This week has been all about the numbers as the band list grows (and shrinks) on a daily basis.  In fact, hundreds of artists will end up dropping off the roster after spending some time as an official SXSW artist.  There have already been some huge names that won’t end up heading to Austin this year (Alex Clare, Alt-J, Aloe Blacc, Amon Tobin…and that is just in A’s) as well as many of our favorite under-the-radar artists.

When it comes to “the fallen”, stories range from financing issues, visa disputes and scheduling conflicts, but it does seem that artists post “with a heavy heart” when they need to announce that they will not be able to join in the fray.  So we don’t lose the recommendation, you can find most of the former SXSW showcasers on The Spreadsheet coded in grey.

On the other hand, excellent artists are being added daily without the hint of an announcement.  The Operation Every Band crew has been diligently adding the latest additions to our own spreadsheet, so we’ll consistently have a running count available.  At this point, we can confidently say over 75% of the roster has been announced, but historically many of the bigger names don’t make their way onto the roster until pretty late in the game.

By the end of the month, 99% of the roster will be locked in and OEB is setting their listening and rating deadline for then.  By beating the clock by about two weeks, we’ll be able to provide some additional insight and reflection on what the story of SXSW 2013 will be before it is written.

For now, I have some ripe OEB recommendations from pop, rock and folk fields.  Be on lookout for all five of these artists to break out internationally in varying degrees — this is one of our strongest highlights yet.

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