BIGSOUND

BIGSOUND is the Australian music industry's annual gathering: part conference, part showcase festival, run by Queensland peak body QMusic in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley every September since 2002. By day it's panels, keynotes and deal-making; by night, the BIGSOUND 100 — a hundred emerging and established acts playing short sets across the Valley's venues for rooms full of bookers, labels and international delegates. It's the closest thing Australia has to a SXSW, and the standard launchpad for new Australian acts. The 2026 edition runs 1–4 September, marking 25 years in the Valley.

QMusic started BIGSOUND in 2002 as a low-key showcase putting Queensland and Australian artists in front of industry professionals. It has since grown into a multi-day conference and showcase festival that anchors the national industry calendar.

The event has stayed rooted in Fortitude Valley's live-venue strip throughout, with 2026 its 25th year in the precinct.

BIGSOUND's showcase alumni include Flume, Courtney Barnett, Tash Sultana, Tones And I, Baker Boy and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard — acts who played the Valley showcases before breaking widely.

For 2026, QMusic announced increased financial support for the BIGSOUND 100 for the first time — travel contributions, a QR-code payment system for fans to tip artists, and expanded conference access — with Paul Kelly among the headline speakers.