Byron Bay welcomes big names for music summit

ARIA Award-winning singer Ben Lee and Indigenous actress and arts executive Rhoda Roberts AO were among 260 delegates who gathered in Byron Bay last week for the 2025 Regional and Remote Music Summit.

The event brought together artists, industry professionals, and policymakers to explore key issues facing the music sector in regional and remote areas. Topics ranged from the challenges facing large music festivals to those emerging artists face in the digital streaming era.

Music NSW CEO Joe Muller said the summit was inspired by a similar event held in the Northern Territory last year. When it came time to select a location for the 2025 gathering, Byron Bay stood out.

“There are so many artists in the Northern Rivers and historically the biggest music festivals in the state,” he said. “It was a bit of a no-brainer to hold it in Byron.”

Sponsored by Byron Shire Council, the summit took place at the Byron Community Centre, with additional events including networking drinks at The Shack at Beach Hotel, a concert at Howl & Moan Records, a First Nations showcase at The Great Northern Hotel and a closing night party at Bangalow Bowlo.

“It was a great success,” Muller said. “We had some really inspired and inspiring conversations. Ben Lee talked about how essential regional touring is to creating long-term, sustainable artist careers; Rhoda Roberts gave the opening keynote speech.

“I moderated a panel with the NSW minister for music and the night-time economy, John Graham.

“One of the key takeaways for me is that we often orient towards the economic as the primary measure of value when we talk about music but of course there are equally important dimensions, which are the cultural and social impacts of music in our communities.”

Next year’s event will be held at Mt Gambier in South Australia.