As Triple J Counts Down Hottest 100 Aussie Songs, Experts Say Local Music Builds Brands

As triple j prepares to count down the Hottest 100 Australian Songs on Saturday, Annabelle Herd, CEO of ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association), laughs that what makes Australian music unique is “it's really good, obviously.”

“We've got decades and decades of evidence that people all over the world love our music – it's not a genre of itself, you don't search for ‘Australian music’. You search for the kind of music that you love, or that that speaks to you,” she tells LBB, as people around the country consider whether to vote for Powderfinger’s ‘My Happiness’ or ‘These Days’.

“Any type of sound that you need, any type of artists that you need, you'll be able to find a really top quality Australian artist in that genre. I think having someone local that you can actually work with who's present here on the ground, people feel that. You feel that authenticity.”

That authenticity is part of why Australian music resonates so well in campaigns that aim to connect with local audiences. For advertisers, using homegrown music helps create an instant connection, reflecting the local identity, language, humour, and mood of the nation at any given point in time.

Whether Australian music is chosen for a campaign is driven by a client as much as the agency or sound studio, says Bill Doig, executive producer at Mosaic Music + Sound.

“There’s often a conscious push to reflect an Australian-forward mentality – a desire to connect with the local audience in an authentic way,” he explains. 

“Using homegrown music is one way to sonically show that connection to the market they’re speaking to.”

Music supervisor and founder of Trailer Media, Anton Trailer, agrees, adding, “there are multiple projects” he has worked on recently where the inclusion of Australian music has “been fundamental.”

“Client is king, so they ultimately have the power, but I like to think I work with agencies and creative[s] where client[s] looks to them for this kind of lead and I’m therefore a facilitator of that view; whether it’s a Senator Briggs, Tones & I, Genesis Owusu, or an up and comer.”

Despite best intentions and “a majority of searches” beginning from a place of wanting an Australian song, Anton adds, “invariably the client will want to entertain what else is out there from overseas, even if we do end up on an Australian song.”

Another common argument he encounters is, “we have a limited amount of available ‘known’ Australian songs,” therefore “it’s a given to search further afield.”

“If we’re re-recording or adapting a song, I’d say there’s definitely a keenness to have a local act do the re-record. By doing so, we're ticking the heritage and nostalgia box whilst bringing something new and local to the table.”

Whether through licensing, re-recording or original compositions, if a client wants a “distinctly Australian” feel to a campaign, Bill says, musically, the classic ‘Australiana’ sound “tends to lean towards organic, acoustic instrumentation – think acoustic guitars, a live band feel, and singer-songwriters with that unmistakable Aussie twang.”

“It’s often paired with imagery of wide open spaces, the outback, or coastal life – evoking a Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, Josh Pyke, or even The Whitlams’ kind of vibe.”

Those willing to step outside of the classics, Bill says, will find “Australia’s musical identity is so much broader.”

“Artists like Tame Impala, Parcels, The Preatures, or Hilltop Hoods fuse genres and carve out their own sonic signatures, while still feeling uniquely Australian in their attitude and energy.

“There’s also the rising wave of Indigenous hip-hop and contemporary First Nations artists, who are bringing powerful, fresh perspectives to what an ‘Australian sound’ can be – and that’s just as valid and exciting.”

Familiarity breeds trust, and Australian music often acts as the soundtrack to campaigns trying to feel local. Annabelle admits when she sees major campaigns aiming to capture the feel and vibe of Australia, but set to a foreign piece of music, it “feels like a bit of a miss for me.” 

“Those ones are obvious, if you're not using an Australian track in your Australian campaign, you're really going to miss out on that deeper connection with local audiences. 

“There was recent research from Music Australia, which showed that when Australians hear their music played back to them – or they hear a track that maybe they didn’t even know was Australian, but they hear it and they're told – they feel a real sense of pride. It makes sense to me, in an industry like advertising where you're trying to make people feel things and make decisions on the basis of those feelings, to use tracks that are going to deeply connect with local audiences.”

Bill adds, “using Australian music is a powerful way to make that connection feel real and intentional,” noting even global brands will often tailor their approach to feel grounded in the local culture – “like they’re speaking directly to an Australian audience.”

“We’ve definitely seen briefs where the ask is to give the work a distinctly local flavour, and often that starts with sound. Whether it’s a well-known Aussie artist or just a subtle touch of something familiar to the local ear, music becomes one of the key tools to make the message feel like it belongs here.”

Certain categories like tourism favour Australian music more than others. Giving the example of retail, Anton adds, “when you're looking at the premium or well known artists,” the pool of available artists can be “somewhat limited.” 

“Retail are probably looking for a known and catchy tune. If that’s at the expense of using an Australian artist or act I guess that becomes a client call. 

“Again, a re-record by a local artist for a catchy tune is a great option. Plus, remember not all artists want to lend their song to a retail spot, so we could put something Australian forward and they [the artist] may not want to do it.”

Inspired by the Our Soundtrack Our Stories campaign, ARIA introduced the ‘Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement’ category in 2023. Going into the award’s third year, Annabelle says, “When you talk about the benefits of using an Australian recording and Australian music and advertising, it's a pretty easy pitch.”

Entries for the 2025 ‘Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement’ ARIA open on Friday. Previous winners include Innocean, 72andSunny, Bolster Group, and Publicis Groupe for their use of tracks like JK-47’s ‘End The Trend’ and John Williamson’s ‘Voice of the Sea’.

“There is really great music still coming out and having massive success on the international stage,” says Annabelle. 

“Look at Troye Sivan, he's just smashing it. Kylie [Minogue] is still smashing it. Royel Otis is just getting bigger and bigger, I think they're about to go next level in terms of their impact globally. There's great, older catalog music that can be used. 

“There are lots of options to create a really incredible ad. And then when you do, we want to give you an ARIA.”