The inaugural Gold Sounds Music Conference took place in 2021 as part of Music Victoria's Regional Music Development Program.

Gold Sounds 2021 brought keynote presentations from Jen Cloher and Liz Stringer, speakers including Anna Laverty, Casey Rice, Richard Moffat and Tom Larkin, workshops run by Dallas Woods, Eliza Hull and Simona Castricum, and collaborations with APRA AMCOS, Mount Alexander Shire Council and The Push.