazlewood – aka The Bedroom Philosopher – tries to explain what it’s actually like to be an independent musician in Australia, from the excitement of starting out wide-eyed and full of dreams to the realities and toil involved with actually being an independent muso. Joining him for this fun finale will be current and former musicians Megan Washington, Russell Morris, Evelyn Morris (Pikelet) and Tim Shiel (Faux Pas), in what should hopefully be a heady mixture of hilarious anecdotes and harsh realities.