This year’s ARIA Awards marked a turning point for Australian music, and Spotify was right at the heart of it. For the first time in the awards’ nearly 40-year history, we stepped onto center stage as presenting partner, kicking off a new three-year commitment to Australia’s biggest celebration of local music.
“Spotify is proud to partner with the ARIA Awards to champion artists who are shaping culture at home and finding passionate audiences around the world,” said Mikaela Lancaster, Spotify’s Managing Director for Australia & New Zealand. “Australian stories have never traveled further (or faster), and we’re committed to helping them be heard in even more places.”
A new award for a new era
The 2025 ARIA Awards week had renewed energy, with Spotify introducing the Global Impact Award—an extension of the Spotify Global Impact List, first launched in Australia—to celebrate local artists making waves on the world stage.
Fans also played a bigger role than ever. For the first time, they could vote for their favorite artists inside the Spotify app, with a record number of votes cast in support of homegrown talent. The ARIA hub also offered a dedicated space on Spotify to discover nominees.
Party first, awards after
The celebrations kicked off with the first-ever Spotify Artist Party on November 17 at Sydney’s historic Cell Block Theatre. Global superstar The Kid LAROI made a triumphant homecoming with a powerhouse set, joined by Sydney drill group ONEFOUR for a surprise performance of “Distant Strangers.”
The night also saw pop-up sets from ARIA nominees Sons of the East and Taylor Moss, with Young Franco keeping the energy high on the decks.
“Australian music is having a massive global moment right now,” said The Kid LAROI. “It’s so cool to be part of that!”
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