Shout out to Brian McManus, Freeway, and Rog!
By Brian McManus
Austin, Texas, 1987. What started as a seed in the minds of two Austin Chronicle employees as a way to keep butts on barstools during spring break when the University of Texas—and by extension, the city—took off for the sandy beaches of Cancun or South Padre, is now a giant, sturdy Texas oak in full bloom: South By Southwest, the largest music conference of its kind.
This year was the biggest yet, with 13,000 badge-wearing registrants (and countless others not registered) descending on Austin to watch 1,900 bands from 55 different countries playing 89 venues over four days.
According to SXSW.com, the festival’s original goal was “to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas.” It’s safe to say that goal has been accomplished. The music business still matters at SXSW. And as it matters in fewer and fewer places, the importance of the conference grows. While music sales spiral ever downward, SXSW adds more venues, bands and registrants (up 11 percent from last year).
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:
Philly Musicians Show SXSW How It’s Done | Cover Story | News and Opinion | Philadelphia Weekly.
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