About ASC
The Australian Songwriters Conference, known as ASC, began in 2008 with a single event bringing songwriters together to learn from the best in the business. Since then, ASC has grown into so much more, with further conferences held in 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018, and 2021, each one featuring hit songwriters, producers, publishers, and industry professionals from Australia and around the world.
Beyond the conference, ASC delivers online workshops, webinars, networking opportunities and courses covering both the craft and the business of songwriting, including the 12-month Songwriter Success Masterplan. ASC also offers an ongoing mentoring program, pairing songwriters with experienced guidance to help them grow.
Today, although the conference will always be held live in a venue, ASC operates almost entirely online, continuing its mission to support Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific songwriters at every stage of their journey regardless of their location.
Our Founder
Lisa Butler is the founder and coordinator of the Australian Songwriters Conference, and has guided its growth since 2008. A songwriter herself since the age of sixteen, Lisa spent several years working alongside an international cabaret star, gaining a first-hand look at how the music industry really works, not just the glossy version. That grounded, practical outlook has shaped everything she's brought to ASC ever since.
With more than 30 years across music and entertainment, Lisa is also a Certified Professional Coach specialising in Life and Career, holding a Diploma of Counselling and Mental Health First Aid accreditation. She brings a combination of coaching and counselling training alongside decades of industry experience, and believes a sustainable career in the arts is about looking after the person behind the artistry, not just the strategy.
Lisa is also a published author and poet, with work featured in cards and anthologies for international publisher Blue Mountain Arts, and her first book, The Constitution of the United States of Being, released in 2013. She's appeared on radio, podcasts, and vlogs over the years, talking about the music industry, mental health, and what it takes to build a lasting career.
Her latest book, Chasing the Big Break, draws on three decades in the industry and hundreds of conversations with working songwriters, musicians and other performing artists, offering a clear, honest strategy for the career they're chasing.