So I’m on my way back from SXSW, surrounded by dudes with their instruments and wondering about the sheer bizarre majesty of it all. The festival is simultaneously the most clued in and clueless thing that I have ever attended leaving me with countless questions about the event but also having taught me a lot about where the music industry is these days. There’s a lot to pick apart with the inherent beauty and magic of a festival of this scale. While I see exciting opportunities unfolding before me I also have to wonder if we were all lost from the start. We need to understand what this greatest of industry events can mean for us and help us to figure out a way forward within the sturggle that these events can represent. In a world of high costs, lots of money up for grabs and unique corporate opportunities South By is an anomaly.
So I think the first thing that struck me when I was there was the sheer power that corporate accounts have when it comes to SXSW, even for unofficial showcases. One showcase I attended was clearly throwing around at least thirty thousand dollars and it was put together just by some industry folks I know from Brooklyn! These guys were fairly high level but it isn’t like they are throwing together massive events every week. It was cool to see some dudes I normally hang out with in crowded bars throwing around massive amounts of cash. Good for them of course, but also, think about what this means for the underground scene. Even fairly low level bands with a few tens of thousands of Facebook fans were commanding five figure guarantees just because they knew the right people. I know that’s out of the reach of most bands, but also realize that these numbers are easily up to ten times what these bands normally receive, just because it’s South By Southwest.
Of course this isn’t going to be relevant to your band. Your band is struggling just to play small shows in front of a few dozen people, even at home. Well South By is interesting because it allows you to tap into broader markets. Sure a lot of these events, even for big bands are underattended, simply because so much is going on, but you also can count on getting to play in front of a new group of fans who probably fit into your target demographic, especially if you find the right people and are able to perform a few times over the course of the festival. I know it’s a lot to be asking for especially since most SXSW events don’t pay, especially the unofficial ones, but it’s perhaps the best way to access new fans and maybe meet one or two industry people who will be able to help you a little further down the line. If nothing else – showing you have that initiative is a good thing and can help you meet other bands willing to make similar sacrifices.
Now it’s important to realize what South By Southwest is not. It is not a place where major labels are going to go to try and sign new bands, unless of course those bands somehow managed to get on a major official showcase. In fact, SXSW is becoming less and less of an industry thing and more of a fan oriented thing with every passing year. That’s a huge part of why the festival has become more and more sponsor oriented. Sure it started out as an industry event but now it’s just for people who love music. This is great if you’re trying to access those fans, but don’t think you’re going to stumble into a record deal because of it. A lot of bands will spend hundreds of dollars to travel to play free showcases at SXSW to few people with the impression that at least those few people are folks of importance – trust me, odds are they are not.
That being said – the networking potential of SXSW should not be underestimated. If you can go to an event where you know for a fact some industry people will be you are doing okay. But that’s not really the point. The point is similar to networking at any festival – figure out who will be there ahead of time, message them well in advance, offer to buy them alcohol and then become their best friend. The difference is just that at South By Southwest the scale is significantly larger. This is an event that you can’t deny yourself of on a networking scale but one that is also easy to fuck up. You need to realize that South By Southwest is so goddamn busy that at least half of your planned interactions aren’t going to work out. That’s just because people are busy. If you can accept that and the absurd majesty of the entire thing hen you might make some serious steps forward. In a world where evidently no one gives two shits, South By brings together at least some of the people who care.
At the end of the day SXSW probably isn’t going to make or break your career. You can use it to improve your connections and but it’s rare you are going to create new and exciting ones. However if half of the industry is just perception and the power of showing up then you might as well give it a shot. While I certainly am excited about some of what I have learnt and some of what I think this week will allow me to bring to the table I also am trying to be cautious, you don’t want to throw the baby with the bathwater but instead use every new opportunity you get in this industry as another step forward in an inexorable trek towards a future that could very well save the whole world, from tip to taint.
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