The  BIGSOUND Festival in Brisbane has given Aussie artists a unique opportunity to engage with community radio Music Directors from around Australia and pitch their latest tunes.
 
During a week of workshops, panels and live music showcases, the CBAA/Amrap was able to facilitate opportunities for musicians, representatives and delegates to establish closer connections with community radio.
 
Helen Henry, the CBAA’s Senior Manager, Stakeholder Engagement says: “With over a third of music played on community radio by local artists, it’s no surprise that our airwaves are where many Australian artists find their first airplay and where a diverse range of established artists find continued support.”
 
Among the representatives from community stations were Aeron Clark of Edge Radio (Hobart) Simon Winkler from Triple R (Melbourne), 2SER’s Steph Liong (Sydney), Firas Massouh from PBS (Melbourne) and Liz Ansley of 4ZZZ (Brisbane)
 
Along with the chance to gain one-on-one feedback from the Music Directors, the 20+ attending artists and representatives also got the inside scoop on how stations support new Australian music both on-air and online using the CBAA’s Amrap services.
 
“With community radio recording its highest national listenership to date, it’s an exciting time to nurture the love affair between the Australian music industry and community broadcasting sector, and BIGSOUND is the perfect place to do it,” says Helen Henry.

2SER’s Steph Leong has told radioinfo:

Bigsound is always a fantastic time of year where artists, music industry reps and fans can get together and celebrate homegrown talent. Community radio has consistently been an early champion of Australian music, and across all stations has the special ability to highlight the diversity of styles and voices producing it. I felt very fortunate to not only be able to represent 2SER, but the sector as a whole at this year’s Festival and Conference.