Beyond the Playlist
Apple Music has done genuinely good work curating First Nations playlists. Collections like Deadly Beats and First Nations are well put together, regularly updated, and a great way to listen. If you haven't checked them out, you should.
But playlists are built for listening, not for discovering. They'll give you a rotation of tracks. What they won't do is help you explore the full range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists making music right now, across every genre, from every corner of the country. That's a different kind of problem. And it's why we built the Discover Music page.
More Than One Category
There are over two hundred Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians on Always Will Be. They make hip hop, R&B, soul, country, rock, electronic, pop, folk, classical. Baker Boy raps in Yolngu Matha over trap beats. Budjerah makes pop that fills arenas. Electric Fields blend electronic music with Yankunytjatjara language. Jessica Mauboy, Thelma Plum, King Stingray, Ziggy Ramo, Emily Wurramara. Each one doing something completely different.
On AWB, you can browse musicians by the genre they actually work in. Each genre section lets you preview songs, see artwork, and click through to full artist profiles. Instead of a single "Indigenous music" category, you get the same range of entry points you'd expect for any other group of musicians.
Every Artist Connects Back to Country
Here's something no streaming platform does: tell you where an artist's mob is from, which Country they represent, or which language group their family belongs to. On AWB, every musician profile carries that context. When you click through to an artist, you're not just finding new music. You're finding a connection to place.
When Baker Boy raps in Yolngu Matha, that language comes from Arnhem Land. When Budjerah sings, he carries Bundjalung Country with him. The music makes more sense when you know where it comes from. And the Country pages on AWB let you keep following that thread.
Find Live Shows
One thing no playlist can do is tell you when an artist is playing near you. The Discover Music page pulls in upcoming concert dates across Australia. You can see who's touring, which states they're hitting, and when the next show is. If you find someone you like, you can find out where to see them live.
Playlists as Starting Points
We also surface curated playlists on the Discover Music page, including Apple Music's own First Nations collections. Each one shows track counts and total listening time, and links out so you can listen on your preferred platform.
Think of them as starting points, not destinations. Find a playlist, discover three artists you haven't heard before, then go deeper into their profiles and the Country they come from.
Start Anywhere
The Discover Music page is designed so you don't need a plan. Search for a name if you have one. Browse by genre if you don't. Scroll the featured artists. Check the concert listings. Play a preview and see what grabs you.
The artists are there. Over two hundred of them, and growing. This is how you find them.