OPINION: Same Government, New Era: Let’s Move The Music Biz Forward

The weekend’s election result won’t single-handedly solve the challenges facing Australia’s music industry, but it does bring with it a continued commitment to the arts alongside a sense of momentum and possibility, and with it, a renewed opportunity to reimagine what comes next.

It’s time to lean into that energy because, despite the headlines, the Australian music industry is full of green shoots. We have the talent, tenacity, and entrepreneurial spirit to turn those shoots into something much bigger.

It’s true that the music industry has weathered many storms over the last decade. Between global economic headwinds, digital disruption, local venue closures, a cost-of-living crisis, and the persistent aftershocks of a pandemic that derailed how we work, create, and connect, it’s been a hard slog. But after Saturday’s election, I can’t help but feel a renewed sense of optimism. 

Today marks the ideal moment to move the conversation from problems to solutions, to seize the narrative, double down on innovation, and start telling our own success stories, louder and prouder than ever before.

The Australian music industry has never lacked talent. What we’ve sometimes lacked is alignment. Now is the time to fix that.

We need to rally behind a shared ambition: to build sustainable music businesses that support artists, empower creative professionals, and drive real cultural and economic impact. That starts with changing the way we talk about ourselves.

For too long, the dominant headlines have focused on crisis and failure — the rooms that shut, the deals that fall through, the festivals that failed. And while those stories matter and reveal very real pressure points, we can't allow them to be the dominant narratives.

There are incredible things happening across the country right now. Homegrown artists are selling out tours and smashing streaming records. Independent labels have embraced the globalisation of music, and are thriving as a result. Tech startups are rethinking everything from music education to artist contracts. Regional venues are rebuilding the community from the ground up. This is the Australia I know and love — creative, scrappy, and unafraid of doing things differently.

A great example of this is last week’s VMDO Data & Insights Summit in Melbourne, where two days of incredible content were shared with a sold-out room. So many great conversations were sparked, some difficult discussions were had, and everyone left feeling smarter for it. But government and industry can’t be fully responsible for making change; it’s now up to all of us in the music business to turn talk, data, and ideas into action.

We don’t need to pretend the problems don’t exist. But we do need to spend more time amplifying what’s working. When we celebrate wins, big or small, we give everyone something to aspire to. We also make a stronger case to government, investors, and our partners about the value we bring — culturally, socially, and commercially.

This is where narrative matters. Messaging matters. Alignment matters. If we want to secure more meaningful support from outside the industry — whether it’s government funding or private partnerships — we need to speak with one voice about the industry’s potential. That means the artists and execs, the promoters and publishers, the startups and strategists. We need to show up with a united front and a clear message: invest in us, and you invest in Australia’s future.

Because make no mistake: music is big business, and it’s only getting bigger. But growth isn’t guaranteed. It takes courage, creativity, and capital. It takes a mindset shift, from survival to strategy.

That’s exactly why we need more founders, more people thinking like founders, in the music business. More entrepreneurs. More professional development for brave people willing to break and build new models, not just protect old ones. The next decade of growth will come from those willing to experiment. Let’s back them. Let’s mentor them. Let’s put real dollars behind them.

At Sound Story, we’ve seen firsthand what’s possible when storytelling meets strategy. Reputation isn’t just a risk to be managed, it’s an asset to be leveraged. And right now, the music industry has a rare opportunity to take control of its story, and not just in the media, but in the minds of fans, funders and the wider business community.

The continuity of Saturday’s election offers momentum (which is hard to get, and easy to lose!) and a moment to reset the tone and reframe the agenda. Let’s use it.

Let’s speak loudly about what makes this industry so magnetic. Let’s champion success. Let’s be bullish about our future — not naive, but unapologetically ambitious.

We can’t rely on anyone else to tell that story for us. It’s up to us — the people inside the music business — to set the agenda, do the work, and back each other in.

To every artist, agent, manager, label head, startup founder, and public servant working to build something better: I see you. Let’s get aligned. Let’s get creative. Let’s build together.

Because if not now, when?

Jake Challenor is the CEO of Sound Story, a strategic communications consultancy for creative industry leaders and challengers.