Has youth radio station Triple J has lost its influence?

Comedian, presenter and former Triple J host Merrick Watts says the impact of the national youth broadcaster has “changed dramatically”.

“When I was at Triple J in 1999, it had a massive impact in regional areas,” Watts tells 7NEWS.com.au. “It was very critical to those areas, even though it also had an impact in cities.

“[...] A lot of people in regional areas called our show — dudes on tractors, harvesters, trucks, and young women in nursing or similar roles. These people didn’t feel connected to their townships, but Triple J was a community for them. Now, the internet has shifted that dynamic.”

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Watts said the decline in Triple J’s cultural impact since its birth 50 years ago isn’t because they stopped catering to regional audiences; it’s due to the democratisation of media.

“People now have more ways to connect and discover music, which has lessened Triple J’s unique role,” he says.

Comedian, presenter and former triple j host Merrick Watts says the impact of the national youth broadcaster has “changed dramatically”. Credit: Supplied

Gone are the days when Triple J was renowned as a definitive tastemaker, catering to a niche audience of music fans outside of the mainstream.

In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Triple J was integral in the global breakout success of acts like Silverchair, Nick Cave, Missy Higgins and Midnight Oil.

“Nowadays, the flow has reversed,” says Watts. “Artists can break through independently via platforms like TikTok and gain success before Triple J even notices them.”

Triple J hosted its annual Hottest 100 music poll on January 25, which saw a significant decrease in local artist representation. Just 17 Australian artists made the list with a total of 29 songs, marking the lowest representation since 1996.

Additionally, just one Indigenous artist was included, global superstar The Kid LAROI with his tracks BABY I’M BACK at #50 GIRLS at #23.

The reaction from fans and the industry was instant. Harrison Khannah of tracking site Triple J Watchdog, told Pedestrian.tv the network is “failing at their one mission: promoting Australian music”.

Former Triple J Content Director Ollie Wards held the role from 2012 to 2020. Speaking with 7NEWS.com.au, Wards says that by bringing Australian music to fans across the country for half a century, Triple J made listening to artists from anywhere in the country “accessible and cool”.

“I come from from New Zealand where there’s not really a comparative outlet to Triple J, which has made seeing the impact of Triple J on youth culture a clear comparison,” says Wards. “Australia is lucky to have Triple J.

“For emerging artists, Triple J has often been the first stepping stone on their career path. While there’s increasing challenges to keeping Australian music on paths to mainstream charts and main stages, Triple J is still offering that first step up.”

Ollie Wards held the role of triple j Content Director from 2012 to 2020. Credit: Supplied

Wards was involved in Triple J’s key strategies when the broadcaster celebrated its 40th birthday in 2015. He says they included “meeting the audience where they are”, recognising its target demo was splitting across more platforms.

“A decade later as Triple J turns 50 and for the next 20 years, as long as Triple J is able to recommend music and reflect Australian youth culture in multiple ways across many platforms — then its influence will be assured,” says Wards.

Triple J’s influence has been a topic of conversation and contention in recent years.

As reported in an article by Luke Girgis for his Black Hoody blog, Triple J was responsible for kickstarting the careers of 15 of the 20 Australian global breakouts between 2011 and 2020, including Grammy-winning artists Gotye, Tame Impala and Flume.

triple j was responsible for kickstarting the careers of 15 of the 20 Australian global breakouts between 2011 and 2020 Credit: The Black Hoody

This was largely due to the high rotation of songs added to the Triple J playlist. Industry sources have said high-rotation songs received 120-140 spins 10 years ago vs the 60-80 spins they get now.

Triple J’s audience size has fallen dramatically in the last decade.

According to a 2022 report by Unmade, the station’s targeted 18 to 24-year-old listeners has fallen by 55 per cent since 2014.

The flow-on effect of this is indelible. Pair a reduced audience size with local artists receiving fewer spins per week after being added to the playlist and you have a broadcaster with a weakened impact on the music industry.

No longer are Australian music festivals curating their lineups based on Triple J high-rotation artists who could once help sell out a festival. This means fewer Australian acts on lineups, higher costs to bring in international headliners, and as we’ve seen, the fall and cancellation of many of our beloved festivals.

Granted, big-name artists’ fees have increased, and the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in more conservative spending from music fans, but the loss of festivals like Splendour in the Grass, Groovin’ The Moo and Falls Festival has given us pause.

No longer are Australian music festivals curating their lineups based on Triple J high-rotation artists. Credit: Supplied

Triple J’s decreased impact on breaking local talent is not to blame for the fall of many of our festivals, obviously. But promoters who programmed their lineups based on a playlist that once had the power to break an act are now looking to mainstream channels like commercial radio and TikTok to sell tickets.

One festival that has held strong amid dwindling ticket sales is Laneway Festival. Crucially, its promoter Danny Rogers has said the key to Laneway’s success has been twofold: to not be dependent on headliners, and to not build a festival on radio play.

“A lot of people think you can build festival lineups on radio play and data,” Rogers said, “but that doesn’t create a culture, it feels homogeneous and pretty samey.”

Laneway Festival achieved record ticket sales for its 2024 and 2025 festivals. Credit: Supplied

Merrick Watts says Triple J’s future depends on finding new points of relevance.

“They’ve always been good at discovering talent — particularly Indigenous artists — and nurturing them. That’s something they should lean into because fostering Australian music is crucial for its survival.”

Watts says Triple J’s strength lies in balancing data-driven decisions with gut instincts.

“They need gatekeepers — people like (former music director Richard) Kingsmill — who have a strong intuition for what will resonate. It’s a mix of knowing the data and trusting someone’s gut to say, ‘This is good.’ That’s how they stay relevant while continuing to support Australian music and culture.”

Ollie Wards has similar sentiments, noting that Triple J’s role as a tastemaker of local music can be maintained with a more cross-platform approach.

“Australian music is definitely facing challenges — competing with global artists on streaming services, increasing touring costs and less local media,” says Wards. “But if Triple J can continue to be a tastemaker across platforms, it’ll continue its outsized contribution to Australian music.”