SXSW Music Festival FAQ, How To, and General Guide (Updated for 2007)
Note: Looking for information about 2008 SXSW Music Festival wristbands? Click here.
THIS GUIDE IS OLD; CLICK HERE FOR 2008 GUIDE.
This is a primer on how to get the most out of SXSW Music. If any of it seems familiar, it’s because a good portion of this guide is based off the guide I’ve written for past years on SXSW Baby! I’m going to cover SXSW Music in several parts:
I. What’s the format?
II. How do I get in?
III. Who’s playing? How do I maximize seeing live music?
IV. How to overextend yourself at SXSW, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love South By
V: How do I stay on top of SXSW news?
More, after the jump.
SXSW Music runs March 14-18 2006. The bulk of the activity happens Wednesday though Saturday, with Sunday being a wrapup and hangover day of rest. Here’s the official FAQ.
SXSW Music has two major components:
1) the Music Conference, where labels, distributors, promoters, agents, managers, attorneys, publicists, musicians, college radio folks, bloggers, writers, and anyone even vaguely involved in music get together to talk about the industry, and;
2) the Music Festival, where over 1400 acts from all over the world show off their talents, encompassing everything from twee pop, chugging rock, downhome country, smoky jazz, blissful electronica, freak folk, and more. And it’s the Music Festival that is the stuff music fans’ dreams are made of.
My fondest memories of SXSW are of walking down 6th street in downtown, Austin, which is closed to vehicular traffic, and seeing that it’s just a mass of show-hopping humanity! Folks from NYC, LA, and, well, all over the world, running around, drinking Shiners, eating at diners at 4am, and watching live music. Over the course of 4 days, you can catch 30 different acts at various parties, showcases, in-stores, and more.
Official label and booking agency showcases will happen at a variety of venues at night. Each of the exhibiting artists plays a showcase set at some point during the four (technically five, but not too much actually happens on Sunday) days of SXSW Music. Most but not all venues are in the downtown Austin area, and usually located on either 6th Street or Red River, all within walking distance of each other. A showcase is where you get six, seven, or sometimes even eight acts, all sharing the same stage on a given night, with the last performer sometimes going on at one or two in the morning. The artists are typically scheduled according to record label, booking agency, geographic location, or some other common thread, with the most popular artist playing last. The shows are scheduled on the hour, usually starting at 8pm and lasting about 40 minutes, and going until 2am.
During the day, acts will be playing various parties, in-stores, barbecues, unofficial showcases, you name it. You can try to catch some of your new favorite bands on people’s front lawns, inside record stores, in mall parking lots, and more. Hedge your bets right and you can maximize your happiness. Also, many of these events have free beer and barbecue. In 2004, I saw Robyn Hitchcock perform an all-covers set on the patio of a Mexican food restaurant to 70-odd people, and the Long Winters playing on someone’s front yard in East Austin as his neighbors played in the park across the street. In 2005, one my friends caught Bloc Party playing at hipster clothing store, Urban Outfitters. In 2006, Gang of Four played a parking garage. Live music is everywhere during SXSW.
Part II: Badge or Wristband? What? How do I get in?
You’ve got several options to attend the Music Festival: buying a badge, buying a wristband, throwing caution to the wind and paying cover at the door, or sticking only to daytime events. This isn’t like Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot, or any of those big festivals, and more like New York’s CMJ. It’s meant to be an industry event; lucky for you, even non-industry-affiliated people can enjoy SXSW Music Festival. (Assuming, of course, that you’re over 21. Only a handful of SXSW venues are all ages. Many of the free daytime events won’t have age restrictions, but most of the night-time ones will. Sorry!)
So here are your options if you want to rock out like the best of them:
Option 1: Buy an official SXSW Music Conference and Festival badge.
If you purchase a registration to the SXSW Music Conference and Festival ("Music badge") you get access to the Conference during the day and the Music Festival at night. All conference registrants get a tote bag containing valuable information, like a printed Guide to the Festival containing scheduling information and artist blurbs, invites to various parties, sampler CDs, free magazines, and more. Also, if you have a Music Badge, you have access to the Trade Show, where you can get invites for various invite-only day parties and exclusive shows. Music Badge holders also get to attend the panels, keynote, live artist interviews, and all other Conference events. Want to hear Brian Wilson speak or ask Erykah Badu a question? That’s what some official Conference goers get to do.
At night, during the Festival, as a Badge Holder you get priority entry to artist showcases. This is the most expensive option to see live music, but also the one that grants the most peace-of-mind as you whiz past everybody else in line to see a band, instead of worrying about whether or not you’ll get in. You may also have to endure the scorn of others who aren’t similarly equipped.
Music badges can be bought by anyone, you do not have to be in the music business, just be willing to pay the fee. Register now. (You can also get a badge for free or at a discount if you count as legitimate press (it’s a little hazy as to whether or not a blog counts as press). To apply as press, contact Elizabeth Derczo at but hurry, as the deadline is February 9th.)
And as with everything else, no guarantees during the Festival. If a show is sold out, then you might wait in line to get in as people leave, but with a Badge, your wait is likely to be much shorter than everybody else’s. I’m sure the music festival is going to be insanely crowded this year, judging by how fast the hotels have sold out.
And if you’re under-age, a badge NOT help you get into a venue. Here’s a PDF map/list of last year’s venues; the second page states which are all ages, 18+, or 21+.
Option 2: Obtain a SXSW Music Festival wristband.
The SXSW wristbands are a way to pay a flat fee for entrance into venues during the Music Festival. Since SXSW Music is primarily a music industry convention, wristbands are a cheaper way to do the Fest, even though you miss out on the panels and such. But a Music Fest wristband is not without limitations. Most venues will have two lines: one for badge-holders and one for wristband-holders. Badge holders always get priority; if you have a wristband, you may spend several hours waiting in line, only to miss the band you came to see because there were a lot of Badge holders present or too many people with wristbands trying to get into the same show.
Despite the occasional disappointment, the wristband offers the most bang for the buck. The wristbands contain RFID chips to prevent counterfeiting; if you happen upon someone selling one, make sure it’s legit.
Music Festival wristbands guarantee that you won’t have to pay cover charges at SXSW Music venues. They don’t guarantee entry into full venues, nor do they provide entry for minors into clubs that don’t admit minors. Again, here’s a PDF map/list of last year’s venues; the second page states which are all ages, 18+, or 21+.
As for buying a wristband...well, you’re on your own for that one. Wristbands are primarily meant as a courtesy for Austin residents, for putting up with the thousands of visitors; they are not designed to be “easy to get” for out-of-towners. Note: Looking for information about 2008 Music Festival wristbands? Click here. I expect the Festival to be extremely crowded this year, so plan wisely so you don’t end up heart-broken.
You have a few options:
1. You’ve got a friend or two in Austin who owes you a favor and would be willing to buy one up for you.
2. Buying a wristband-hotel combination via southbywristbands.com. There is limited availability of hotel rooms; and all four hotels that are doing southbywristbands.com are outside of walking distance from downtown. They are the only folks who are allowed to sell wristbands online, and you must use your hotel reservation if you book a package with them.
3. A limited number of wristbands will be available at the Convention Center when SXSW starts. Anyone with a SXSW Badge (that’s Platinum, Interactive, Film, Gold, or Music) can buy one wristband at the Austin Convention Center. Supplies are limited, so no guarantees. This is the riskiest option, assuming you know someone who has a badge, and assuming they have them for sale by the time you get there. YMMV.
Confused yet? Well, wristbands are a shifty business.
The Austin Chronicle is the official source of wristband information (the Chronicle comes out on Thursdays). The info spreads across the internet pretty quick, though. The first place usually they go on sale is Waterloo Records. Note: Looking for information about 2008 Music Festival wristbands? Click here.
In 2005, they sold wristbands at Waterloo Records, and added a second location later on.
Here’s what happened in 2006:
Feb 22: 600 wristbands went on sale at 7:00 pm to the people who signed up with the Official SXSW SMS List. It was a last minute thing, people got a text message, dropped everything, and showed at Waterloo. They only sent the SMS to people with an Austin area code and were cross-referencing numbers with the list.
Feb 22: Official wristband on sale date of Feb 23 announced in the Austin Chronicle and the SXSW SMS List.
Feb 23: Wristbands went on sale to the general public starting at 10 am Waterloo Records. First 2000 wristbands going for $130, the next 2000 wristbands cost $150. Cash or credit card only. Each person limited to 2 wristbands. Sold out by 6pm. SXSW said they were going to consider releasing more dependent on badge sales.
March 14: A limited number of SXSW Music wristbands were put on sale at the Convention Center for $175 each at 10am. They had to be worn at time of purchase to prevent scalping. Badgeholders could buy at a slight discount, $150.
As you see, it’s gotten more and more complicated.
As far as I can tell, selling wristbands at the Convention Center/music venues right before SXSW is determined by how much demand there is, and how many leftovers there were. And obviously they want to increase badge purchases as much as possible while maintaining a cap of attendees due to crowding. So if badge registrations are way way up, they’re probably going to sell as few wristbands as they can get away with or else the clubs will be too crowded. So it’s never a sure thing.
Note: Looking for information about 2008 Music Festival wristbands? Click here.
Option 3: Throwing caution to the wind and paying the cover charge. (I call this SXSW a la carte)
Good for you! You’ve decided that you want to take a laid-back approach to the Fest, so make sure you know what you’re getting into. This is an extremely risky approach to SXSW Music Festival. Most people who take this route have exactly one band they’re dying to see, and could care less about doing a live music marathon, plus it’s a very cheap option (less than $20, compared to about $125 for a wristband, or about $600 for a badge).
Once the online schedule appears, hone in on the venue and date for the artist you want to catch, and make sure you show up extremely early (say, 7PM or 8PM) on that night, to pay the cover charge. And then sit around, waiting, for the rest of the night. Each venue has a limited number of individual tickets at the door, so choose wisely. Some venues may not even take people who wish to pay a charge at the door; I would recommend calling ahead to get as much information as you can. The big rule is: the bigger the show, the smaller the chance you’ll get in.
Again, this approach doesn’t work if you’re under age limits for that particular venue. Here’s a PDF map/list of last year’s venues; the second page states which are all ages, 18+, or 21+.
As with everything else, no guarantees. Good luck! I don’t recommend this method for anybody who is traveling to Austin from far away solely for the Festival. It might work for one show or two but not if you want to see tons of acts. Luckily for you, there’s always the day parties…
Option 4: How about I just go to the day parties?
Another approach is to see all of the artists you want to see during the free day parties. There are held at a variety of venues during the day, and most artists play them during the Festival. Most parties are free to the public, but if you’re underage, you probably won’t get in. Sorry! Here’s a PDF map/list of last year’s venues; the second page states which are all ages, 18+, or 21+.
Everyone seems to be sponsoring a party these days; the best listing of all of the day parties is found on the Austin Showlist. The folks at Donewaiting also have good news sources. Some parties may require an RSVP or special invite, so be warned. As soon as you find out about a cool party, RSVP! SXSW Music is sponsoring some official day parties. Make sure you pay attention to what needs RSVPing.
So go to the day parties, see some bands for free, and spent your nights as far away as possible from the craziness of downtown Austin. This is by far the cheapest option, but not every artist you want to see will be playing a daytime event, and sometimes it just feels weird to rock out at 11am, outside. However, the consolation prize is lots of free alcohol—usually beer and/or Sparks—and oftentimes, free barbecue. And if the weather’s nice, go frolic in the Austin spring! Then relax at night.
Part III: Who’s playing? How do I maximize the number of bands I see?
This year, SXSW have been very tight-lipped about the full list of bands confirmed for the festival. This year, as of early February, they’ve announced around 100 acts, either on the official SXSW site or in mailings to badgeholders. This is unlike previous years, where, by February, we’d have a list of over a thousand bands by now. MTV News and the Austin Chronicle have picked up on the secrecy, while the industrious folks at Austinist have compiled their own list of acts playing SXSW by scouring press releases, booking agency web sites, MySpace pages, and more. In an interview with the Austin Chronicle, SXSW Music Creative Director Brent Grulke said:
The thinking was that it didn’t do us any great favors having this information available earlier, because it creates this huge, huge, huge consumer buzz, and then we’ll get so many phone calls of people saying, “Can I get tickets to the Stooges?” These things take up a tremendous amount of our energy and resources.
UPDATE: As of February 8, SXSW Music has put up a list of over 1300 artists.
Regardless, SXSW.com, at some point a few weeks before the festival, will put up information for each band, schedules for the night time showcases, and various media (photographs and MP3 files, if available). There will also be a big Torrent file to download all of the MP3s in mass, as well as other tools to help you plan your schedule. I found the online scheduler (My SXSW Calendar) to be really helpful in building my SXSW schedule. For every artist’s page on the site, you can add them to your schedule online. Then you can sync it up with your iCal or print it out and put it in your pocket as a quick reference, rather than flipping through pages and pages of the printed up showcase booklet. And if you have a mobile device that can access the internet, you’ll probably want to bookmark sxsw.mobi. On sxsw.mobi you can get mp3s, video clips, podcasts, schedules and more via your mobile device or web-enabled phone.
As the Festival nears, you’ll be able to print out the entire schedule as a PDF file, if you’re that crazy. If you’re officially registered for the conference, you don’t need to print anything out. You’ll get a professional printed schedule guide in your tote bag.
For all you other folks, the Austin Chronicle also has a tear out festival guide with artist highlights and a handy showcase schedule that you can fold up and put in your pocket, so grab a copy when you get there. (Conference-goers, they will probably be a copy of the SXSW edition of the Austin Chronicle in your tote bags.) Or you could check out the unofficial mp3blog for SXSW Music, See You in the Pit for who to see.
Everybody has their own method to the madness that is SXSW, be it endless Moleskine iterations or Excel spreadsheets or just going to see all of the bands their friends are seeing. And like any great music festival, there’s bound to be conflicts and logisitical issues about getting from one venue to another. Luckily, you’ll find that getting from venue to venue is either a five to ten minute walk, or a short taxi, pedicab or Dillo shuttle ride away. As a New Yorker, I can say that while Sixth Street can be crowded, downtown Austin is a pretty walkable area, and, plus, that’s where everybody is going to be! You might just run into your favorite musician or long lost best friend.
I recommend making up a schedule with a backup plan (second choice, third choice) for the evening showcases and times. If you are club-hopping, make sure you avoid situations where you have no backup plan, and are outside downtown Austin and have a long wait for a cab to take you elsewhere. And remember that even if you don’t get into a show you’re dying to see, there are plenty of alternatives, and you’ll probably have fun regardless! And don’t forget that you might be able to catch an act several times during SXSW thanks to day parties.
Some of the best acts I’ve seen are ones I didn’t plan on seeing in the first place. Try not to see a band you’ve seen a zillion times, and do go see someone who’s flown in from another country, and may never hit up your hometown...Who knows, it may be the show of your life.
Part IV: SXSW Philosophies
SXSW Music can be a very intense experience, especially if you’re not used to being bombarded with amplified sound at nearly all hours of the day for four days straight! Realize that sometimes you just need to sit down, watch the crowd go by (or Mary Lou Lord busking on the street), and take a disco nap.
Or just bask in the people-watching. Music fans and showcasing musicians usually are wearing differently colored wristbands at the festival. A fun game to play, especially if you’re soused, is “What Band Are You In?” when watching people walk by.
Another option is just walking down the street, popping into a venue at random, and seeing who’s playing. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Above all: relax! Don’t panic. Don’t let your happiness be contingent on seeing a single artist play—chances are, you’ll be disappointed. And if you miss someone, console yourself with the fact that they’ll be playing a short 40 minute industry set, rather than a whole show.
And if you’re intent on rocking out as hard as you possibly can, I can only say good on you.
Don’t stand if you can sit. Consider shoe inserts, because you’re going to need them. Bring earplugs. And spare earplugs.
Be prepared for all kinds of weather. It might be in the 70s and pleasant or it might be raining down upon you from the heavens.
Use Dodgeball or text messaging to keep track of friends.
Grab free water bottles and candy bars and snacks whenever you can (like from the tradeshow).
Don’t forget to eat fruit and veggies! Bring wetnaps or hand sanitizer.
Plan some down-time. Sleep in or take a nap.
Part V: Where’s some good places to keep up with the flood of SXSW Music news?
My picks are: The official SXSW Music site, Largeheartedboy, Chromewaves, the Donewaiting SXSW Blog, and the Yahoo! Unofficial SXSW Information group. The Yahoo! group is especially nice since there are a number of locals in the group; I’ve also gotten a number of announcements for locally-run parties, DIY showcases, and helpful tips from the lovely folks there.
Where to find the day party information? Check out the Austin showlist when the time gets near, will have the most easily readable (and printable) list. Check also the the Donewaiting SXSW Blog as well as the aforementioned Yahoo! Group, particularly the files section.
A handful of parties may require badges, invitations, or RSVPs in advance; how this happens is up to the party-throwers. SXSW Music is sponsoring some official day parties. Make sure you pay attention to what needs RSVPing.
In Summary
I hope I’ve whetted your appetite for the Music Festival, and even if you aren’t considering going this year, please do think about it next year.
Good luck and rock out!
Anything I missed? Leave it in the comments.
