Paul Kelly Added To BIGSOUND 2026 As Full Program Is Revealed

Paul Kelly

With less than three weeks to go until BIGSOUND returns to Brisbane, today’s announcement is a big one: the full program has arrived, with the industry line-up completed and a superstar of Australian music joining the Artist in Conversation series.

Let’s start there: Paul Kelly is heading to BIGSOUND. Yep, you read that correctly! He’ll appear in conversation with ABC journalist Sarah Kanowski, where he’s set to discuss the “importance of the songwriter and songwriting in shaping our music culture.”

Paul Kelly’s appearance will be presented in conjunction with APRA AMCOS and in celebration of 100 years of Australian songwriting.

Karen Don, Head of Membership at APRA AMCOS, said of today’s announcement:

As APRA celebrates 100 years of supporting Australian songwriters, composers and music publishers, and BIGSOUND clocks up 25 years of showcasing the best of our music industry, it seemed only fitting that we bring out one of Australia’s most beloved songwriters, Paul Kelly, as part of the celebrations to talk about Australian songwriting and its impact both here and around the world.

Today also sees the completion of this year’s industry speakers’ line-up, with Annabelle Herd (CEO, ARIA), Hans Schafer (SVP Global Touring, Live Nation), singer-songwriter Pete Murray, Kimberley Galceran (Music Director, Dark Mofo) and Van Picken (Global Head Music Strategy, TEG) joining the roster.

Additionally, BIGSOUND will explore the expansion of Latin music on the panel, Building Like Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican’s incredible rise will be explored in a panel that also examines how artists can embrace culture and language and further build connections between Australia and Latin America. Hans Schafer will feature on the unmissable panel.

BIGSOUND’s Ideas and Innovation Hub returns this year, delivering two sets of programming focused on Education (presented by Amplify Music Education) and Technology (presented by the Centre for Arts, Sport and Technology). It also welcomes the Artist Hub, presented with Spotify, giving performers a dedicated space to recharge and connect between shows.

Lastly, the Oztix Delegate Hub provides an opportunity for networking and connection needs, while the BIGSOUND Content House returns with a custom space for content creators. Plus, the official Oztix party is coming back for more, and Live Nation’s Ones To Watch series is set to drop its line-up at any moment.

You can check out the full BIGSOUND 2026 program here and see the latest industry guests line-up announcement below.

BIGSOUND 2026

LATEST INDUSTRY GUESTS ANNOUNCEMENT (A-Z)

ADELLE ROBINSON (AFA/Fuzzy)

AERON CLARK (Edge Radio Hobart)

AL NEWSTEAD (Author/Music and Pop Culture Reporter, Double J)

ALEX CLARKE (Yellowbelly Bourke)

ALEX NAGL (AMRAP/CBAA)

ALEX KNIGHT (GYRO.Group)

ALISON BREMNER (GYRO.Group)

ALI TOMOANA (Manager, Soul Has No Tempo)

ALYCE WEARNE (Spotify)

AMELIA JENNER (Touring & Operations Manager, WAT Artists)

ANDREW KHEDOORI (Music Director, AMRAP/CBAA)

ANDREW PATTERSON (Retired Public School Principal)

ANGELA PULVIRENTI (Like No Other Media)

ANNABELLE HERD (CEO, ARIA)

ANTHONY ZACCARIA (Co-Founder, Linktree)

ARI PASCUAL (Agent, Trust Artists)

ASHLEY GAY (Ex A&R / Managing Director, Central Station Records/Xelon Digital)

ASH MCGREGOR (Podcaster, Listen Up With Ash)

BECKI WHITTON (Mixing & Mastering Engineer)

BIANCA BENUSSI (Strategic Partner Manager, Global Partnerships, Instagram)

BILLY ZAMMIT (Creative Director)

BIRDLAND (Artist)

BRAD HINDS (Head of Music, Oztix)

BYRON SPENCER (Artist, DeepFaith)

CAMERON MENEGONI (AMRAP/CBAA)

CARLA FOWLER (Founder, Create Mate)

CHRIS BREARLEY (Promoter, Greyline Live)

CLAIRE COLLINS (Bossy Music)

DAN WOOLSTON (Founder, Higher Ground Management & SNIFFERS Magazine)

DARIA WAIN (4ZZZ)

DAVE SLESWICK (Tivoli Group)

DR ASH KING (Mental Health Content and Programs Lead, Support Act)

Dr JAMES HUMBERSTONE (Associate Professor, Sydney Conservatorium)

EDVARD HAKANSSON (Founder/Director, Cohort Records)

ELINOR WILLIAMS (Digital Marketing Director, The Annex)

EMILY COLLINS (Head of Sound NSW, Sound NSW)

EMMA BOSWORTH (Green Music Australia)

EMMA DOLIBI (Marketing Director, Laneway Festival)

FIRAS MASSOUH (PBS FM)

FRED GESHA (St Kilda Festival - First Peoples Program Lead)

GLENN DICKIE (Export Music Producer, Sounds Australia)

GLENN SAVAGE (Professor of Education Futures, University of Melbourne)

HANNAH LAPEDOTA (Social & Advocacy Brand Manager | Maybelline New York ANZ)

HANS SCHAFER (SVP, Global Touring, Live Nation)

HARPER KODICEK

JADE NAZARETH (Artist Manager, One Louder)

JAMISON KEHL (The Push)

JAMIE RAEBURN (Managing Director, Central Station Records)

JANE POLLEY (Curriculum Specialist, The Arts, ACARA)

JASON TEMPLEMAN (Engagement Officer, Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games & Economic Empowerment)

JENNIFER SULLIVAN (CMO, KiTbetter)

JESS BARLOW (Senior Director for Sync Licensing at Concord Music Publishing ANZ, Concord)

JIM HENNESSEY (Director of Marketing, Untitled Group)

JO PALUMBO (Founder, Central Station Records)

JOE KHAN (Senior Editor, Spotify)

JOHN ‘JC’ COLLINS (QLD Night-Life Economy Commissioner)

JONATHAN ZAWADA (Creative Director)

JORDAN ROYAL (4ZZZ)

KAT GIBBS (Head of People and Culture, Unified)

KIM FERGUSON (Mo’s Desert Clubhouse)

KIMBERLEY GALCERAN (Music Director, Dark Mofo)

KIRSTY LEE PETERS (Publishing A&R, Sweat It Out)

LADYHAWKE (Artist)

LARS BRANDLE (Music Journalist)

LIZ ASTEY (Director, Orbit/dplr group)

LORRAE McKENNA (Founder & Artist Manager, Our Golden Friend)

LUCAS CANZONA (Director, Fairwin Entertainment)

LUCY BLOMKAMP (Producer)

LUCY BUCKERIDGE (Head of Asia Pacific, Domino Recordings)

LYNLEY WHITE-SMITH (Forbes Street Studios)

MARCUS WALKOM (Walkom Lawyers)

MARK GERBER (Founder/CEO, Oxford Art Factory)

MATT FIELD (Field Frequency)

MATT NUGENT (COO, Central Station Records)

MATT O’GORMAN (Drummer, British India / Radio Announcer, Southern Cross Austereo)

MAYELLA DEWIS-KOROI (Creative & Festival Producer)

MEG WILLIAMS (Creative Victoria)

MICHELLE YANEZ-OLIVARES (Founder, Amiga Mía )

MONIQUE WILLIAMS (Marketing & Communications Manager, Creative Australia)

NATASHA PINTO (Venue Booker, CG Live)

NATHAN BIRD (Artist)

NATHANIEL ANDREW (NATISMO)

NICHOLAS DI LORENZO (Mastering Engineer, Panorama Mastering)

NIKKI WISHART (QSIC)

PAUL KELLY (Artist)

PETE MURRAY (Artist)

POPPY REID

RAFAEL PEREIRA (Lawyer, Tin Nuts / Intellectual Property Strategist, India International Music Week)

ROHAN HARDY (Director of Music, St. Andrew’s Anglican College)

ROMY HARBER (Global Head of Entertainment, Marketing and Partnerships, B-Electronic)

SAM CROMACK (Singer and Songwriter, Ball Park Music)

SARAH KANOWSKI (Journalist, ABC)

SASHA McLEOD (Singer and Songwriter, SYCCO)

SEAN WALKER (Artist)

SHANNON CARRAGHER (Senior Music Editor, Spotify)

STU FIELD (Director, Oztix)

TAM BOAKES (Owner/CEO, Jive; Australian Music Venue Foundation)

THALIA SKOPELLOS (StoryBeats)

TIFF STODART (Three D Radio)

TOM BRAIN (Venue Programmer & Promoter, JOY Events)

TOMMY BOUTROS (FBi Radio)

TRISTAN BERRY (ONErpm)

TYLA DOMBROSKI (Director & CEO, Crowbar Brisbane & Crowbar Sydney)

UNICE WANI (Creator)

VAN PICKEN (Founder/Global Director of Music Strategy, Comes With Fries; Ticketek Entertainment Group)

VICTORIA KOZBANIS (Touring Coordinator, Lonely Lands Agency)

VIV MELLISH (GYRO.Group)

WILL CUMING (Head of Product & Engineering, Unified Music Group)

The full list of 2026 guests can be found here