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Australian music exports

Want to know what music is worth to Australia?

Born Global: Australian music exports is the first comprehensive report that calculates the value of the Australian music industry as an international export.

The research was conducted over three years by the University of Newcastle and Monash University, in partnership with Sounds Australia, APRA AMCOS and the Australia Council for the Arts.

The report examines the key factors underpinning international success for artists. It also looks at how Australia’s support for artists compares to other countries, such as Canada, Finland, France, South Korea, Sweden and the UK, and what we can learn from the various models of support.

Read Born Global report

Key insights from the Born Global report

  • The export value of the Australian music industry is estimated to be approximately $195 million. This includes the combined export income of Australian artists, music publishers, and record labels.
  • Digital platforms are providing new business models for artists to reach global audiences. However, professional networks and spending time in a target market remain key factors in achieving international success.
  • Government grants provided the largest source of export support among surveyed artists. Those with support from both government and industry reported the greatest export success.
  • Live performance remains the top source of international income for Australian musicians.
  • The biggest markets for Australian music are the US, UK, and Germany. There's further potential to tap into a growing interest in Australian music from other regions.


Australian Research Council

The research was funded by the Australian Research Council as an Industry Linkage project. They have also released a summary report which presents key insights from the broader research. Enjoy the highlighted international success stories of artists such as Flume, All Our Exes Live in Texas, Methyl Ethel and Courtney Barnett.

Read summary report

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