First international guests announced for BIGSOUND 2026
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Representatives from ROAM Artists (UK), Reeperbahn (GER), DMT Law Firm (US), Carpark Records (US), The Great Escape (UK), True Panther (US) and SXSW (US) lead the first international guest announcements for BIGSOUND 2026 (1-4 September Fortitude Valley, Brisbane).
Alongside the conference, the BIGSOUND 2026 festival will showcase the BIGSOUND 100 – made up of Australian and New Zealand acts ready to capitalise on the momentum and opportunities offered through the BIGSOUND Artist Hub, Content House, tailored meetings, mentoring and performance schedules.
Artist Applications have been extended, closing 11.59pm – Tuesday, 7 April 2026, with the official programto be revealed in the coming months.
Kicking off their 25th year, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest music industry event, BIGSOUND has gone early with a first announce that reads like a wish list for any Australian musician, manager or music business looking for opportunities outside of their city and our shores.
Taking over Fortitude Valley each September, BIGSOUND is where the global music industry does business with Australia. It’s where deals get done, rosters get signed, tours get booked, and the conversations that define careers happen between panels, after showcases, and over a drink at the Artist Hub.
International Guests include:
Nigel House, Rough Trade Retail – Driven by a deep and longstanding passion for music, Nigel is the OG of one of the most influential names in independent retail. The 50-year-old institution operates stores across the UK, in NYC, and Berlin, combining record retail with in-store and out-of-store performances that play a key role in artist discovery and fan connection, championing artists with recent performances from Geese and Courtney Barnett.
Mariana Timony, Bandcamp Daily -The editorial arm of Bandcamp helps shape global music discovery while supporting independent artists through a direct-to-fan model. As Senior Editor, Timony will write a Brisbane Scene Report during BIGSOUND, spotlighting the region’s emerging artists and culture.
Christie Medina-Gonzalez, Hellfest – One of the world’s leading heavy music festivals held in France. Known for its large-scale production and line-ups featuring established acts like Metallica, Iron Maiden and Parkway Drive along with emerging artists programmed across the six stages.
Carole Ann Vetter, Low Profile – As the Senior Director of Licensing & Admin, for the last 8 years Vetter has been overseeing all things sync at the company, from creative pitching to business administration. Low Profile is a Brooklyn-based, female-run agency working across global campaigns in film, television, and brand partnerships, connecting culturally relevant and emerging artists with leading brands including Nike, Apple, and Netflix.
Márk Bóna, Sziget Festival – Bóna is a long-standing booker and event manager, having worked across its programming and production since 2004, now overseeing key stages and emerging artist bookings. Sziget Festival is one of Europe’s largest and most internationally recognised festivals, held in Budapest and drawing a global audience with a diverse, multi-genre lineup and large-scale production.
Joining them:
David Telfer, Lawyer at DMT Law Firm (US)
Christina Austin, Agent at Cobra (UK)
Kelley Lin, Label/General Manager at True Panther (US)
Lucy Atkinson, agent at ROAM Artists (UK)
Steph Salas, Label Manager at Carpark Records (US)
Reeperbahn (GER)
SXSW (USA)
The Great Escape (UK)
QMusic & BIGSOUND CEO Kris Stewart said “Each year, alongside our Conference Curators Cathy Oates and Niriko McLure, our commitment is to bring global music industry decision makers to Brisbane. We want people to leave BIGSOUND with relationships that support them across their entire career.”
Returning in just 159 days BIGSOUND 2026 will again feature the popular Roundtables, Conversation Corners, Artist Hub, Content House, Delegate Hub, and Goolwal Goolwal, (Yagara language for BIGSOUND) – BIGSOUND’s First Nations-led program bringing free cultural experiences by day and deadly tunes by night. Alongside these crowd favourites an expanded technology and partner showcase program will be launched in the coming months.
The full BIGSOUND program will launch in July, with early bird tickets set to go on sale in May. The team promises to tease more exciting news soon.
The biggest week in Australian music and largest music industry event in the Southern Hemisphere, BIGSOUND has been where the music industry does business for 25 years. Held annually in the sacred home and beating heart of Australia’s Live music scene – Fortitude Valley, Magandjin (Brisbane), BIGSOUND is four days and three nights of showcases, development, conversations and connections.
BIGSOUND is the place where managers find their next act, agents close touring deals, labels discover the artists that define the next generation, and where introductions made over a drink at the Artist Hub become the partnerships that shape careers. Part showcase, part conference, part pilgrimage for the Australian music industry and its global peers – BIGSOUND is a cultural moment that has helped launched and propelled the careers of artists including Flume, Tash Sultana, Tones and I, and Courtney Barnettt, and continues to attract the international music industry to Brisbane each September.
BIGSOUND 2026 | 1–4 September, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Tickets on sale May 2026.
About QMusic
QMusic is the not-for-profit music industry peak body and development association for Queensland. The work of QMusic is critical to the success and development of Queensland’s music economy. It is the only significant and established not-for-profit organisation in Queensland dedicated to delivering sector and talent development, and recognition and capacity building initiatives including Industry Connect, the QMAs, and BIGSOUND.
