In January 2022, a new sound began to pulse through the airwaves of the South East Qld and NSW North Coast. It was born from a simple concept: while Australia has some of the best musical talent in the world, it's still harder than ever for emerging and independent artists to be heard.
Today, as we enter our fifth year of broadcasting, Local Sounds Radio has grown from a regional startup into a national service. We aren’t just a station; we are an online platform where the "Legendary" meets the "Local."
Local Sounds was founded by John White and Matty White, two brothers with a deep-seated passion for community and digital innovation. Their goal was to solve the "discovery gap".
In the beginning, we focused on local stories and regional music scenes. We knew that an indie band in Murwillumbah or a singer-songwriter in Kingaroy deserved to be heard alongside the global icons. By creating our signature Greatest Hits + Local Artists formula, weaving new independent Australian tracks into a playlist of popular hits, we give emerging artists a chance to be heard.
The journey from 2022 to now has been a whirlwind of innovation and growth. Some of our proudest moments include:
Going National: After expanding from the Northern Rivers to a nationwide audience, we bolstered our team in 2025 by appointing Sarah Harris as our Music Director. Under Sarah’s guidance, Local Sounds has seen a consistent increase in both new listeners and total time they spend listening.
Leading with Technology: We’ve embraced the future by introducing Joe and Evie, our friendly AI announcers. By combining AI efficiency with human-led curation, we’ve ensured that we can provide 24/7 content and real-time updates.
Empowering Small Business: In 2024, we launched Instant Audio Ads. We recognised that local businesses were looking for cost effective ways to develop radio commercials, so we built a service that lets them create professional 30-second ads in minutes.
Championing the Artist: From our free submission portal to our artist spotlights every half hour, we have helped hundreds of local artists find their first radio audience.
The Way Forward: Turning Up the Volume
As we look toward 2026 and beyond, our mission remains unchanged: to amplify the voices that deserve to be heard. The "way forward" is about deepening our connection with you, the listener. We are expanding our digital footprint, enhancing our mobile app experience, and finding new ways to support local communities, artists and small business. We will continue to innovate while keeping our heart firmly rooted in the local live music scene and home studios where great music is born.
To every artist who has submitted a track and every listener who has tuned in: thank you. You are the reason we’re still spinning.
Here’s to many more years of the greatest hits and your new favourite local artists.