In December last year, I was at Portside Festival, a festival in Newcastle with a majority of local artists. Although I had the best time, a tinge of sadness crept up with the thought that this could be one of the last festivals to spotlight Australian artists. That felt eerily prescient, because cut to January, and the 2024 Triple J Hottest 100 had the lowest number of Australian songs since 1996, with only 17 Aussie artists and a total of 29 songs, according to Airing Your Dirty Laundry. There was just one Indigenous artist in the top 100 (The Kid LAROI).
This was a stark change from last year, when 52 Australian songs made the top 100.
So where it all go wrong this year and what does it say about the future of Australian music? Let’s investigate.
Where the Triple J Hottest 100 went wrong in 2025
2024 was the year of the pop girlies, from Chappell Roan to Sabrina Carpenter to Gracie Abrams, and of course our brat queen Charli xcx, which resulted in many of us being labelled as Pink Pilates Princesses by Spotify.
However, the mass uptake of international artists has coincided with in a huge decline in the growth of local Aussie artists. From the mass cancellation of music festivals to the dominance of TikTok-driven monoculture and the increasingly rare sight of Aussie artists dominating the charts, it feels like the once-thriving Australian music scene is disappearing.
The Hottest 100 was once the peak celebratory moment of Australian music; now, is it just our Spotify streaming tastes reflected back to us?
Harrison Khannah, who created the tracking site Triple J Watchdog, told PEDESTRIAN.TV that the network is “failing at their one mission: promoting Australian music”.
Triple J has a mandate to play at least 40 per cent Australian artists. However, according to Triple J Watchdog, last year just 26 per cent of artists played were Australian, compared to 48 per cent American artists.
The “Australian Indie” genre was the most played on the station last year. However, Khannah notes that “only 40 per cent of the other top 10 genres are Australian specific”.
“It makes you think: are they really considering all aspects of Australian music representation?” Khannah says.
Olive Rush, from local Sydney band Egoism, says Triple J’s Hottest 100 reflects the “growing disconnect between the identity of Australian music and Australian youth”.
“I think we’re seeing a major diversification in Australian cultural identity in the first place, which in all respects is a good thing, but presents huge challenges when it comes to actually creating a unique cultural music industry,” they told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“Especially when it’s easier than ever to consume music from overseas. Too many people vote in the hottest 100 but don’t actually engage in the broader Australian music scene. So you’re gonna get a lotta internationals in there.”
Should the Triple J Hottest 100 feature Aussie artists only?
Plenty of people online have been saying that Triple J is responsible for making the Top 100 only a vote for Australian artists.
However, Rush says doing this “would completely delegitimise the poll”.
“It’s cool to see Australian artists rub shoulders with massive American pop stars. If we took that away, no one would care about it anymore,” they added.
Egoism. (Credit: Instagram)
Monique Pym from Reliqa also defended Triple J, saying it has and does “reflect the current youth culture”.
“So if the 16-24 year olds of today are hearing themselves represented in the music aired, that’s fantastic,” they said.
Pym notes that social media makes discovery easier, but fan loyalty is difficult to earn, given the costs for local artists to tour and connect to their fans face to face.
Reliqa. (Credit: Instagram)
It’s also important to consider how many people even listen to radio anymore.
According to a 2024 survey by the Sydney Morning Herald, only 2.9 per cent of 18-24 year olds in Sydney still listen to Triple J, with 3.6 per cent in Melbourne and a slightly higher percentage in Brisbane (11 per cent), Adelaide (7.8 per cent) and Perth (9.8 per cent).
However, even in the ARIA charts, which is based on streaming, Australians are underrepresented.
We need to put First Nations artists at the forefront
In 2024, two out of the top 10 artists played on Triple J were Indigenous: Sycco and The Kid Laroi. On a larger scale, 2024 had a record-breaking 22 Indigenous artists nominated for the ARIA Awards.
Bindarray, a proud Gumbaynggirr man living on the stolen ground of the Eora Nation and local musician, told PEDESTRIAN.TV that there has “never been a time where so many Indigenous artists have been recognised in the mainstream industry”.
Bindarray (centre). (Credit: Instagram)
“I have seen a lot of really exciting music that I don’t think we’ve seen in [mainstream] Australia yet,” he says.
“Everyone has something to say and a unique view on life, it’s very inspiring.”
As a hip-hop drummer who also co-runs a live hip-hop night in Sydney’s Enmore, he has heard music from places like Western Sydney, which showcases an “evolution in Australia’s musical culture”.
Bindarray also discussed the additional barriers he faces as an Indigenous artist.
“As Indigenous fellas, we don’t have the same resources most artists have, we have been hit with intergenerational wealth disparity, passed down trauma and difficulties in Western learning,” he said, adding: “It’s not hard to be proactive in taking the time to support Blak music.”
So, how do we save Australian music?
Pym says we must prioritise Australian and New Zealand artists for events like the Hottest 100.
“A number one slot simply does not benefit a major international artist in the way it benefits a local one,” she says.
“I don’t know exactly how that would be achieved without some form of exclusion, however, and exclusion is never the way to go, especially because these artists ARE being voted for by the people, they’re not just forcing their way into the countdown without merit. Maybe just one year of locals-only Hottest 100 nominations would teach us a lot!”
“Ten years ago you could become a household name from the hottest 100, but now there’s really no reason to try,” Bindarray said.
Scores of Aussie artists have shot to fame after winning the Triple J Hottest 100, including Rhe Reuben in 2015, Flume in 2016 and 2022, and Ocean Alley in 2018. After his win in 2022, Flume paid tribute to the unique music power of Triple J (part of the ABC, the public broadcaster). “It’s really special because it helps the artists that do well in it internationally as well,” he said.
Bindarray agreed with that sentiment, telling PEDESTRIAN.TV: “Opportunities like [the Hottest 100] are most valuable to up-and-coming Australian artists who don’t already have that overseas platform, especially American artists who are already selling out amphitheatres globally.”
It’s safe to say that 2024’s winner Chappell Roan — as well as 2023’s winner Doja Cat — probably don’t benefit from the Triple J boost in the same way.
Whether you simply thought the international artists made their mark, and that’s reflected in the charts, or our stations are failing to push local artists, what becomes clear is that we need to diversify our listening.
We cannot simply sit back and use Triple J as a scapegoat when the Hottest 100 shows us the hard truth — we say we want to support local artists but are we really doing that?
While yes, we need industry players to push for more Blak and local artists, we, as consumers, also need to use our power by listening to local artists, follow Blak artist playlists, buy the merch and when they play, go and watch them live!
And our individual consumption habits have the power to do that.
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