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Ideas for promoting a band at SXSW?

malocchio — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:29:18 -0800

The singer I've been working with is travelling to the US from Europe in March, and I'm submitting an application to SXSW. I'm stuck on this question: "How do you plan to promote your show if selected?" We have a very short window to book some shows, and it happens to coincide with SXSW. I know it's a long shot and I don't expect to be selected, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

So of course there is MySpace, Facebook, etc. Flyers seem fairly useless for this. What else could we do? What kind of marketing ideas might make the organizers take a chance on an unknown band?

Bonus points to anyone that has successfully gone through the SXSW selection process!

Seeking Sterling's "Poor people love their cellphones" talk

everichon — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:27:47 -0800

I am looking for audio, video, or, ideally, a transcription of Bruce Sterling's “Poor folk love their cellphones!” talk at SXSW 2009. Virginia Heffernan alludes to it here but I can't find a full version of it anywhere. Bruce? You reading this?

hotel suggestions for sxsw (music)

dannon205 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:11:25 -0800

Austin hotels for SXSW (music festival)? Hi everyone. Finally after two years, I have saved up my pennies and decided to go to SXSW for its music festival. I need to book a room, which will be shared by several ppl in order to defray the cost. I have never been to Austin before and am not very familiar with the locations. I know that the action is downtown, but if I can't afford a hotel downtown, what are some affordable options closeby (i.e., taking a cab)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Can I see a little bit of SXSW Music?

nonliteral — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:56:32 -0800

One of my all-time favorite bands is coming to the US for the first time in 10 years or so, to play at SXSW Music. I can't afford the time or money ($650!) to buy a pass for the full SXSW experience, but I can't not go see this act, either. Since I'm involved with the band's unofficial online presence, they've added me to their guest list, but I'm concerned that (since the band has no experience with how SXSW works) this might not be enough to get me in the door when we get right down to it. Will I be okay with just being "on the guest list", or is there some other option short of the full pass that I can take to ensure I can get in to the performance? I know about the "wristbands" but it looks like the odds of being able to buy one this year are slim even if you're a local, and I'm not a local (I'm about a five hour drive away).

Beyond that, any other tips for a SXSW newbie coming to town for one night only? I did manage to line up a place to stay downtown, so I should be okay on that front.

Where to stay while attending SXSW?

bingo — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:46:45 -0800

I'm planning on going to SXSW this year. I'll probably stay for at least a few days, maybe a week. Where should I stay? How expensive are accommodations? How far in advance must I make reservations? Are there any popular alternatives to staying in a hotel? p.s. I don't drive.

What other conferences/events are out these like SXSW, Burning Man and TED?

brokekid — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:11:16 -0800

What other conferences/events are out these like SXSW, Burning Man and TED? I'm looking for events that encompass popculture, technology, film and/or music.

Austin, TX: Suggestions for interesting things to do/check-out that are not SXSW-related?

krisken — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 03:03:09 -0800

Austin, TX: I'm visiting for the next two weeks (with access to a car) and wondering where I can find the following: great coffee, a posh restaurant that is vegetarian-friendly, get-in-touch-with-nature getaways, and the best places to unwind from SXSW mayhem.

South by Southwest

ludwig_van — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 10:31:05 -0800

Will it be worthwhile to attend SXSW in order to promote my album? I'll be visiting a friend in Austin in March, and while I'm sure it'll be cool to catch the performances at the festival, the tickets are quite expensive. With any luck I'll have an album finished by then which I will be sending around to labels and press and whatnot. SXSW seems to be promoted as a music-industry-insider sort of event, so I figure I'd feel like I could justify the cost if I thought I might get some value on that end by putting my CD in some people's hands, doing some networking, etc.

Is that a reasonable thought, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Escape from Hilton Hotel

RevDanCatt — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 07:37:59 -0800

Downtown Austin, SXSW: Looking for a coffee shop with good WiFi, good coffee or root beer, good food and friendly staff. So I'm at SXSW trying to get notes together for a panel, and the internet connection in the Hilton just sucks and keeps dropping out 50% of the time, besides I don't want to be stuck in a hotel room all day.

What's a/anybody found a, good friendly place within walking distance of the convention centre. Where I can plug in to get power, get online and hang out. I dont want to be a deadbeat, so I will be ordering a steady supply of food and drink, and happy to pay for a reliably connection. Thanks.

How to escape from SXSW?

lunalaguna — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 07:52:22 -0800

Help me escape from SXSW! In live in Austin and for reasons I won't get into, I find the city intolerable during the week of SXSW. The music portion of the conference (March 15-19) is the most miserable and nearly impossible for me to avoid, and I'd like to just leave town and skip the whole thing this year. Any ideas on where to go for a few days? Something relatively cheap? My car isn't too reliable, so a long drive by myself to, say, Marfa is out of the question. I'm willing to fly and thought about visiting friends in Montreal for a few days, but a $450-500 plane ticket is a bit out of my range right now. Actually, I'm thinking I might like to go somewhere more rural, or to a good walking city...just somewhere I can relax for a few days.

SXSW Robert Plant video coverage?

nitsuj — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 10:35:08 -0800

I'm on the lookout for video coverage of Robert Plant's keynote at SXSW this year. SXSW's website has some video coverage, but nothing involving Plant. If video is completely non-existant, I suppose audio will do. Any ideas of where I can find this? Thanks.

SXSW On the Cheap

weston — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 16:41:39 -0800

SXSW: is there a way open to common plebes to get in cheaper than the full pass prices? If not, is it worth it to pay the full price? Or alternatively, just going and hanging out in Austin and catching what one can? I've got a free place to crash in Austin lined up. What other hints would you have for someone trying to go on the cheap?

How is SXSW for someone under 21?

lotsofno — Wed, 12 Jan 2005 08:46:45 -0800

A friend and I are hoping to go to SXSW's music portion this year. I am 22, but my friend will only be 20. Will we have trouble getting into a lot of the shows? Will the whole SXSW experience not be fun for us? Is all the fun to be had 21 and over? And uh... How well will a fake ID work down there?

SXSW

Vidiot — Thu, 16 Dec 2004 16:04:09 -0800

Should I go to SXSW? (mi) Gosh, the program for SXSW Interactive looks really interesting, and I'm wondering if I should go. What's it like? Is there a "Newbie's Guide to SXSW"? Would my Interactive registration get me into the Film or Music components? Also...I'd be going just because it sounds like a fun, interesting thing to do. My employer wouldn't be sending me, I'm not an A-lister, and I'm not particularly good at schmoozing (and, truth be told, sometimes have to be dragged out of my introvert's shell.) Is it insanely crowded? Well-run? Staggeringly expensive (restaurants, hotels, etc.)? What should I know?

City Blog panel

me3dia — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 20:14:09 -0800

I'm trying to put together a panel for SXSW Interactive 2005 on "city blogs," i.e., Gothamist et al, the Metroblogging network and my own site, Gapers Block. Beyond these, though, are there any city blogs I ought to invite to join the panel, particularly in cities other than NYC, LA and CHI? [More inside] Some more specifics:
- I'm looking for sites that publish original content, not blog aggregate sites, a la DFWBlogs
- The editor/creator of the site would have to be able to make it to Austin, TX in March, so that probably limits it to North America.
- Sites that cover specific aspects of a city -- such as Curbed or A Full Belly are OK, provided they are city-specific.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

SXSW

me3dia — Tue, 13 Jan 2004 15:21:04 -0800

I'm planning on attending SXSW Interactive and I have a couple questions for those who've been before/going this year... 1. If I want to go to maybe one or two SXSW shows, but don't buy the Platinum pass, how easy is it to get in? Do people loan/rent out their passes?
2. Is there a hotel that is preferential to the others? I'd like to be where the cool kids are.