What QMusic does

QMusic (legal entity: Queensland Music Network Ltd) is a not-for-profit music industry development association headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, that delivers programs, events, and awards supporting Queensland's contemporary music sector. Originally founded in 1994 and operating in its current form since the launch of BIGSOUND in 2000 and the Queensland Music Awards in 2006, it transitioned to a Company Limited by Guarantee structure in June 2025. Its core offerings are BIGSOUND (the Southern Hemisphere's largest new-music festival and industry conference, drawing 34,000+ attendances and $20.15M in annual economic impact across 269 jobs in Queensland), the Queensland Music Awards (QMAs — 20+ categories, 80 finalists in 2026, 13,800+ submissions since inception), Industry Connect (free professional-development workshops across 10+ regional Queensland towns), and four $15,000 annual scholarships (Billy Thorpe, Carol Lloyd, Dennis 'Mop' Conlon, Grant McLennan) totaling $60,000 per year. Additional sub-brands include Valley Fiesta, Concert Care (venue safety initiative), and the Valley Walk of Fame physical monument.

Its business model is a hybrid of multi-tier government appropriation and member-supported programming. Approximately half of operating revenue is sourced from the Queensland Government (Arts Queensland) with core funding support, supplemented by the Australian Government (Creative Australia) and Tourism and Events Queensland for BIGSOUND specifically. Secondary revenue streams include tiered subscription memberships (Individual $55/year, Band $110/year, Business $220/year, Ordinary $2/year), ticket sales and corporate sponsorship for BIGSOUND and QMAs, and individual donations via the "Support" program. Distribution is event-driven (BIGSOUND festival and conference in Fortitude Valley; QMAs rotating venues with 2026 at Miami Marketta on the Gold Coast), community-led (RASN-partnered Industry Connect workshops, member communications via email newsletter and Spotify playlist), and direct digital (subscription self-serve at qmusic.com.au). The customer base is structurally long-tail — emerging and established artists, bands, sole-trader music professionals, and music-business organizations — with no enterprise anchors or venture-style concentration.

Name

QMusic

Legal name

Queensland Music Network Ltd

Website

https://qmusic.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

QMusic is a Brisbane-based not-for-profit (Queensland Music Network Ltd) that develops and delivers programs, events, and awards supporting Queensland's contemporary music industry, anchored by BIGSOUND, the Queensland Music Awards, regional Industry Connect workshops, and four annual $15,000 scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Industry Development Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Music industry development
• Music awards programs
• Music scholarships grants
• Music industry conferences
• Music industry association

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Subscription Fees: QMusic generates revenue through tiered subscription memberships: Individual/Sole Trader ($55/year), Band ($110/year), and Business/Organisation ($220/year). These provide access to workshops, event discounts, and networking opportunities. Ordinary Membership for governance participation costs $2/year.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from BIGSOUND conference passes and Queensland Music Awards ceremonies including ticket sales, sponsorship, and partnerships associated with major events.
3. Government Funding: QMusic receives significant funding from Queensland Government through Arts Queensland for delivering sector development programs, scholarships, and major music events. Additional support from Creative Australia (Australian Government) for BIGSOUND and Tourism and Events Queensland.
4. Donations: Individual donations from supporters of Queensland music. QMusic operates as a not-for-profit organization relying on donations, partners, funding, and in-kind support to deliver programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

QMusic is Queensland's peak music industry development association, delivering events, programs, and awards that develop and connect the state's contemporary music industry. Core offerings include the BIGSOUND festival and industry conference (the Southern Hemisphere's largest), the annual Queensland Music Awards (QMAs), Industry Connect professional development workshops delivered across regional Queensland, four annual scholarship programs ($15,000 each: Billy Thorpe, Dennis 'Mop' Conlon, Carol Lloyd Award, Grant McLennan Fellowship), the Concert Care venue safety initiative, Valley Fiesta, and the Valley Walk of Fame recognition program.

Product overview

QMusic is Queensland's music industry development association operating as a not-for-profit organization. The core offerings include BIGSOUND (the Southern Hemisphere's largest music festival and conference), the Queensland Music Awards (QMAs) as the premier annual awards ceremony, and Industry Connect as free professional development workshops. The organization administers four annual scholarship programs: the Billy Thorpe Scholarship ($15,000 for recording), Dennis 'Mop' Conlon Scholarship ($15,000 for Indigenous artists), Carol Lloyd Award ($15,000 for female-identifying/non-binary artists), and Grant McLennan Fellowship ($15,000 for international travel). Additional programs include Concert Care (venue safety initiative), Valley Fiesta (street festival), and Valley Walk of Fame (artist recognition). The suite of programs supports emerging and established artists through funding, industry connections, and professional development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BIGSOUND: The Southern Hemisphere's biggest week in Australian music, featuring artist showcases and industry conference
• Queensland Music Awards (QMAs)
• Industry Connect
• Valley Fiesta
• Concert Care
• Billy Thorpe Scholarship
• Carol Lloyd Award
• Dennis 'Mop' Conlon Scholarship
• Grant McLennan Fellowship

Products and services

• BIGSOUND The Southern Hemisphere's biggest new music festival and industry conference, taking place in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. Features 100+ artist showcases by night and industry conference sessions by day over 4 days, attracting over 34,000 attendances and 1,306 visitors from across Australia and internationally.
• Queensland Music Awards (QMAs) Annual state-wide awards celebrating Queensland's best music across 20+ categories, including album of the year, song of the year, and various genre-specific awards. Judged by over 100 Australian and international music industry professionals.
• Industry Connect Free industry development workshops and panels featuring music industry experts sharing practical advice and lived experience across topics from songwriting to streaming and marketing. Delivered across 10+ Queensland towns in partnership with the Regional Arts Services Network.
• Billy Thorpe Scholarship Annual $15,000 scholarship providing emerging artists the opportunity to record with an established producer and receive career planning support from Chugg Entertainment.
• Dennis 'Mop' Conlon Scholarship Annual $15,000 scholarship supporting emerging Indigenous Queensland musicians or bands to develop and record music and support their ongoing career in the music industry.
• Carol Lloyd Award $15,000 grant presented to a singer-songwriter to either record a full-length album or record and tour an EP, supporting female-identifying or gender-diverse artists.
• Grant McLennan Fellowship $15,000 fellowship offering recipients the opportunity to travel to New York, London, or Berlin to be immersed in a foreign musical culture and develop their artistic skills.
• Concert Care A social code and venue safety initiative promoting respectful, safe, and inclusive behavior for women, First Nations, and LGBTIQA+ members in music venues, with trained professional social workers and harm reduction support.
• Valley Fiesta Brisbane's iconic inner-city street party featuring headline acts, events, and parties in the Fortitude Valley precinct.
• Valley Walk of Fame Monument featuring bronze plaques in Brunswick Street Mall honoring Queensland's best-loved musical talent, with plaques awarded to QMA Song of the Year winners.
• QMusic Membership Subscription Tiered annual subscription membership for music industry participants: Individual/Sole Trader ($55/year), Band ($110/year), Business/Organisation ($220/year), and Ordinary Membership ($2/year for governance rights). Members receive industry news, workshop access, BIGSOUND and QMA application discounts, ticketing discounts, and VIP networking invitations.

Quantifiable outcome

• $20.15 million economic impact from BIGSOUND annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Miami MarkettacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Gold Coast creative precinct hosted 2026 QMAs - first time awards held outside Brisbane. Miami Marketta is the Gold Coast's original creative precinct with street food, live music, and cultural programming.
• Regional Arts Services Network (RASN)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024QMusic is one of six organizations contracted to deliver RASN services across Queensland through 2027. Delivers free music-specific advice and support through Regional Arts Advisors including Alex Henriksson as Music specialist.
• Chugg EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Industry juggernaut provides career planning mentorship for Billy Thorpe Scholarship winners. Michael Chugg and Amanda Pelman contributed to scholarship development. Ongoing partnership since 2008.
• Thorpe FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Family of Billy Thorpe contributed to development of the Billy Thorpe Scholarship, honoring his legacy as Australian rock musician and frontman of Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs.
• Queensland Government - Arts QueenslandflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership enables QMusic to offer free artform-specific advice and referral services to support artists and arts workers in the Music sector statewide through RASN.
• SAE InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAE Institute participates in Industry Connect workshops at The J (Noosa), contributing industry expertise alongside QMusic and Sunshine Coast Music Industry Collective.
• Sunshine Coast Music Industry Collective (SCMIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional industry body collaborating with QMusic on Industry Connect Noosa event, providing local industry leaders and artist perspectives.
• Gold Coast Council / Mayor Tom TateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Coast Mayor Tom Tate welcomed QMAs to Miami Marketta, supporting live music investment in the region as part of city's entertainment strategy.
• Griffith UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity supports BIGSOUND through student involvement and industry connections. Griffith University band supported 2026 QMAs ceremony.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Eurosonic Noorderslag: Leading European music industry conference and showcase festival in Groningen, Netherlands. Another direct international comparable to BIGSOUND combining showcase programming with conference content for emerging artists.
• Music NSW: New South Wales' state music industry development association. Operates peak-body advocacy, industry events, and professional development for NSW musicians — functionally the closest Australian state-level analog to QMusic's role in Queensland.
• The Great Escape: UK-based new music festival and industry conference in Brighton featuring emerging artist showcases and conference sessions. Direct international analog to BIGSOUND's showcase-plus-conference format.
• Music Victoria: Victoria's peak music industry body delivering artist development, industry advocacy, and the Music Victoria Awards. Identical mandate and operational structure to QMusic in another Australian state, with overlapping workshop, awards, and government-funded programming.
• WAM (West Australian Music): Western Australia's music industry association running industry development, awards, and conferences analogous to QMusic's BIGSOUND, QMAs, and Industry Connect in another Australian jurisdiction.
• South by Southwest (SXSW): Global benchmark for music industry conferences and festivals combining artist showcases with industry programming. BIGSOUND explicitly positions itself as 'Southern Hemisphere's largest' relative to SXSW's product category.
• Music SA: South Australia's peak music industry body providing artist development, industry advocacy, and music awards directly comparable to QMusic's programming model.

Broad incumbents

• ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association): The national peak body for the Australian recorded music industry operating the ARIA Awards. A broader incumbent that QMusic's QMAs sit alongside within the Australian music awards ecosystem.
• Sounds Australia: Australia's federally funded national music export body. Operates overlapping export and showcase services for Australian artists internationally, paralleling BIGSOUND's international showcase role at the national level.

Regional players

• Canadian Music Association: National trade association for Canada's music industry running Canadian Music Week and industry development programs. Geographic peer whose mandate and program mix closely parallels QMusic's at a national level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qmusicnetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/QMusicNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qmusic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QMusic