Fans, Bands Flock to Music Industry's Spring Break
March 14, 2007 — -- Dubbed a hipster's Mardi Gras and spring break for music geeks, South by Southwest Music Conference, or SXSW, will bring thousands of industry stalwarts, magazine editors, bloggers, bands and fans to Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, for the next five days.
With showcases and music industry how-to seminars, the conference, which began more than 20 years ago, was once a venue in which unsigned artists could get signed, international bands could get heard and small-time rock outfits could play their hearts out.
But today, with more than 1,400 musical acts on the official lineup, such as critical darlings Lily Allen and Bloc Party, and speakers like Pete Townsend of The Who and David Byrne, formerly of the Talking Heads, the all-out aural orgy is anything but indie.
"Sixth Street is a zoo," said Nic Harcourt, a bona fide SXSW veteran and host of the career-making show "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on KCRW radio in Los Angeles. "It's fun just to walk down there and hear what's coming out of the windows … That tends to be more exciting for me."
Tim Krings, a Chicago native and a four-time SXSW attendee, has noticed an increase in big sponsors in the past few years.
"There's a lot more marketing … [and] sponsorship from corporations," Krings told ABC News, comparing the event to when he first attended four years ago.
While the conference "used to just be for the industry folks," Krings said, "now it seems like the promoters want it to be more toward the consumers."
Looking at the list of this year's parties, it's easy to see that Krings is right.
The hoopla has grown beyond the trade show's official showcases sponsored by SXSW into free, booze-soaked daytime showcases with big-time corporate sponsors. This year, Puma, Esquire, Jane magazine, Diesel and music provider Rhapsody will all sponsor parties.
For attendees, day parties mean free beer and even more free music. For artists on smaller labels who are eager to play for as many people as possible, they mean an even more dizzying pace.
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