One Banner, One Fanbase: Why Silos Are Killing the Industry

Fans don’t care about industry boundaries. The same person cheering wildly at a footy match will be blasting their favorite playlist on the drive home or glued to a screen for the latest episode of their favorite show. We’re not loyal to sports, media, or the arts—we’re loyal to what entertains us, what gives us an escape, a moment to connect with others who love the same thing.

So why are these sectors still playing solo when they could be the greatest supergroup of all time?

Music: The Unsung Hero Nobody’s Backing

Music is everywhere—it's the glue that ties every entertainment moment together.

• Sports: Ever been to a game where the crowd didn’t erupt when the right song dropped? Music turns a match into a movement.

  
  

• Media: Netflix doesn’t just make shows—it scores them. A soundtrack can turn a good story into a cultural obsession.

  
  

• Live Events: Festivals, conferences, you name it—music’s the vibe-setter that keeps us there and keeps our wallets open.

  
  

• Tech & Gaming: Fortnite is throwing virtual concerts, GTA has radio stations that slap—music’s not background noise; it’s the hook.

  
  

So why is music still begging for scraps while sports tech rakes in $90 billion and media platforms swim in cash? Because the music industry has been so focused on playing one hand over and over, it’s left every other hand on the table for others to play.

The Innovation Drought: Why Music’s Missing the Money Train

Music is underfunded because it’s scared of the future. Napster? The industry didn’t jump on that rocket—they sued it into the ground. Streaming? They dragged their feet until Spotify forced their hand. Blockchain showed promise for fans, but it never hit the heights that were promised.

While sports and gaming churn out billion-dollar startups, music is stuck with outdated models that pay artists pennies and leave investors yawning.

It’s promising that although the industry is going after AI platforms, it has at least started to invest in them. But the last 20 years have damaged its relationship with technology. The industry has been far from welcoming to founders, making music almost uninvestable. Now, it’s only seen as a "hit machine"—something that can be used without a true appreciation for the value it brings.

A thriving music industry creates new ways to hook fans, new streams of cash, and new reasons to care. But for now, it’s choked by fear of change, so disconnected from what’s happening in technology that it sings whatever tune it’s told to.

The Fix: Put Music Where It Belongs—Front and Center

So how do we turn this around? Stop treating music like a bonus track and start seeing it as the lead single. What can we do?

• Link the industries: Sports, media, arts—they’re stronger together, with music as the glue. Build partnerships that make it happen.

  
  

• Think big: Music’s not a side hustle—it’s the engine. Create experiences where it’s the star, not the backup dancer.

  
  

  
  

How We Bring It All Together

The end goal is a Fan Accelerator—a dedicated initiative that fosters collaboration across music, art, sport, and entertainment, creating clear pathways for adoption and ensuring major events like the Australian Open and NRL don’t just experiment in isolation but feed off each other to build, test, and scale new ideas. Through this accelerator, we can bring industries together to work on and test ideas. These ideas don't just need to be ground break tech platforms, they can be easily executed fan value ads.

• Go Bigger Than the Australian Open & LIV Golf: The Australian Open and LIV Golf already blend live music and sport, bringing major artists to their events—but why stop there? Imagine a Grand Final Festival that tours with the games. Each stop along the way features a festival-style setup with athletes curating the lineup, selecting their favorite local artists to perform before and after matches.

  
  

  
  

• Every Ticket Comes with an Artist: What if every sporting ticket sold had a local artist attached to it—personally picked by the players? Fans wouldn’t just show up for the game; they’d get a chance to discover their next favorite musician.

  
  

  
  

• Music & Sport: Make Artists Part of the Club – Many major musicians are die-hard sports fans. We’ve seen it with Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) and his love for Fremantle Dockers. Why not create a special club membership for musicians, inviting them to games, getting them involved in the culture, and giving them a platform to connect with fans in new ways?

  
  

  
  

• Build Your Night – When a major concert or sports event is happening, fans should have a seamless way to plan their whole experience. A "Build Your Night" platform could link fans to the best local restaurants, other gigs, club nights, or arts events happening in town, making sure every big event boosts the entire nightlife economy.

  
  

  
  

This is all about building a future where sports, media, and arts don’t just coexist but amplify each other, with music driving the beat. Because when music wins, we all win.