Featuring Jen Malone (Music supervisor behind Euphoria, Overcompensating, Mr & Mrs Smith & more), Dr. Marcus Collins (Best-Selling Author of For The Culture, former digital strategist for Beyoncé) & many more.
Sydney, Australia – Tuesday 27 May – South by Southwest Sydney® (SXSW Sydney) has today revealed the first speakers featuring in the Music program of the 2025 conference.
The line-up features some of the world’s best thinkers, buyers and culture-makers, speaking to topics including the state of independence, digital strategy, breaking out of the geobubble and into global markets, and the opportunities and challenges AI presents for the music industry.
Leading today’s announcement is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand music supervisors, Emmy Award-nominated Jen Malone, who has curated culture-defining moments at the cross section of music and screen through high profile credits such as Euphoria, Wednesday, Mr & Mrs Smith, Atlanta, Overcompensating and more. Award-winning marketing professor, cultural translator and #1 best-selling author (plus former director of digital strategy for Beyoncé!), Dr. Marcus Collins will also be a must-attend for artists, marketers and music industry strategists alike.
Joining the lineup from the USA includes Senior Director of A&R at All Flowers international label Group, Alex Berenson; tech entrepreneur Andrew Batey; VP of Music Festival for SXSW in Austin, Brian Hobbs; co-founder of Rareform marketing team (TOKiMONSTA, Royel Otis, Tash Sultana, Obongjayar), Hallie Anderson; and founder of Ode strategic agency, Jashima Wadehra.
Further global talent includes Sally Dunstone, Agent/Partner from Primary Talent (UK); Founder of Hong Kong’s Clockenflap Festival Justin Sweeting (Hong Kong); Lucy Atkinson, Senior Agent at ATC Live (MØ, Erika De Casier)(UK); Apodaca Group and Pal Norte Festival’s Macarena González (Mexico); Meng Ru Kuok CEO of Caldecott Music Group (Singapore); Patrick Daniel from Europe’s beloved Reeperbahn Festival (Germany); Priya Dewan from music networking platform GigLifePro (Singapore); and Roochay Shukla, Believe’s Head of Creative Marketing (India and South Asia).
The first taste of the local lineup includes Australian host of Airing Your Dirty Laundry podcast, Daphne Berry; John Watson, President of Eleven Music and John Watson Management (Missy Higgins, Midnight Oil, Gotye); music industry consultant Jono Harrison; AI expert and artist Kartini Ludwig of Koup Music; and head of local marketing and artist services company The Annex, Mardi Caught.
Claire Collins, SXSW Sydney’s Head of Music says, “SXSW Sydney is about big ideas, bold conversations and unexpected connections. It’s a chance to hear directly from the people who open doors — the buyers, curators and deal-makers — and to better understand how to cut through, stay independent, or scale globally. Whether you’re building a team, exploring how AI can support your creative and business goals, or just looking for inspiration from other creative industries, this is where the conversations start.
We’re proud to bring this talent to Sydney, and to connect them with the broader SXSW Sydney community. It’s a week packed with fun, discovery, and opportunities to connect, collaborate, and imagine what’s next for music in our region and around the world.”
Today’s announcement follows last month’s first artist announcement, with more Music Conference speakers, parties, panels, workshops and more still to be revealed, alongside details of 300+ buzzy international and domestic artist performances.
To find out more visit www.sxswsydney.com/music-showcase and secure a pass, visit www.sxswsydney.com/attend.
SXSW Sydney is delivered in Partnership with the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Plan your SXSW Sydney 2025 trip now, visit sydney.com.
SXSW SYDNEY 2025: 13 – 19 OCTOBER
SXSW SYDNEY WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
DESTINATION NSW WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK
TEG WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
2025 SPEAKER HEADSHOTS HERE | 2024 EVENT PHOTOS HERE
For SXSW Sydney Music Conference & Festival media inquiries please contact:
charlotte@thinkingloud.com.au | bianca@thinkingloud.com.au | https://sxswsydney.com/
Music Speaker Line-up (announced thus far):
- Jen Malone (Music Supervisor, Black & White Music), USA
- Dr Marcus Collins (Culture Academic and #1 Selling Author), USA
- Alex Berenson (Senior Director of A&R, All Flowers), USA
- Andrew Batey (Founder & Co-CEO, Beatdapp), USA
- Brian Hobbs (VP of Music Festival, SXSW), USA
- Daphne Berry (Podcast Host, Airing Your Dirty Laundry), AUS
- Hallie Anderson (Co-Founder, Rareform Agency), USA
- Jashima Wadehra (Founder, Ode), USA
- John Watson (President, John Watson Management / Eleven Music), AUS
- Jono Harrison (Music Industry Consultant), AUS
- Justin Sweeting (Co-Founder & Music Director, Clockenflap Festival), Hong Kong
- Kartini Ludwig (Founder, Koup Music), AUS
- Lucy Atkinson (Booking Agent, ATC), UK
- Macarena González (Live Talent Coordinator, Apodaca Group / Pal Norte Festival), Mexico
- Mardi Caught (Head, The Annex), AUS
- Meng Ru Kuok (Group CEO & Founder, Caldecott Music Group), Singapore
- Patrick Daniel (Project Manager, Reeperbahn), Germany
- Priya Dewan (Founder & CEO, GigLifePro), Singapore
- Roochay Shukla (Head of Creative Marketing India and South Asia, Believe), India
- Sally Dunstone (Partner and Agent, Primary Talent), UK
- Jasmine 4.t (UK)
- Freak Slug (UK)
- Jamaica Moana (AUS)
- JJ4K (AUS)
- Serebii (NZ)
- Slowwves (Thailand)
- Cardinals (Ireland)
- Tusekah (NZ)
- Suichu Spica 水中スピカ (JPN)
- RICEWINE (AUS)
- Sacred Hearts (AUS)
- Swapmeet (AUS)
- BADASSMUTHA (AUS)
- Ristband + Pivots (UK)
