 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Australia and internationallyonline |
| Frequencies | DAB+ andDVB-T: Ch. 29 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Independent Australian music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| History | |
| Founded | 1995 (talent competition) 2006 (online platform) 2011 (digital radio station) |
First air date | 5 October 2011; 14 years ago (2011-10-05) |
| Links | |
| Website | triplejunearthed |
Triple J Unearthed is an Australiandigital radio station and online music discovery platform. It is asister station ofTriple J, owned by theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation.
Unearthed began in 1995 as a regionaltalent competition open tounsigned musicians. In 2006, the Unearthed website was launched as a way for local artists to have their music heard by the station's team and listeners. As of 2023, the platform hosts over 170,000 tracks from over 85,000independent musicians. Its success led to the launch of a dedicated digital radio station in 2011, which only playsAustralian music uploaded to the site.
Cited as a "revolutionary idea" that "arguably changed the entire Australian music landscape,"[1] the Unearthed brand has been responsible for discovering some of Australia's most celebrated musical acts, includingFlume,Missy Higgins,Vance Joy,Gang of Youths,Grinspoon andthe Kid Laroi. The network continues to host initiatives to progress independent artists in theindustry, including Unearthed High, an annual award given tohigh school musicians to have their work recorded professionally.
In July 1995,Triple J launched its regional Unearthed competition,[3] whereby emerging musicians from across Australia could send in theirdemos to be professionally recorded and played on the station.[4] In its inaugural year, 1,000 artists entered; Lismore rock bandGrinspoon won the competition.[5][6]
In its following years, the Unearthed demo program helped discover several acclaimed artists, includingKilling Heidi (1996) andMissy Higgins (2001).[3] By 2006, Triple J had travelled to over 43 regions in Australia and "unearthed" over 100 artists, most of whom went on to independently release albums and scoredistribution deals.[3]
In 2006, former Triple J manager Linda Bracken ideated an online platform that would allowunsigned musicians to upload their music and be heard by the station's staff and listeners.[7] Motivated to cut out the need forpublicists andA&R, she was inspired by the similar New Music Canada initiative byCBC Radio 3.[7]
With funding from theAustralia Council for the Arts,[3] Bracken andsoftware engineer Ann Chesterman, who saw the idea as "being at the heart of the ecosystem of Australian music," built a prototype for the Unearthed website.[7] The site's launch, on 9 August 2006, re-established the Unearthed brand.[3] Thousands of tracks were uploaded within the first week of the site being online.[7] By 2010, about 100 songs were being uploaded onto the Unearthed website every day.[7] As of 2023, it hosts over 170,000 tracks from over 85,000 independent musicians.[8]
In 2021, the website received its first major redesign since its initial launch.[9]
On 18 December 2024, theNew South Wales Police Force alleged that two men used the Unearthed website– particularly its profile customisation features, like writing a user bio– to recruit aGoulburn Correctional Centre inmate to carry out astabbing on gang leaderBassam Hamzy in February that year.[10] TheABC, which owns Triple J, did not comment on the matter.[11]
Seeing the success of the website, Unearthed executive producer Stephanie Carrick and ABC music director Chris Scaddan ideated creating a dedicateddigital radio station to accompany the online platform. It was launched on 5 October 2011, on digital radio in the five majorAustralian capital cities, and via the Unearthed website.[12]
Every year since 2008, Triple J Unearthed has held a competition aimed at musicians and bands inhigh school. The winner receives mentoring, recording opportunities and airplay on Triple J. Recent acts to have found success with the initiative includeHockey Dad,The Kid Laroi,Genesis Owusu,Japanese Wallpaper andGretta Ray.[14]
The Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative was founded in 2016, rewarding anAboriginal or Torres Strait Islander musician with mentoring and airplay on Triple J.[15]
Celebrating 15 years of the competition in 2023, Triple J held a one-night, all-ages concert duringVivid Sydney featuring notable past entrants, includingLastlings andTeen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.[14]
| Year | Winner | Notable finalists | Indigenous Initiative winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tom Ugly[note 1] | [16] | ||
| 2009 | Hunting Grounds[note 2] | [16] | ||
| 2010 | Stonefield[note 3] | [17] | ||
| 2011 | Snakadaktal | [18] | ||
| 2012 | Asta | Montaigne | [19] | |
| 2013 | Lunatics on Pogosticks | Vancouver Sleep Clinic | [20] | |
| 2014 | Japanese Wallpaper | Hockey Dad | [21] | |
| 2015 | Mosquito Coast | Genesis Owusu | [22] | |
| 2016 | Gretta Ray | Lastlings,Ninajirachi | Tia Gostelow | [13][23] |
| 2017 | Arno Faraji | Ninajirachi | Becca Hatch | [24][25] |
| 2018 | Kian | The Kid Laroi | River & Isles | [26] |
| 2019 | George Alice | Aodhan | [27][28] | |
| 2020 | Teenage Joans | Aodhan | Rudeboy E | [29][30] |
| 2021 | The Rions | Kayps | [31][32] | |
| 2022 | Jacoténe | Proud Noongar Boys | [33][34] | |
| 2023 | Lee | Inkabee | [35][36] | |
| 2024 | Mariae Cassandra | Riah | [37][38] | |
| 2025 | Drizzz | Kyla Belle | [39] |
As an extension of Unearthed High, the Indigenous Initiative commemorates the bestFirst Nations artist. Notable past winners have includedAodhan (2019),Becca Hatch (2017) andTia Gostelow (2016).[40] The network also holds an annual competition open to Indigenous Australian artists, with the winner selected to play at theNational Indigenous Music Awards. Past winners have includedThelma Plum,Baker Boy,Alice Skye andDallas Woods.[41][42] Unearthed has also run a number of First Nations specific competitions that has seen artists added to festivals such as First & Forever and Treaty Day Out.[43]
Triple J often holds competitions that see a winning Unearthed artist join a majormusic festival's lineup. In the past, winners have performed atSplendour in the Grass,[44]Groovin' the Moo,[45]Falls Festival,[46]Big Day Out,Laneway Festival and A More Perfect Union.[47] The station have also held contests to support international artists likeDenzel Curry on their Australian tours.[48][49]
Unearthed occasionally run competitions where winning artists can work with renownedproducers orsongwriters.[50] In 2023,Flume released a half-finished track, and Unearthed artists were encouraged to share how they would complete the song to win – the final track, produced byBlacktown rapper Isaac Puerile, received national airplay.[51][52] The same year, Unearthed artists were given the opportunity to work with award-winning songwriterSarah Aarons.[53]
In the past, these competitions have also seen entrants remix songs fromLorde andDMA's,[54][55] as well as creating "DIYsupergroups" out of samples from notable artists provided by Triple J.[56]
In June 2020, amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic, Unearthed handed out 16 grants to artists on the platform valued at $7,000 each, to record new music, produce music videos and promote their work.[57]
Writing foronline magazineTone Deaf in 2022, Holley Gawne wrote Triple J Unearthed has been "so successful ... in boosting the profiles of some of the industry’s biggest and brightest."[58] Triple J music director Dave Ruby Howe said the Unearthed online platform was a revolutionary idea, especially as it pre-dated other music platforms likeSoundCloud andBandcamp.[1]
In its first form as a regional talent competition, Unearthed discovered then-local musiciansMissy Higgins andSophie Koh, and bandsGrinspoon,Killing Heidi andSick Puppies.[1]
The launch of the website led to the rise of hundreds of more artists and according toThe Music, "arguably changed the entire Australian music landscape."[1]Flume, one of the "world's most prominent producers" according toRolling Stone,[59] debuted with a single on Unearthed titled "Possum" in 2011.[58] Brisbane indie pop bandBall Park Music began uploading to the site in 2008,[58] whileGang of Youths uploaded a demo as well as their debut single "Evangelists" in 2013.[50]
When a then-unsignedVance Joy uploaded "Riptide" to the platform, Howe said his team played the track "about 100 times on Unearthed radio" prior to its enormous success – the track is now certified16× platinum and ended up polling at number one in theHottest 100 of 2013.[1]
On February 15, 2019Tones and I uploaded her debut single "Johnny Run Away" to Triple J Unearthed. The track was picked up by the team, and Tones and I would go on to win an Unearthed competition to perform atSplendour in the Grass.[60] Her hit 2019 single "Dance Monkey" has since become the most streamed Australian song, and the most streamed song by a female musician onSpotify, recording over three billion streams.[61]
In November 2016, to celebrate 10 years of the Triple J Unearthed website, the broadcaster counted down the 100 Best Unearthed Discoveries, featuring artists who have found the most success after uploading their music to the platform.[62] In the week following theTriple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs in July 2025, the Unearthed station revisited this list.[63]
| No. | 2016 list | 2025 list |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flume | Missy Higgins |
| 2 | Courtney Barnett | Rüfüs Du Sol |
| 3 | The Rubens | Gang of Youths |
| 4 | Boy & Bear | Spacey Jane |
| 5 | Meg Mac | Flume |
| 6 | Ball Park Music | Ball Park Music |
| 7 | The Jezabels | Ocean Alley |
| 8 | Sticky Fingers | Vance Joy |
| 9 | Big Scary | Sticky Fingers |
| 10 | Japanese Wallpaper | Grinspoon |
Established in 1995, Triple J Unearthed has kicked off the careers of thousands of Australian musicians. With over 170,000 tracks from around 85,000 different artists, it"s also the spot to meet your new favourite artist.
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