“Knowing that our continued existence is far from guaranteed makes us willing to fight (when we can) what we see as damaging to SXSW. The struggle is over who is ultimately going to control SXSW, our organization or guerrilla marketers backed by corporate interests. If SXSW loses, then SXSW eventually disappears. SXSW exists only because more entities choose to pursue a symbiotic relationship with us rather than a parasitic one. However, every year more marketing groups representing huge multinational corporations and their local proxies choose to feed off of us.” - Roland Swenson
He makes a good point, but I fundamentally disagree with the way SXSW approaches this issue. Most of the commenters to his interview do as well.
Read the entire interview here.
Disclaimer: I work for the Austin American-Statesman; provider of Statesman.com and Austin360.com. Congratulatory praise goes to the Austin360 editorial staff and my coworker Ginny Min for their work and quick turnaround. :-)
Tonight Austin360 unveiled their newest SXSW guide to day parties and side events separate from the main conference offerings. If you’re smart enough to avoid the impossible-to-get-into downtown venues and you decided to skip the badge/wristband this year (as you probably did last year and the year before that), SXSW day parties and media mixers are where it’s at.
I present to you the Austin360.com Guide to SXSW 2007 Side Parties.
Using this tool you are able to view, at a glance, all of the various events going on in conjunction or auxiliary to SXSW. Select a date range and search for Film, Interactive, or Music events that are FREE and open to the public, and with or without free drinks & food. Or, narrow down your selections by venue or artist to be able to quickly see who’s playing where & when.
Most of these events are culled from this list. Other events come from sites such as showlistaustin.com, donewaiting.com and austinist.com who tirelessly aggregate all the party info and keep their loyal readers informed. Myself included.
You do have a wristband or Music badge? Then use this search tool to scope out all the official SXSW acts and venues. And don’t forget Austinist’s own Interactive Guide to SXSW.
With all of these tools at your disposal, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to rock SXSW!
SXSW unveils first list of performers
SXSW finally got around to releasing the first peek at this year’s lineup for the annual music festival.
Plus… Public Enemy, Ozmalati, Mastodon, Against Me!, the Riverboat Gamblers and more are set to play free shows at Auditorium Shores.
SXSW is still holding back it’s 2007 band list.
Luckily there are concerned individuals who tirelessly fill the gap.
I’m most excited about Ghostland Observatory, Riverboat Gamblers, Bloc Party, The Black Angels, & Interpol among others… if only I considered a wristband a worthwhile purchase.
Source: Austinist: SXSW 2007 Band List Update: As The Delay Grows Eternal, We Bring You Over 500 Acts Playing The Fest
