The Australian music industry has been facing problems for years now. From cancelled festivals, venues shutting down, and failing to reach a global audience. Australian musicians have definitely been struggling.
Australian Music Artists
27th March, 2025- Australia is a country known for its vibrant wildlife and landscapes, but the creative industries are still an important factor in its identity. However, the music scene there has been failing to gain as much attention as its American or U.K. counterparts.
As outlined in the Guardian, there are a variety of reasons for Australia’s musical crisis. However, the publication argues that the two main causes are a failure to meet global audiences and the increased use of tech platforms.
TikTok Music
In February 2023, TikTok conducted an experiment on Australian users. Specifically, the app was using Australian creators to test whether popular music was a driving factor in time spent on the app. As a result, Australian TikTok users were limited in the songs they could use. This included Australian artists trying to promote their music.
“It’s already so hard for Australian independent artists, and now we’re the test.” “It just feels wack to be a guinea pig,” said Australian artist Kota Banks.
TikTok’s experiment was heavily critiqued by Australian creators. However, it also highlighted an increasingly difficult problem for the Australian music industry. While the tendency of social media algorithms to ignore Australian acts is a major problem, the Australian live music scene has also become increasingly sparse.
Australian music festivals
Australia has a diverse music festival scene that spans the country. Obviously, these festivals have a variety of Australian acts that profit from performing in front of a big crowd. However, there has been an alarming increase in major festivals being cancelled over the last few years.
Australian Music Festival Cancelled
An article published by the Conversation argued that this is due to the festival industry being an oversaturated and expensive market. However, festival organizers have also attributed this to increased supplier and production costs. Popular live music venues have also been struggling to stay open. Therefore, making it harder for Australian acts to promote themselves, even in their own country.
Triple J Hottest 100
Triple J is a popular Australian music station that was created with the purpose of promoting independent Australian acts. The radio station hosts an event called Triple J’s Hottest 100, which plays the 100 best songs of the year as voted by listeners. This is a popular occasion amongst Australians, with many taking the day off to enjoy the countdown with friends. However, the big event is the reveal of the winner at the end of the day. This year ,Chappell Roan’s ”Good Luck Babe” won with the most amount of votes in history.
This is obviously a win for Chappell. However, Australian music enthusiasts were disappointed by the lack of Australian artists in the countdown. In fact, only 29 artists were featured. An Australian Indie band called Royel Otis did win second place for their viral cover of ”Murder On The Dance Floor.” However, Australian music fans are still concerned about the lack of Australian representation on the station.
Australian Music Industry
There has been an increased demand from industry professionals, critics, musicians and fans to tackle this issue, with some arguing that music is a driving force for community within the country.
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Published by HOLR Magazine
Image Credit: @kotabanksmusic @chappellroan @royelotis Instagram