BIGSOUND Festival 2016 has dropped its schedule today including times for all 160 of its live shows on the official BIGSOUND app (available now in the Apple and Google Play stores) as planning starts in earnest across Australia for the event which runs from September 7 – 9 in Brisbane’s iconic Fortitude Valley live music precinct.

Organisers have also dropped the conference program (and all-important party schedule!) for those with a full industry pass, including a sneaky 80 new speakers with Merlin’s Charles Caldas, Vinyl Me Please’s Cameron Schaefer, artist Sarah Blasko, Indonesian promoter Sarah Deshita, Double J’s Myf Warhurst, triple j’s Ollie Wards, Today Show music producer Sarah Mason, Sony/ATVs Craig Hawker and many, many more.

Kimya Dawson is a last-minute keynote addition, which by no means understates the fascinating nature of her experience in the music industry. She first entered the public imagination as one half of the Moldy Peaches whose acclaimed debut record was released on September 11th 2001 – amazingly featuring a song titled ‘NYC Is A Graveyard’. Kimya’s career as the poster-child of anti-folk reached its zenith after her gorgeous and idiosyncratic home recordings became the basis for the soundtrack to the movie Juno.

Beyond the other previously announced keynote speakers and masterclass schedule, BIGSOUND’s2016 conference program will include panel topics like the value of sync and artist placement, the contemporary role of physical music sales, pathways for Indigenous musicians, touring the UK and Europe, the ‘content overload’ phenomenon, co-writing, the power of theplaylist, mental health in the music industry, and music and gamification. Recurrent themes like festival booking, the digital music economy, the metal genre, artist management and community radio will return for an annual review. Red Bull Sound Select will curate a Wednesdaypanel on the relationship between community and curators, moderated by RBSS International’sSean Horton, and featuring Aaron Miller (Arts & Craft Canada), Johann Ponniah (I OH YOU) and Travis Banko (Laneway Festival).

Elsewhere in the program, BIGSOUND also welcomes two of the USA’s leading music supervisors,Marcy Bulkeley and Jackie Shuman, for an intimate conversation about their most creative and exciting work. Ne Obliviscaris’ Tim Charles will inspire with tales of his successful crowdfundinginitiative on the ‘Patreon’ platform, designed to pay his band a living wage. And Friday afternoon will see a mystery panel entertain and delight those whose brains have not yet exploded with thebevvy of info and insights on display across the three days.

BIGSOUND conference pass holders can get the jump early on Tuesday night with official parties hosted by Pandora and Mushroom, while Wednesday sees lunchtime parties from CAAMA andSunshine Coast Creative Alliance, an afternoon soiree hosted by Fans x NFE x Pilerats and evening events the Home Indigenous showcase and the Red Bull Sound Select party.Thursday lunchtime is hosted by Gold Coast Music Awards and BEMAC, with afternoon frivolity thanks to Pandora and your nights covered by Oztix and Singapore Sound System. And if that’s not enough, Dew Process and The Music are again hosting their famous (infamous?)Thursday night after-party. For those still standing, it’s a Friday evening wind-down at The Triffid.

And that’s before we’ve even mentioned the official BIGSOUND Festival lineup, which featuresA.B. Original, Tkay Maidza, Alex Lahey, Luke Million, Harts, DZ Deathrays, I Heart Hiroshima, Vera Blue, KUČKA, Sampa the Great, Japanese Wallpaper, Rainbow Chan,Tigertown, Tash Sultana, Ivan Ooze, Gawurra and many more. triple j’s Unearthed winnersEmily Wurramara and Golden Vessel will also grace the Unearthed stage alongside a host of other buzz artists.

A festival experience like no other, for just $75 (+bf), an all access wristband gives entry to all festival live venues with the exclusive BIGSOUND app available to plan and keep track of yourBIGSOUND experience. Alternatively, full industry passes, which allow access to theBIGSOUND Festival as well as the industry program and all parties, are still available, but selling fast.

BIGSOUND is everything you love about live music packed into three manic days of auditory overload. It can be a structured plan to see as many bands as you can with a strict timetable. It can be a glorious mess of discovery. Or it can be both. Whether you’re an industry delegate looking for the hottest new talent or simply there as a punter to soak up the experience,BIGSOUND is YOUR musical adventure.

BIGSOUND Festival tickets are available now until sold out from just $45+bf fromwww.bigsound.org.au