OP-ED: Australia Has Enough World-Class Talent To Rock The AFL Grand Final, So Why Snoop Dogg?
What does it say about us as a nation when one of our biggest sporting leagues spends millions of dollars shipping in international artists instead of supporting homegrown talent, asks Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Snoop Dogg (Credit: Supplied, Lucinda Goodwin)
Why is the AFL spending millions of dollars on flying in Snoop Dogg for their Grand Final entertainment when Australia has enough world-class talent to rock the AFL Grand Final stage right here at home?
So many Australians found themselves painstakingly cutting down lists of favourite Aussie songs to the ever-impossible top 10 and tuning into triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs last month. We know the love for Aussie music is alive and well.
Musicians are taking on second and third jobs just to get by, our most iconic festivals known for nurturing upcoming Aussie artists are being cancelled, AI is posing an ever-increasing threat to artists’ content, and the gender gap on festival line-ups and top 100 charts seems to only be increasing.
Amidst all the struggles in our arts and music sector right now, the recent Hottest 100 countdown proved that the thirst and appreciation for Aussie music is ever-present.
That’s why the AFL’s announcement that Snoop Dogg would be coming from America, alongside a $2 million pay packet, for their pre-game entertainment left me scratching my head.
Aside from his notorious, homophobic, misogynistic, drug-reference-filled lyrics, Snoop Dogg just doesn’t represent the cultural fabric of Australia.
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One of Australia’s biggest cultural moments is the AFL Grand Final. But we haven’t had an Australian artist lead the entertainment since COVID, when international artists literally couldn't enter the country.
What does it say about us as a nation when one of our biggest sporting leagues spends millions of dollars shipping in international artists instead of supporting homegrown talent?
Huge Australian cultural moments should be paired with true Aussie talent. Over six million people tune into the AFL Grand Final across the country, making it a prime timeslot for showcasing Australian talent. Until institutions like the AFL recognise their role in the live music and arts ecosystem, how will our governments?
Chronic underfunding of the arts has plagued governments in Australia for years, yet the industry and musicians are suffering worse than before, with barely an acknowledgment.
The arts play a critical role in telling the stories of Australia and our people, so we must do whatever we can to support the rise of local creatives and give them a platform to share their talent with Australian audiences and the world.
In my home state of South Australia, where Adelaide is branded a UNESCO City of Music, we’ve seen a number of live music venues close down recently. Without live music venues like the Crown and Anchor (affectionately known as the ‘Cranker’), where Aussie icons like The Superjesus and Tex Perkins found their voice - local artists have less opportunities to hit the stage, hone their craft, and be discovered by new audiences.
A Live Performance Tax Offset for venues, touring artists and theatre productions would be a great step for supporting live music venues. As well as boosting our arts sector, it would provide a tax incentive for Aussie pubs and clubs to host local artists and provide a platform for new and emerging talent.
Another important conversation when it comes to supporting our artists is the role that radio stations have in an era of streaming. Earlier this year, a report by Creative Australia found that only 8% of the top 10,000 artists streamed in Australia in 2024 were Australian.
Local consumption of Aussie artists is at an all-time low (yet it’s important to mention that 80% of Spotify royalties for Aussie artists come from overseas, so we do export well!). So what role do our radio stations have in paying attention to this?
Ben Lee went viral in the days leading up to the Hottest 100 of Aussie songs countdown when he proposed that triple j’s Hottest 100 should only play Australian songs.
I grew up listening to the sounds of triple j. Like so many other young people, I spent every January prepping for my Hottest 100 BBQ and hoping my favourite Aussie artist would get a look in. I’m old enough to remember when The Whitlams’ No Aphrodisiac made number 1, and I thought my world was complete. triple j has had an incredible role and responsibility in nurturing homegrown talent.
triple j has a mandate to play 40 per cent Australian music, and they claim to exceed this by more than 10 per cent year on year. But is it enough?
Sure, triple j in comparison to other commercial radio stations contributes more than its fair share - but when every other station is saturated with international music, and the opaque algorithms of tech platforms dictate more of what is served up than our own user preferences, we need new ways of supporting local talent and cultural sovereignty.
The NSW Government recently announced a plan to incentivise international acts to add local Australian musicians as their support by reducing hiring fees at some of NSW’s largest venues.
The NSW Government is the first in Australia to adopt “Michael’s Rule,” a major boost program named after the late artist manager Michael McMartin. The code, which existed in the 2000s, has recently resurfaced as countless music festivals and venues disappeared from the landscape, and Aussie artists found themselves struggling more than ever before.
This initiative would go a long way to ensuring that our homegrown artists can get the platform they need to share their talent with Australia and the world. It’s a scheme that should be adopted across the country.
Recent findings of homophobia in the AFL, with the spotlight on Izak Rankine in the past week, show that now is as good a time as ever to cancel Snoop Dogg as the pre-game entertainment on Grand Final day.
The irony of suspending the player but paying $2m to a US slur-merchant is not lost on many AFL fans. The selection of the US rapper doesn’t reflect Australia’s values in 2025. The AFL could show both nous and courage in using this incident to bring in an Aussie artist who speaks Australia’s language better than Snoop Dogg ever could.
The initial instalment of Creative Australia’s ‘Listening In’ report back in April found that among live music audiences, 66% of people want to listen to more Australian music. It’s clear the appetite for Aussie talent is there - but governments, radio and streaming services, and institutions like the AFL alike all need to make a conscious effort to do their bit in nurturing our homegrown talent if we want to continue to see Aussie artists shine on the world’s stage.
Sarah Hanson-Young is a Senator for South Australia and the Greens spokesperson for the arts.
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