Last year’s Hottest 100 featured just 27 Australian songs, the lowest number since 1994.
This contrasts with the years 2014 to 2022 when Australian artists produced more than half of the songs in the Hottest 100.
The analysis shows that the decline in Australian songs in the Hottest 100 is mirrored in data from streaming services – the number of Australian songs and artists featuring in global streaming services like Spotify is declining rapidly.
This is because Australian artists are crowded out by other English-speaking acts, particularly those from the USA.
The analysis concludes that Australian music can be rejuvenated with policy support focused on increased funding and better regulation of streaming services.
“The decline of Australian songs in the Triple J Hottest 100 is caused by lack of funding and governments’ failure to regulate streaming services,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.
“When it comes to Australian music, streaming has changed everything.
“Whereas once the main source of music for Australian listeners was Australian radio stations, audiences are now listening through global streaming services. These work on algorithms that filter for language but not for geography, so Australian artists are competing against American artists, which the streaming services are biased towards.
