The Sound returns to ABC TV

Image: Tones and I (Credit: Mushroom Creative House)

The third season of the ABC's The Sound will premiere on Sunday, November 7 at 5:30 pm.

Produced by Mushroom Studios, the artist line-up and episode details will be revealed soon.

The first two seasons featured 165 artists in 149 spectacular locations and venues across the country.

CEO of Mushroom Group, Matt Gudinski, said as with the previous seasons, season three will be a world-class production.

“Giving artists a platform to perform on a national stage in the comfort of viewers' homes has been a remarkable feat for The Sound,” he said.

“The third season promises amazing up-and-coming local talent as well as some big household names."

Meagan Loader, ABC's head of music & creative development said the team is fired up about reconnecting its audience with live music and continuing to support the industry.

“We can’t wait to share another season of The Sound with the ABC’s Australian music loving audience this November, as part of Ausmusic Month.

“In 2021, the ABC’s national radio and TV networks are bringing more local music to more fans around the country than any other broadcaster."

She added that there is nothing else like The Sound. 

Gudinski executive produces the show, with Tom Macdonald as producer, Dion Brant overseeing business affairs, Susan Heymann as artist programmer and Matt Scully as ABC series producer.

The Sound was launched by the late Michael Gudinski in July 2020, months after the COVID pandemic closed off the live sector.

He shifted Mushroom Group staff to its TV division, first with the successful three-hour Music From The Home Front on Channel 9 (the first episode reached a national peak of 1.419 million and topped the night) before turning his sights to The Sound, initially for six episodes.

At the time Gudinski said the format was to keep live music in front of Australian TV audiences, and he bemoaned the relative lack of music on local television.

“If you look at the Top 40 at the moment, there's three Australian singles.

“It's very frustrating, because there's been no outlet for acts to play new songs – not their old hits – whether they're young, medium-sized acts, or older acts.

“So two-thirds of The Sound is going to be artists of all ages performing their new tracks.”

The show also paid tribute to Australian music’s legacy with the From The Vault segment of earlier footage, and Tribute where younger acts performed the songs of a heritage act.