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This is the first comprehensive reference work on Australian music. With just over 1400 entries written by 125 authorities on the subject, the dictionary covers a wide spectrum of topics, from ancient Aboriginal traditions and European-derived orchestral, operatic, and concert music, to Australian folk, jazz, country, popular, rock, electronic, and experimental music. There are entries on major historical and contemporary figures, including those who have achieved worldwide fame, such as Peter Allen, Percy Grainger, Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Kylie Minogue, Barry Tuckwell, Charles Mackerras, and the three great divas: Nellie Melba, Joan Hammond, and Joan Sutherland. Leading orchestras and ensembles are represented, as well as major pop and rock groups, among them the Seekers, the Bee Gees, AC/DC, and Midnight Oil. In addition to entries on individual composers, performers, and musical works and instruments, the dictionary covers leading musicologists, critics, broadcasters, educators, and researchers. The dictionary thus considers and reflects the diversity of music on the Australian continent.

The encyclopedia of Australian rock and pop embeds a brief history of pop and rock musical developments Down Under with a wealth of information on personalities, bands, and institutions. This second edition has been completely revised and updated, adding over 160 new articles to the previous 870 entries. With articles on AC/DC, The Avalanches, Olivia Newton-John, and Guy Sebastian, as well as You Am I and Zoot, it is the most comprehensive guide to artists who molded Australian popular music from 1956 to 2016. Each article contains biographical information, line-up details, record releases, career highlights, and album discographies, as well as an authoritative critique on each artist’s career. Major entries have references for further reading. This comprehensive approach makes transparent the impact of singers and bands such as Johnny O'Keefe, Marcie Jones, and The Delltones; Sherbet and Daddy Cool, and Human Nature; and personalities such as Darryl Cotton, Johnny Young, Tina Arena, and Kylie Minogue. There is extensive coverage of those who have had long-standing local careers, such as John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes, and Col Joye; those who have enjoyed significant international careers, such as Rick Springfield, Helen Reddy, and The Bee Gees; as well as recognition of lesser-known live bands, such as the eccentrically named The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance, and bands who may not have recorded but still made a contribution to Australian popular music history. The attention to detail reveals itself in facts such as former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating managing a 1960s rock band. This is an essential work of reference for anyone seeking information on Australian popular music and its impact abroad. A bibliography is included at the end of the encyclopedia.