South by South West

The first South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival was held in 1987 in Austin, TX.  It was originally held in order to help people and companies work to develop their careers with people from around the globe. It was solely a music event at first; however, it now includes other industries including film and interactive events. While the film and Interactive registrants average out at about 32,000 every year, the music registrants have grown from 700 in 1987 to over 16,000 registrants.  South by Southwest has become a place where companies go to hold conferences and workshops in order to help creative minds from all over the world grow and learn. It is also a main source for people in the entertainment industry to talk about current issues and problems that the industry is facing and how we will overcome them. The main reason that South by Southwest has caught my eye is the fact that it is a place for bands to get a chance at the big times. According to Spinner, some notable bands that have had success because of South by Southwest are: Amy Winehouse, Johnny Cash, Spoon, The White Stripes, The Strokes, and more that can be seen here. There are hundreds of bands that don’t usually have the opportunity to get out and play in front of record label executives; however, at South by Southwest they are given the opportunity to play in showcases that allow them to do just that. The fact that South by Southwest now has offices in Ireland, Germany, Australia, and Japan only exemplify the fact that there is someone out there who is willing to sign you if you have the talent. There are not many opportunities in the entertainment industry to make it big but South by Southwest gives artists, and artists managers like myself, the chance for their band to get seen. I can see that South by Southwest will continue to grow over the years and will continue to be a place where people connect, learn, and become even successful.

Spinner.com (2012). SXSW History: 26 Bands That Broke Big at the Austin Festival. Retrieved on January 10, 2013, from; http://www.spinner.com/2011/03/04/sxsw-history-bands/

SXSW.com. (2012). SXSW History. Retrieved on January 10, 2013, from; http://sxsw.com/about/history