In 2004, British singer James Blunt (of "You're Beautiful" and Twitter clapback fame), was discovered by Linda Perry. And according to Complex, artists from Janelle Monáe to John Mayer and Amy Winehouse walked in relatively unknown and left the Austin stage as superstars.
The festival has come a long way — as has Austin — since its inaugural music and media festival days. With the film and interactive portion introduced in 1994, the presence of tech, film and TV have changed what SXSW means for attendees and fans.
These days, reviews and reports on SXSW may center on AI or NFTs as much as or more than on the influx of indie acts trekking to Austin. And that shift reflects a change in scale and content in the festival itself. In 2022, SXSW had a direct and indirect economic impact of $280.7 million on Austin. (Before COVID, in 2019, the economic impact was around $355.9 million.)
“It’s a dynamic experience," says singer, songwriter and producer Keite Young. "It's kind of broad, and it depends upon perspective. For artists and creatives, South By being in Austin makes perfect sense as it's such a music-hungry town.”
Young is well versed in the festival circuit, having started playing at SXSW a decade ago. To him, the key to performing at SXSW is knowing what you want out of it.
“When an artist does want to participate in South By, I think it's best to come up with a plan to show yourself and your brand to the right people, so relationships are really the focal point, not just exposure … garnering that constitutes having a really well-defined vision of your brand, about what you want to say, about the value that you bring.”
And, as SXSW has changed, a musician’s approach should change with it.
“You have to have a different strategy now that it's literally flooded from content and media from everywhere. You have to have a strategy that lends itself more into a niche orientation. … You need to go find those people [who fit your niche] first. And eventually everyone will hear about it.”
Ariel Harley and Bailey K. Chapman of the band Pearl Earl also emphasize the value of relationships.
“[It is] overall worth it if you want to consider touring because you meet up with all these people from all over America," says Chapman. "Later when you are in their town you can network. [That is] really valuable for any newer band.”
It is worth noting that relationships and exposure are the predominant form of compensation at SXSW. As of now, artists are given the choice between a $250 payment or a wristband that permits access to music events. And when you add the cost of housing for a busy week like that, SXSW becomes even less financially profitable for a band to play.
“I got two White Claws for my wristband,” says Hartley. “A lot of people are saying [SXSW] is unorganized and they don’t pay artists and that there are not as many perks. [That] has not changed. It has always been this way. In my personal opinion, I feel like maybe artists are just more aware of how not lucrative it is as artists to play for exposure and to discard the comfort of a normal show for this chaotic experience. But South By has never paid artists.”
Chapman agrees.
“A warning to bands who do it for the first time: If you have a lot of anxiety, don’t do it," she says. "Most people love it or hate it.”
The group says venues often don’t have green rooms for every artist and that it can be hard to find a meal, let alone the time to eat that meal.
For many, the festival is a game of how many gigs they can fit in one week. Avant-garde pop artist Nicole Marxen would play around 10 shows a week with her previous bands before she performed at the festival officially in 2022. She shares a similar sentiment about the festival's compensation.
“This sounds terrible, but I’m used to not getting paid for what I do properly," Marxen says. "That's the sad reality of it. I knew this was an opportunity that you may not get again. And I just wanted to say yes to it.”
"My best advice to bands that apply and get in is to make it what is going to be worthwhile for you. I think we all know it's not the incredible thing that it used to be anymore. It’s just incredibly corporate. I mean it's had the soul sucked out of it.” – Nicole Marxen
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For Marxen, SXSW was less about making career connections and more about having a good time.
“I made the most of my entire experience with South By last year, which is funny because I literally drove out almost an entire crowd with my performance," she says. "While I could have gotten really down about it, the people that stuck around came up to me afterwards and told me how much they loved what I did and how special it was. I just had this really important realization that I am not for everyone, especially what could be considered marketable in the industry standards.”
She did make some connections that were valuable in more personal ways.
“I also made really good friends at South By," Marxen says. "My showcase was really magical. Every band that played on it was great. We formed a special kinship. And a year later, I still talk to a lot of them regularly. I made the most of it and I had a great time, but I didn’t get signed. I didn’t meet anyone career-wise that made a difference.”
Like the band members of Pearl Earl, Marxen opted for a wristband over the $250, attending panels on visas for touring in Europe and another presented by Spotify.
“A lot of the panels were really unhelpful," she says. "I’m not trying to make NFTs or anything. Like give me practical advice. There is a lot that I need help with that there weren’t any resources for when there should have been because it was so focused on ‘What’s the hot thing that tech is talking about right now?’ ... My best advice to bands that apply and get in is to make it what is going to be worthwhile for you. I think we all know it's not the incredible thing that it used to be anymore. It’s just incredibly corporate. I mean, it's had the soul sucked out of it.”
So where do newer or lesser-known musicians fit within this mammoth of media and tech and corporate chaos bundled up into a week-long festival? The old SXSW is long gone, but fear not: There's still a lively scene for smaller-scale musicians. And Dallas-based musicians are nowhere near abandoning their spring pilgrimage to Austin.
And though reporters with the Grammys dubbed SXSW “the music industry’s version of the Olympics” just last year, Keite Young sees a much bigger picture.
“The base of [SXSW] has just broadened," he says. "It isn't really about music. Music is just really the frame that culture itself is being explored in [during] the festival.”
