CAST x BIGSOUND

TECH SHOWCASE

PROUDLY PRESENTED BY CENTRE FOR ARTS, SPORTS AND TECHNOLOGY THE PRECINT

WED 3RD SEPT 2025

FOREWORD In its first year, the CAST x BIGSOUND Tech Showcase drew applications from across Australia, UK, Europe, and the US. Highlighting just how important the Australian market is to the industry.

Submissions spanned a wide range of innovation, covering: Contracts, Rights & Payments Fan Engagement & Loyalty Artist & Team Tools Live Events & Touring Media, Content & Discovery Creator Economy Infrastructure “We’ve been absolutely stoked by the response, with startups from Australia, the UK, the US and Europe all throwing their hats in the ring. It proves the importance of the Australian market, and that founders everywhere want to connect with our local industry.“

JONO HARRISON, HEAD OF MUSIC & EDITORIAL (CAST)

s t n e m n i a t r e t n e e r e h W s n i g e b r e t p a h c t x e n Established in 2024, CAST is a membership organisation that exists to create low-friction pathways for the discovery, trial, and adoption of new technologies across the entertainment ecosystem.

From improving fan engagement to streamlining operations, CAST bridges Builders (startups) and Buyers (industry leaders) to reshape how entertainment is delivered and experienced.

At the heart of this work is a belief that the biggest breakthroughs will come from breaking down the silos between art and sport, because in the end, we all serve the same customer: the fan.

A division of Ticketek delivering world-class, data-led marketing and technology solutions for the live entertainment and sports industries Located within the iconic Kuala Lumpur City Centre precinct, KLCC is one of Southeast Asia’s premier event venues, offering over 34,000 square metres of purpose-built function space Momentus Technologies is a global provider of industry-leading venue and event management solutions that empower organizations to create extraordinary moments. With over 60,000 users in more than 57 countries.

UK's trade association and support community for music tech startups, aiming to establish the UK as a global leader in music tech innovation by fostering growth, building partnerships, and providing support to early-stage companies in the industry.

acta (Pitching) Bonza Chromaesthesia Create Racket Greenroom 360 (Pitching) Lines (Pitching) Muso Match RELEASR Softside Merch Songpact (Pitching) TAZAAR Un:hurd Whatslively

EMILY COPELAND

JADDAN COMERFORD CEO & Founder

Founder

ANDREA ROSEN

Good Authority

JAMES SONG

UNIFIED Music Group

New Renaissance Ventures

Best Nights VC

Dealflow & Communications Manager

Portfolio Manager

General Manager, Artist Management

KARTINI LUDWIG

ASH HILLS UNIFIED Music Group

KOUP Founder

To kick off the showcase, Jono Harrison (Head of Music and Editorial at CAST) was joined by Ash Hills (General Manager of UNIFIED Artist Management AU/NZ at UNIFIED Music Group, AAM Board member) and Kartini Ludwig, founder of KOUP Music, a platform empowering artists to generate new AI music models and shape the future of music, fairly.

The panel explored how the industry could better collaborate with technology and innovation to build the future in true partnership.

e h T : s t n e m t s e v n I d Soun for UK Music Case Tech We are excited to have MTUK as our first tech organisation member. The work they’re doing in the UK market to connect, grow and support the music tech ecosystem compliments perfectly CAST’s mission to develop pathways for these companies to get in front of key buyers.

Music Technology UK is the UK’s official trade association for music tech startups, working to position the UK as a global leader in the field by fostering innovation, investment, and a supportive environment for emerging companies.

Their latest report highlights international collaboration, naming Australia as a key partner. CAST and MTUK are already building pathways for technology exchange between our two countries. Creating shared opportunities to drive the sector forward globally.

The report shows UK music tech companies attracted £360 million in investment between 2020 and 2024, but growth is slowing.

Recommendations include recognising music tech as a core creative sector, establishing a Music Tech Innovation Fund, and providing clearer AI regulation.

Download the full report here

The Problem misrepresentation, inflated fees, and communication breakdown in the talent booking industry.

Australia’s first complete, industry endorsed, talent directory and vetted client booking platform, setting a new standard for all types of talent opportunities.

The Solution a trusted and centralised directory paired with an integrated communication and documentation system, removing intermediaries, ensuring transparency and simplifying the entire booking journey from enquiry to delivery. hello@actaapp.com acta_app

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

acta is reshaping the music and entertainment industries with Australia’s first industry-backed talent directory. A transparent, ethical, and commission-free platform that connects professional talent with those who book them. Acting as both a trusted source of truth and a professional booking system, it removes unnecessary intermediaries to reduce costs, save time, and minimise errors.

By unifying the industry into one streamlined system, acta enables talent, representatives, and bookers to communicate and transact with ease.

The result is a fairer, more sustainable ecosystem where professionals benefit from reliable, cost-effective systems, and talent can focus on their craft. strengthening the future of live entertainment.

The Problem Musicians are struggling with rising costs of travel, rehearsal room hire and time constraint

Immersive Audio Technology

The Solution ultra-low-latency and spatial audio engineering experts to solve the problem of realistic virtual musical collaboration. fi.ryder@bonzamusic.com bonzamusic

The Problem Artists/Influencers - Low fan engagement

Fans/followers - Poor means of music discovery

A new means of music discovery and influencers a new tool for fan engagement through sharing live music tastes.

The Solution We are giving fans a new means of music discovery and influencers a new tool for fan engagement through sharing live music tastes. alex@chromaesthesia.space chromaesthesia

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

Our overarching, long-term goal at Chromaesthesia is to create a new, digital characteristic for influencers and celebrities. This being their live, authentic, music-taste.

Essentially by showing fans what their favourite idols are streaming on their devices, we will increase engagement within their online communities as well as offer these fans a new way of discovering music.

Music taste is a highly personal and intrinsic part of our personalities, by making this available we hope to bring more authenticity into the social media space.

The Problem Musicians are undervalued in the creator economy despite being at the cultural heart of influence. Options are limited when brands seek authentic content creators who genuinely connect with audiences, while artists at every stage of their career - lack consistent revenue streams beyond traditional royalties.

Create Racket connects brands with creative partners who convert. We operate at the cultural edge of media and music, using fan‑built tech to authentically pair artists with the right collaborators - globally and strategically

The Solution A platform that empowers brands and artists to collaborate in ways that fuel genuine growth and create passive income for musicians at every stage of their career. community@createracket.com createracket

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

We're redefining how brands and artists collaborate. Musicians are undervalued in the creator economy despite being at the cultural heart of influence. Our goal is a reality where artists - at any stage of their career can consistently earn income through brand partnerships that feel right to their fans. With Create Racket fully implemented, brands can activate musicians as high-performing creators, artists gain sustainable revenue streams, and fans experience culturally aligned partnerships.

At scale: more money in artists' pockets, stronger brand returns, and a healthier music ecosystem where cultural credibility and commercial success reinforce each other.

The Problem The tools available to artist managers are disconnected and outdated.

Managing touring, finances, fan engagement and content often means juggling multiple systems, spreadsheets and WhatsApp threads.

A purpose-built platform that brings the breadth of music management into one place.

It streamlines shows, contracts, comms and payments, with built-in tools to share content, offer exclusive experiences and build fan communities through first-party data.

The Solution Greenroom360 is made up of three interconnected pillars — Management Hub, Content Hub, and Fan App — each built to simplify music management, keep teams aligned, and move at the pace the industry demands. ab@greenroom360.com www.greenroom360.com

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

Greenroom360 will be the digital backbone of music, uniting managers, artists, and fans. When implemented across the industry, it creates a fairer, more connected ecosystem where: Artists own their data and can make clearer, faster career decisions.

Managers run organised, sustainable operations, lifting the professionalism of the sector.

Fans engage artists directly, building communities and commerce that sit outside the noise of algorithms.

The impact is an industry that is more transparent, efficient, and resilient.

The Problem Navigating the nightlife scene is a gamble. With nightlife constantly changing, there's no reliable way to know the best venues on a given night.

This uncertainty causes people to either end up at shit venues, stay home, or stick to the same familiar places.

Your go-to for going out.

The Solution An aggregated real-time, communitysourced going out guide. Decide where to go on the fly with crowdsourced real-time videos of the best venues and events. Plan ahead with aggregated upcoming event listings. josh@bondilines.com bondi_lines

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

We want more people going out, and more people putting on events.

Going out, socialising, having new experiences and making memories is what makes life worth living. We want to amplify this, by guaranteeing users will have a good night out if they use LINES, and giving event promoters the tools to reach their target audience easily.

The Problem Music professionals are drowning in a fragmented ecosystem of tools never designed for artist teams.

the first unified workspace designed specifically for the music industry.

The Solution We've built the first platform that understands artist teams, integrates with music-specific tools, and organises everything around releases and career milestones - not generic project management. jaz@releasr.online releasr_

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

RELEASR's platform will enable music professionals manage entire artist lifecycles from initial demos to global releases within a single, integrated environment. This eliminates the productivity drain of context-switching between 15+ platforms and artist team hubs, creating unprecedented workflow efficiency. The industry becomes more streamlined, more datadriven, and more focused on what truly matters: developing exceptional music and building sustainable careers.

The Problem We are making it easier for fans to access licensed trademarks and approval channels to design & sell merch for their favorite music artists without the worry of IP infringement.

Softside connects music artists & other entertainers with their creative fans through officially licensed, fan-designed merch partnerships.

The Solution Our platform enables submission curation, creative portfolio building, merch management, licensing, revenuesharing, and production/fulfillment. We handle the full end-to-end collaboration process in our platform. erin@softsidemerch.com softsidemerch

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

We envision Softside as the go-to home for all licensed fan merchandise, shifting consumer purchasing behaviors away from sites that sell unauthorized merch while enabling music artists & other IP holders to monetize legitimate 3rd party sales.

The Problem Music contracts are too often expensive, confusing, and out of reach. Artists, producers, and other music professionals face opaque, inconsistent agreements and the constant risk of being taken advantage of - simply because fast, fair, affordable solutions haven’t existed

Empowers music creators and rightsholders to create, negotiate, and sign professional-grade music contracts quickly, clearly, and affordably.

The Solution A platform that makes deal-making simple, transparent, and accessible for everyone in music. nick@songpact.com songpact

What impact do you want your product to have on the music/entertainment industry?

We envision an industry where music contracts are no longer a barrier or an unaffordable luxury. With Songpact, every artist - from grassroots creators to global stars - can protect their work and strike fair deals without fear or confusion.

When widely adopted, Songpact will set a new standard: clear, affordable contracts as the norm, raising fairness and professionalism across the entire music industry.

You wouldn't buy, sell or rent a property without a written contract intellectual property should be no different.

The Problem Popularity-based algorithms and limited resources make it extremely difficult for local, indie and emerging artists to be discovered and build sustainable music careers.

Muso Match brings people together through shared music tastes and values, crowdfunding a more equitable future for music.

The Solution We’re reshaping the algorithm to deprioritise already dominant artists, instead spotlighting local, emerging and independent talent. By shifting listening habits, we aim to rebalance the power dynamic in music. info@getmuso.com Muso.Match

The Problem We help solve equipment theft, loss, and misplacement – problems that can lead to stress, delays, cancellations, and lost revenue across the events and touring industry.

smart tracking and traceability solutions for high-value, mission-critical equipment and flight cases.

The Solution Integrable GPS trackers, retrofittable into existing equipment. Perfect for rental houses, installers, and production teams.

OEM Integration: We work directly with manufacturers to offer built-in tracking as a feature that adds value for end-users. lisa@tazaar.io geotag_tracked

The Problem Artists cutting through the noise.

Major label marketing power, for independent artists

The Solution Our technology facilitates automated marketing and promotion for artists and record labels. No more wasted budget or high costs. alex@unhurd.com unhurdmusic

The Problem There is no current concert aggregator that helps people discover, plan, and buy concert tickets in an efficient straight through process. It’s a disconnected and hassle fuelled process with different entities solving their own niche problems with little connectivity.

Australia’s leading live music discovery platform helping music fans discover and buy concert tickets.

The Solution A platform that helps music fans discover and purchase concert tickets. hello@whatslively.com whatslively

e r o m t u o d n i F www.the-cast.org