BIGSOUND Speakers Give Top Industry Advice Ahead of 2022 Festival

We invited some of the biggest names on the conference line-up for BIGSOUND 2022 and asked them to give their us their tips on how to tackle the festival and what changes they'd like to see the industry undertake in the future.

What's your top BIGSOUND tip for newcomers?

John Mullen (Dew Process - Head of A&R)

"Focus on what you enjoy and don't be too hard on yourself."

Viv Mellish (Director - CMO at DistroDirect and GYROstream)

"Don't go too hard on the first night. It's a LONG three days so pace yourself. The other advice is to not be afraid to go up and talk to people and introduce yourself and if you do, make sure you have your elevator pitch ready."

Jaguar Jonze (Artist)

"It's overwhelming, but try to set out a few achievable goals ahead of time for e.g developing genuine connections with 5 new people, focus on getting your music to booking agents or promoters, attending specific panels or listening to keynote speakers that inspire you or you want to learn from or catching 10 new bands you've never seen etc. and then tune out the rest. It's easy to get burnt out and lost with everything that is going on so I find it helps to fine tune the goals."

Tommy Faith (Triple J Unearthed)

"Don't overbook yourself into meetings in advance. You'll run into a whole bunch of people you hadn't expected to and having room to get a coffee on the fly is key. Move freely, go to every event and make sure you see some acts you've never heard of."

Annabelle Herd (CEO ARIA and PPCA)

"I am a newcomer so looking for any tips myself here!"

Heidi Lenffer (FEAT. Live - Founder / CEO)

"Don't punish yourself by trying to get to everything that looks interesting. Pick your top 3 non-negotiables, and then go with the flow for the rest."

Jono Harrison (Artist and Label Partnerships Lead)

"Wear comfy shoes. Trust me."

What is a topic we should be talking more about as an industry & why?

John Mullen (Dew Process - Head of A&R)

"While we are talking about mental health within the industry, I still feel it is such a big issue that we need to continue to do more. Obviously most critical are the artists, but certainly, it affects everyone that works in the industry including label peeps, managers, agents, crew etc."

Viv Mellish (Director - CMO at DistroDirect and GYROstream)

"Fraudulent streaming. Some experts say it equates to over 10% of all streaming royalties worldwide. It's a HUGE issue and only growing. We need to protect the income streams of genuine artists and all levels of the industry need to work together to stamp it out."

Jaguar Jonze (Artist)

"Accountability and responsibility in the industry to ensure our workplace is a safe one, and to move towards breaking down systemic issues that still exist."

Annabelle Herd (CEO ARIA and PPCA)

"Apart from making our industry safe and inclusive for everyone I think we should be talking more about a strategic focus on growth and export of Australian music."

Heidi Lenffer (FEAT. Live - Founder / CEO)

"Artist's plans for having kids. For such a central life priority for so many, this subject is rarely discussed and is often navigated privately with an undue sense of guilt or letting the team down. Mgmt/labels should foster a culture of open dialogue about family planning with their artists - with all genders- even when it's in the hypothetical stage so that this becomes a normal part of a career roadmap. If that's what the artist wants, of course."

Jono Harrison (Artist and Label Partnerships Lead)

"We need to give more space to Blak artists! On our lineups, in our playlists, on the radio. We can start by listening to more Blak music on Spotify. Or you can come to our Dreaming Loud party at BIGSOUND 5pm Thursday @ La La Land and watch Dameeeela, KANADA THE LOOP, Moss and DJ Kritty live!"

You can find the BIGSOUND Conference schedule here.