It’s not even the end of the month yet. But it has surely been a busy June in the Aussie music industry.
And while you might not be across all these developments, I am.
So here’s the June 2026 recap of the Aussie music industry headlines you don’t want to sleep on.
PART 26? OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
Not that it matters that much. But just FYI – the announcements pretty much stick to the chronological order in which they were announced in June 2026.
AUSSIE DJ FISHER BECOMES A VOICE ACTOR FOR “TOY STORY 5”
Isn’t it funny how, sometimes, a massive setback can be eclipsed by an even bigger win? Not only in the music business, but this story has something to do with an Aussie artist.
In my recent post about the findings of Music Australia’s ‘The Bass Line’ report, I mentioned that FISHER needed to postpone his OUT 2 LUNCH Festival in Oz till next year. “Severe pressures” were cited as the primary reason, most likely meaning that the logistics just didn’t work out in the current economic climate.
While FISHER confessed he was “really bummed” by his event’s delay, he’s recently shared a bombshell that – I’m pretty sure – totally outweighed that gloomy feeling. It doesn’t have much to do with his music career, but it has everything to do with his bubbly personality.
The Aussie DJ has been cast as the voice of the Garden Gnome in the Aussie and Kiwi release of “Toy Story 5”. Yep, that film – one of Disney and Pixar’s most beloved cartoon franchises ever.
And if you know anything about FISHER, you’ll surely agree he must have had a ball with this new gig. The Aussie DJ is renowned for his super positive attitude on and off stage. No doubt he’s channelled it into the character.
I wasn’t planning on seeing the movie. But apparently, it’s been breaking the box office around the world, and especially in the Land Down Under. So I might have a change of heart, actually.
AI OFFICIALLY ENTERS THE ARIA MUSIC AWARDS GAME
The Aussie music community is pretty concerned about the use of AI in creative industries. To the extent that a few prominent local musos participated in a parliament hearing on allowing AI to train on their work without compensation. Briggs, Jack River, Paul Dempsey (from Something for Kate) and ARIA CEO Anabelle Herd used solid arguments. So they convinced the government to ban the harmful practice. That is the good news.
But there’s also some other news that doesn’t 100% align with the above if you ask me.
ARIA has just announced some updates regarding its Awards criteria. One of those guidelines involves the use of AI in music submissions. The organisation doesn’t ban it entirely, but requires that, if a recording incorporating AI-generated elements is entered, then it must ensure “a human is the primary creator and their contribution is considered substantial and meaningful.” In other words, if the AI tools an artist uses during the creative process are authorised and lawful, that’s fine.
I get it – we can’t escape from AI in our daily lives anymore. It has made heaps of processes much easier for various industries. And using legit platforms for music creation is a different story from ripping musos off by using their songs free of charge, training bots (which, by the way, has just come to light in Australia, and the music community is pissed off AF).
So I’m very keen to see how ARIA approaches that “substantial and meaningful contribution” concept going forward. Will there be precise metrics involved in assessing it? Or will this be an individual decision each time?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see. The ARIA Awards noms, which usually drop around mid-September, will be the first indication of how these new rules have been applied.
AUSSIES LOVE TV MUSIC QUIZZES, SO SPICKS AND SPECKS IS MAKING A COMEBACK
Just to clarify, we’re not talking about the Bee Gees‘ song called “Spicks and Specks”. We’re talking about an Aussie TV production named after that famous tune.
For some reason, Aussies really dig music-themed shows on TV. Especially if they combine comedic elements. A few years ago, a similar one – RocKwiz – was resurrected, and it’s been received with open arms. And it’s always a good idea to do more of the things audiences ask for, right?
Spicks and Specks operates on a simple quiz premise. The host, Adam Hills, asks the contestants music-related questions (and they don’t only pertain to the Aussie music scene). Aside from getting it right, their funny team deliberations and personal anecdotes are what it’s all about. Especially since the squads are made up of two witty captains, Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough, who guide the invited celebs to the correct solution.
And even though they keep the score, there isn’t any tangible prize to win, really. Except maybe for “personal satisfaction”. But again, considering it’s a famous Aussie-packed show, I reckon there’s no need for any financials to be involved.
As in any kind of game, there’s an educational element to it, too. The segments are frequently named after well-known songs or acts. They include ‘You’re The Voices’ (after John Farnham’s evergreen anthem), ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?’ (taken from the classic The Angels’ track) or ‘Instrumental as Anything’ (a wordplay on a legendary Aussie band’s name, Mental As Anything).
The show was originally aired between 2005 and 2011. Later on, it’s been revived a few times, but either quite unsuccessfully, in a different format or as special episodes/seasons. So let’s see how this new iteration, starting on July 10, will perform.
TROPHY WYFE – THE UNEARTHED HIGH WINNERS – GET A STICKY PUDDING PRIZE AS WELL
There’s a cool music discovery platform in Australia called Unearthed. It’s actually one of the triple j broadcasters, so its reach in the country is quite significant.
Every year, it opens a competition for musos who are still in school, fittingly called Unearthed High. The winners are recognised in two categories: Unearthed High and Indigenous Initiative. And they get rad prices for winning either one, like songwriting and mentoring sessions with more experienced industry peers. This year, for example, it’s G Flip and Kinder for the main comp, and triple j’s own Nooky for the Indigenous Initiative.
Some artists who have passed through the Unearthed High ranks are now established industry participants. That includes singer-songwriter Gretta Ray (Class of 2016 winner, now sharing stages with Mumford and Sons), DJ and producer Ninajirachi (finalist in that same year who cleaned up at the ARIAs last year), rapper The Kid LAROI (finalist in 2018, who collaborated with Justin Bieber on that massive banger, “Stay”) and indie rockers The Rions (Class of 2021 winners, with nearly half a million monthly Spotify listeners today and this year’s mentors, too).
In 2026, a talented young rapper from NSW, TooLa (real name Tyler Saunders), took the gong in the Indigenous Initiative category. And just to give you a heads-up – when you listen to the lyrics, instrumentation and overall song arrangement, you will not believe he’s only 16 (!). The level of professional maturity in his production is unreal. I’m going to keep a close eye on this gem because he’s surely going to make music magazine headlines soon. So remember – you heard it here first!
There’s a funny story related to the main comp winners, too. Trophy Wyfe are an indie rock/post-punk band from Newcastle whose song “Spiders” caught the attention of the Unearthed team this year. As usual, they were surprised by the Unearthed team when they least expected it (at a high school assembly).
But even the coveted prize – a mentoring session with the band’s hero, Genesis Owusu – was not as sweet as the sticky date pudding one of the mums promised to make to celebrate this achievement. Now that’s what I call a proper trophy!
KATIE NOONAN OPENS UP A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE REALITIES OF BEING A MUSO
The Aussie public might be pretty bored of hearing how tough it is for the musos in their country. But facts are facts. Music Australia’s ‘The Bass Line’ report, published back in May, uncovered some uncomfortable truths, revealing a huge disparity between the industry profits and artists’ actual take-home income, for example.
But no number or stat will ever hit home as much as an actual, personal story. Rolling Stone gets it. So the influential music publication has recently started a segment called ‘Making Music, Making Ends Meet’ – and the title is pretty self-explanatory.
The newest interview in the series is with a seasoned singer-songwriter, Katie Noonan, whose music encompasses different genres (like rock, jazz and opera). And let me tell you this much: she doesn’t hold back in this insightful (sadly, for all the wrong reasons), extensive feature.
Some culprits making musicians’ lives pretty difficult, which the singer lists in the article, are pretty obvious. After all, the conversation around global international stars booking local acts as their support while visiting Australia is ongoing. The DSPs are notoriously called out for not paying artists fairly as well. And artists not having creative control when they sign to major labels is not a secret, either.
But some other music industry challenges Katie Noonan reveals are frequently swept under the carpet. Like having a family and being a breastfeeding mother on tour. While she recognises that venues are normally happy to help in that regard, a musician’s dynamic in general is just not designed for female artists. Selling your soul to make a quick buck when you’re offered a lucrative deal to have your music synced to a tampon commercial, among other interesting products, is another dilemma musicians frequently struggle with. Let alone admitting publicly to losing money while gigging for the sake of getting your name in front of live audiences.
It’s a heavy read, but soooo worthwhile. So, to quote the singer-songwriter, “Life without music is not a life worth living. So yeah — we keep fighting.”
BOLSTER CLASSIFIED GIG GOERS, AND YOU’RE DEFO IN ONE OF THE 4 GROUPS, TOO
This news is actually related to the previous one. In the Rolling Stone article, Katie Noonan mentioned that, despite being in the industry game for three decades, she’s “having trouble getting bums on seats.” Bolster’s report might be the answer as to why.
Bolster is an Aussie company specialising in entertainment and culture marketing. In their first ‘Pulse’ report – “a quick temp check into how Australians’ reactions to geopolitics, inflation, and petrol prices are impacting live event attendance” – they presented findings of an interesting survey. They’ve asked 350 people whether the current state of global affairs has impacted their choices around going to gigs at all.
The results might surprise you, but they don’t shock me, if you know what I mean. The best part is that Bolster has crunched those numbers in a more palatable way, translating the data into four groups. Their circumstances are determined by finances, age and other demographic and socio-economic factors.
Cautious Cutters are the biggest group. Those are the punters who do complicated math calculations to see if they have enough to put food on the table before splashing out on a gig or festival. Unsurprisingly, the older, retired generations can afford to pay the (frequently) extortionate ticket prices since they usually don’t carry the heavy burden of rent or mortgage. So for them, it’s Business As Usual.
For the youngest crowd, music is a form of Escapism. And since everything is pretty much shite nowadays, they’re not willing to compromise on that only dose of happiness. Finally, The Dropouts have checked out from the live music experience altogether. And even though it’s the smallest group, it’s still a big concern, don’t you think?
Despite my music blogging gig, I consider myself a Cautious Cutter as well. Which one are you?
The winter season in Oz (starting in July since it’s the Southern Hemisphere) is shaping up to be a pretty eventful one, too.
NAIDOC Week and the NIMAs (the National Indigenous Music Awards) are just around the corner. A massive Indie-Con is also happening in Adelaide at the end of July. And a few of my fave Aussie acts are dropping new records in the next couple of months, including the legends The Temper Trap, the First Nations R&B star Budjerah and the electronic act Crooked Colours (it’s the first album since this trio became a solo project).
So watch this space for more Aussie industry news in a month or so.
Cover image by Damon Lam on Unsplash
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