BIGSOUND 2018 Speaker Focus: Rachel Cox

Organisation: Sad Grrrls Club - Founder & Manager

How did you first become involved in the music business and how did you end up where you are today? I always wanted to be a musician, and be involved in music in as many ways as possible. I started off volunteering at community radio, then when I started playing shows I also started booking them. The first Sad Grrrls Tour and Fest started in 2015 and here I am.

What's been the biggest change in the music business you've seen over the past 12 months? I think the biggest positive change in the last 12 months is the discussion more of the intersections between race and gender in music - for a few years now we've heard people talking about not having enough women represented but there's more talk about Indigenous artists and POC representation.

What do you think will be the biggest issue affecting the music industry in the next 12 months and why? I think representation, diversity and accountability will continue to be the biggest issues affecting the industry. Working out the best ways to have diverse representation on line-ups, but also to hold artists and people within the industry accountable for their behaviour, without taking an all-or-nothing view.

What advice would you give young practitioners in your area starting out today? Don't be afraid to learn as you go, and ask people for help. I had no music industry experience when I booked my first tour, I just asked a few people for tips, read as much as I could, and the rest was trial and error. 

What will you be primarily discussing during your appearance at the BIGSOUND conference and what are you hoping that people will be able to learn from your panel? I'll be talking about the way that music can influence social change as well as personal healing. I plan to bring a lot of my own experience with mental health and being non-binary into this conversation about How Music Shapes The World. What I hope people take away is the profound significance that music and representation within the music industry has for people who have historically been marginalised or misunderstood. 

What do you personally hope to take away from your time at BIGSOUND? I'm really looking forward to finding some amazing new artists to play Sad Grrrls Fest next year, and hopefully get the record label back up and running. Plus getting to share my own new music! 

Which acts are on your must-see list at BIGSOUND and why? Alice Skye, Carla Geneve, CLYPSO, Eliza & The Delusionals, Geryon, KAIIT, Kota Banks, Merpire, Nardean, Pink Matter, Samsurah, Thando, The Beths and VOIID are artists I've never seen live before so they're must-sees for me.

When and where is your panel? 5 Sep, IMA Mainroom, 3.30pm.

Plus my showcases: 4 Sep, Crowbar, 8:10pm; 6 Sep, Woolly Mammoth, 9.40pm.