ARIA Innovator is ARIA’s new initiative to inspire and cultivate innovation and entrepreneurship within the Australian music industry. With rapid technological advances and shifting global music consumption, ARIA Innovator provides industry professionals with access to cutting-edge insights, tools, and strategies that drive growth and success in the changing world.
Through its programs, ARIA Innovator will empower artists, managers, and labels to develop innovative business models and marketing strategies that enhance discoverability and deepen audience engagement in both domestic and international markets.
As a brand, ARIA Innovator is designed to be a continuous force for positive change, facilitating workshops, conferences, and discussions that bring together leading minds from within and beyond the music industry. By fostering collaboration and forward-thinking approaches, ARIA Innovator is committed to shaping the future of the Australian music sector.
Our first initiative, made possible through support from Sound NSW funding via Create NSW, was the inaugural ARIA Innovator conference and Accelerate Strategy Workshop held on Gadigal Country in NSW in March 2025.
ARIA is launching ARIA Innovator to actively engage the music industry in addressing critical issues such as discoverability and export challenges. This initiative is part of ARIA’s evolving role as thought leaders, providing industry professionals with access to global experts and strategic insights. With funding provided by Sound NSW’s Strategic Funding round, ARIA Innovator aligns with their objectives of developing pilot programs, capacity-building, and promoting sustainability within the contemporary music sector in NSW. This program aims to support long-term growth for NSW-based artists and businesses.
The conference covered some of the most pressing shifts facing the industry, including the cultural strategies that drive consumption, the future of music marketing, sustainable creative entrepreneurship, and the real implications of artificial intelligence in music.
ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said: “The diversity of the turnout was exactly what we’d hoped for: artists, managers, executives, founders, and thinkers all coming together to talk seriously about the future of Australian music. What made it special was that the conversations didn’t end when the sessions did. The most valuable part of events like this is what happens in between, when ideas get exchanged, connections get made, and the next thing starts to take shape.”
Learning Outcomes
For any queries, please email ARIAInnovator@aria.com.au
Thanks to our Supporters
