Some of the most feted rising names in music from across Asia and Australia will be playing free shows around town during the annual independent music festival Music Matters, which runs from today till Thursday. This year marks the sixth time the event is taking place in Singapore.

More than 30 acts will be performing at venues such as Millian Singapore, Barber Shop by Timbre, Kyo, Switch by Timbre, Timbre @ The Substation and Timbre Music Academy.

The line-up includes upcoming home-grown acts singer-songwriter Linying, pop-punk band The Summer State and synth-pop quartet Disco Hue. They will perform at a Made In Singapore showcase gig at Millian on Thursday.

Other country-specific gigs featuring acts from Australia, Indonesia and Hong Kong will also take place during the festival.

Performing at Music Matters provides a global platform for budding artists to showcase their music to some of the biggest names in the entertainment business, says Mr Jasper Donat, chief executive officer of Branded, which organises Music Matters.

He adds: "All the acts selected to play at the festival are given the opportunity to network at the conference and play live in front of festival bookers from around the world."

He cites some examples: Australian band The Jezabels secured an Asia album distribution deal after playing at Music Matters in 2011 and Singaporean band The Sam Willows and Thai band Slot Machine got to work with Grammy-winning producer Steve Lillywhite after connecting with him at Music Matters.

One of the highlights at the event, Mr Donat adds, is Music Matters Academy, where major figures from the global music industry such as Lillywhite, a man who has collaborated with top music acts U2 and The Rolling Stones, will conduct invite-only sessions for budding artists and professionals.

The sessions will cover topics such as artist development, brand engagement, digital distribution and legal rights.

Mr Donat says: "Music Matters Academy is a particular favourite as we offer artists the chance to meet and learn from the best in the business for free."

This year's Music Matters, which counts show promoter Live Nation Lushington as a presenting sponsor, features new tie-ups for its artists to also perform at two major events happening around the same time in Singapore - Ultra Singapore 2016 last weekend and the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix this weekend. Australian dance music duo Slumberjack played the former, and award- winning New Zealand soul singer Aaradhna and Indian singersongwriter Prateek Kuhad will play the latter.

Mr Lim Teck Kheng, Universal Music Singapore's head of strategic development and artists and repertoire, says Music Matters has always been a "great place to spot potential talents".

Programmes such as Music Matters Academy and Made In Singapore, in particular, benefit home-grown artists, he adds.

"Over the years, Music Matters has consistently created valuable platforms that provided effective launch pads for many talents to showcase their music."

Singapore rapper TheLionCityBoy, who has performed at and attended previous Music Matters, says that the connections he made at the event led to several gigs in the United States.

"(Music Matters) brings experts. Stories and lessons learnt from other artists can be tips for new artists. We should always be learning and keeping up with the game. Music Matters offers insight into this journey that we are all running on."

The opening show at Millian tonight will feature acts such as popular Australian pop duo The Veronicas, Aaradhna and Indian electronic music act Nucleya.

Like in previous years, the festival is also part of All That Matters, an annual event that brings together major players in the music, sports, digital entertainment and marketing industries.