VMDO Music Data and Insights Summit 2026

The Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) has revealed the full program of speakers and sessions for the 2026 Music Data and Insights Summit. The summit focuses on how data and evidence are helping the industry respond to a rapidly shifting music landscape, aligning research, data and industry practice more closely.

Delivered with support from Music Australia, the summit program also includes the second edition of The Bass Line, offering updated data and industry insights to inform decision-making and future priorities across the sector.

Sessions include:

Music Ally’s Marlen Hüllbrock delivering Marketing to Gen Alpha in the Age of Social Media Bans, offering global insight into how Gen Alpha is responding to new social media restrictions, alongside practical strategies for reaching under-16s as traditional platforms shift.
New Australian research from the Australian Research Council Linkage project Community Music Radio: Building the Music-Media Ecosystem, led by Associate Professor Shane Homan (Monash University) and Professor Susan Forde (Griffith University), revealing the extent to which community broadcasters create economic value while supporting emerging and First Nations artists.
A keynote from APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston will address the growing strategic importance of data across the music ecosystem, while Matthew Rogers (GYRO.Group) will present new insights drawn from GYRO.Group's comprehensive dataset, revealing how independent artists are building audiences and releasing new music.
Kate Ben-Tovim (Turning World), who will present her Churchill Fellowship on examining music’s role in cultural diplomacy and national influence.
Supporting First Nations Led Music Business report, led by Kaleena Smith (MusicNSW), emphasizing the importance of culturally led programs shaped by First Nations artists, businesses and communities.
UK-based Chris Carey (FFWD Group) will deliver a series of short provocations across the two days, tackling issues such as short-term commercial pressures and long-term artist development.
As Australia’s youth music economy continues to evolve, artists, marketers and industry leaders are adapting to changing audience behaviours and an increasingly fragmented digital environment. A featured panel, The Social Media Ban: Disruption or Reset?, will discuss shifts in music discovery and audience behaviour among young people. It will bring together leading voices, including Marlen Hüllbrock (Music Ally), Rose Riddell (Laneway Festival), Mardi Caught (The Annex) and artist Ixaras.
And many more

The full program is available by clicking HERE

MDIS 2026 takes place at CY Venue, Collingwood Yards, Naarm on May 18 and 19.

A limited amount of complimentary mob tickets are available. Contact info@vmdo.com.au

The VMDO Music Data and Insights Summit is supported by Music Australia and the Music Industry Research Collective.

The CY Venue at Collingwood Yards is an accessible space and the summit welcomes everyone.

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