South by Southwest
Only months after announcing the 2025 edition of Byron Bay’s enduring Bluesfest would be its last, festival director Peter Noble has changed his tune.
The long-running festival has become an institution on the Australian festivals calendar across its 35-year history. Names such as Bob Dylan, BB King, Paul Simon, John Mayer, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, plus homegrown stars Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and Crowded House, have all performed over the years, with the dizzying lineups also offering chances for rising stars to receive a vital platform.
In August, however, Noble explained that the festival – held annually across the Easter long weekend on Australia’s east coast – would come to a close after one final outing.
“To my Dear Bluesfest Family, and after more than 50 years in the music business, Bluesfest has been a labour of love, a celebration of music, community, and the resilient spirit of our fans,” Noble wrote in a statement.
“But after the 2025 festival, as much as it pains me to say this, it’s time to close this chapter,” he continued. “As I said earlier this year at Bluesfest 2024, next year’s festival will be happening and it definitely is, but it will be our last.”
News of the festival’s impending demise was another chapter in the ongoing story of the wider festival industry and its struggle to stay afloat. Noble’s announcement arrived only weeks after Splendour in the Grass – another Byron Bay festival and one of Australia’s most prominent musical events – was planned to hold its latest edition prior to an unexpected cancellation.
However, a new interview with Noble has revealed that the festival may be around for some time to come, explaining to IQ Magazine that the decision to call time on the event was an attempt to regain the support of the New South Wales state government.
“August was a time of great disappointment,” Noble told IQ. “We had said to the government ‘Look, we need investment at this time, the cost of living crisis is really affecting events and there are cancellations everywhere’.
“They sent me a Dear John letter saying we’ve decided not to invest in you. During the last 12 years, Bluesfest brought $1.1 billion to our state through inbound tourism. That is a tsunami of gold but it seemingly doesn’t count. The [state government] just wanted to put it in their coffers and not take responsibility for Australia’s great events.”
Noble also pointed to the Australian launch of South by Southwest in Sydney last year, which received sizeable investments from the state government across its first two events.
“So what do we have to do? Do we have to say it’s the last Bluesfest to get people to focus on us?” Noble asked. “Are we the long-suffering wife and South by Southwest is the mistress who gets the diamond rings?
“All we’ve asked our state to do is to show us that they care about the most highly awarded event in the history of Australian music. Regardless, I will always find a way for Bluesfest to go forward – that is my job.”
The 2025 edition of Bluesfest is scheduled to take place across the Easter long weekend in April 2025 and features a largely homegrown list of headliners, including Crowded House, Hilltop Hoods, and Vance Joy. A vast array of international names are also present, including Gary Clark Jr., George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Allison Russell, BJ The Chicago Kid, and more.
Per Noble’s claims, his clarion call will potentially result in the “most successful festival yet”.
“We’re on the path to selling out, with 89,000 passes sold and I’m sure we’ll go past 90,000 after [yesterday’s] artist announcement,” he explained. “We’re probably the best-selling festival in Australia at the moment. We’ve been shown that people care about events and culture.”
During its heyday, Bluesfest averaged 85,000 attendees. That figure swelled to 102,000 in 2022, when live music returned from the lockdown years. The most recent show, however, counted fewer than 65,000 attendees.
Noble also revealed he was in the process of booking artists for the 2026 edition of Bluesfest. The fruits of his recent labor will ostensibly be revealed around August/September 2025, as is traditional for the festival’s first lineup announcement.
The South by Southwest Music Festival has announced the first group of showcasing artists for its 39th annual event, scheduled for March 10-15 in Austin, Texas. Known for fostering discovery among fans and industry pros, the festival will feature an eclectic lineup from across the globe.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Organizers today (Oct. 29) announced over a hundred new and established acts that will perform across Austin next March, including UK pop duo The Ting Tings, regional Mexican singer Justin Morales, Dublin punk band Gurriers, Indonesian psychedelic funk group Ali, Montreal art-punk ensemble La Sécurité, Australian rock band Delivery and indie pop artist Twin Shadow, who’ll debut his sixth album Georgie at the event.
“This announcement is an excellent teaser for what you can expect to see at SXSW 2025,” said James Minor, VP of Music Festival. “This round includes a range of exceptional artists, from up and coming talent to established legends, and everywhere in between. If you’ve been to SXSW before, you’ll know that this list is more than an eclectic playlist; it’s a guide to discovery, and your first step toward what you’ll experience in March.”
Trending on Billboard
The festival’s global scope is reflected in its artist selection (see the full list below), with acts representing countries such as Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and Norway. Showcases are curated with industry collaborators, including record labels, booking agencies, and media outlets like ATC Live, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Deezer, Music From Ireland and Sofar Sounds, among others, offering attendees exclusive, small-stage performances.
Founded in 1987 in Austin, SXSW has grown to encompass tech, film and TV, music, education and culture. The festival has also expanded to include SXSW Sydney and SXSW London, making it a key event for the global creative community.The entirety of the 2025 conference and festival will run from March 10-15.
In 2021, SXSW signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.
The first round of SXSW 2025 artists invited to perform include
Ali (Jakarta INDONESIA)Amiture (New York NY)Annie-Claude Deschênes (Montreal CANADA)Ava Vegas (Los Angeles CA)babas tutsipop (Guadalajara MEXICO)Bakers Eddy (Wellington NEW ZEALAND)Bee Blackwell (Austin TX)Big Phony (New York NY)Bleary Eyed (Philadelphia PA)Boo Seeka (Dudley AUSTRALIA)Bubba Lucky (Austin TX)Bummer Camp (New York NY)Caleb De Casper (Austin TX)Cap Carter (Sydney AUSTRALIA)Cari Cari (Vienna AUSTRIA)Carter Vail (Los Angeles CA)CDSM (Atlanta GA)Chinese American Bear (Seattle WA)Cloth (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)corto.alto (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)Cotton Mather (Austin TX)Delivery (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Dr. Pushkin (Bolgatanga GHANA)Dune Rats (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)Edgar Alejandro (Guadalajara MÉXICO)Ellur (Halifax UK-ENGLAND)Emmeline (London UK-ENGLAND)Exotic Fruitica (Austin TX)Fake Dad (Los Angeles CA)fantasy of a broken heart (Brooklyn NY)Frankie Venter (Mount Manganui NEW ZEALAND)GEOGRAPHER (San Francisco CA)Graham Reynolds (Austin TX)Guardian Singles (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)Gurriers (Dublin IRELAND)Gus Englehorn (Maui HI)Hachiku (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)HIMALAYAS (CARDIFF UK-WALES)Honeyglaze (London UK-ENGLAND)Housewife (Toronto CANADA)J.Tajor (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Jad Fair and the Placebos (Austin TX)John Francis Flynn (Dublin IRELAND)Julie Nolen (Austin TX)Justin Morales (Cuernavaca MEXICO)Kanaan (Oslo NORWAY)KAP BAMBINO (Bordeaux FRANCE)Ki! (Copenhagen DENMARK)Kombilesa Mi (Palenque COLOMBIA)La Sécurité (Montréal CANADA)Laura Lee & the Jettes (Berlin GERMANY)Lauren Lakis (Austin TX)Letting Up Despite Great Faults (Austin TX)Levin Goes Lightly (Stuttgart GERMANY)Los Eclipses (Mexico City MEXICO)Lucy Sugerman (Canberra AUSTRALIA)MADELEINE (London UK-ENGLAND)Mall Girl (Oslo NORWAY)Man/Woman/Chainsaw (London UK-ENGLAND)Marry Cherry (Austin TX)Maruja (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)mary in the junkyard (London UK-ENGLAND)MatchingOutfits(BerlinGERMANY)MELLT (Cardiff UK-WALES)Meltheads (Antwerp BELGIUM)Mhaol (Dublin IRELAND)Midnight Navy (Austin TX)Miranda and the Beat (New Orleans LA)Monobloc(NewYork NY)Nanocluster [Immersion | SUSS] (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Nature TV (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Nemegata (Austin TX)Nilipek. (Istanbul TURKEY)Nive Nielsen (Nuuk GREENLAND)o’summer vacation (Kobe JAPAN)Parker Woodland (Austin TX)Paula Prieto (Buenos Aires ARGENTINA)Perennial (Vernon CT)Personal Trainer (Amsterdam NETHERLANDS)Pug Johnson (Beaumont TX)Quiet Money Dot (Houston TX)Really Good Time (Dublin IRELAND)Rowena Wise (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Sarah Klang (Gothenburg SWEDEN)Scarlet House (Charlotte NC)Shao Dow (London UK-ENGLAND)Shiho Yabuki (Hadasu JAPAN)Shishi (Vilnius LITHUANIA)Sir Jude (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Sly5thAve (Austin TX)SodaBlonde(Dublin IRELAND)Sofia Grant (London UK-ENGLAND)Sultanes del Yonke (El Paso TX)SummerPearl(LondonUK-ENGLAND)Surely Shirley (Kiama AUSTRALIA)Susobrino (Brussel BELGIUM)TesfayeTayeGebeyehu/YahoEthiopian Cultural Band/ (Addis Ababa ETHIOPIA)The Philharmonik (Sacramento CA)The Ting Tings (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)The VANNS (Wollongong AUSTRALIA)tiger bae (Harumi JAPAN)TVOD (Brooklyn NY)Twin Shadow (Los Angeles CA)twst (Barry UK-WALES)Vanessa Zamora (San Diego CA)Venus Grrrls (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)Volcan (San Antonio TX)Vv Pete (Sydney AUSTRALIA)Water Damage (Austin TX)Woomb (Sofia BULGARIA)XAMIYA (Tokyo JAPAN)Xixa (Tucson AZ)Yasmin Williams (Woodbridge VA)Yndling (Bergen NORWAY)Yoo Doo Right (Montreal CANADA)Yuuf (London UK-ENGLAND
You can acquaint yourself with the artists who’ll be performing at SXSW 2025 by subscribing to the official SXSW Spotify and YouTube Music Video playlists.
South by Southwest Music Festival 2024 has revealed a second slate of artists set to perform in Austin next year. Among the highlights are Glasser, SPRINTS, GRÓA, Gruff Rhys, Ho99o9, Holly Macve, Kikuo, LAIR, Pink Pablo, PVA, Pylon Reenactment Society and Ralphie Choo, all of whom will showcase their talents during the six-day festival.
Next year’s SXSW Music Festival will take place from March 11-16 throughout the Austin area. Other emerging acts announced on Wednesday (Dec. 6) include RUBIO, Sinkane, Sofia Kourtesis, Sycco, Tamera, TENGGER, 250, Alexander Biggs, Enola Gay, DICE, HALLEY, HIEN, Skateland, Yo Diablo, Water Damage, TENGGER, Sui Zhen and RUBIO. The festival has created playlists on Spotify and YouTube featuring the music of the showcasing artists.
The list of showcase partners for the 38th annual SXSW has also grown, with labels like New West Records and Bayonet Records, as well as promoter High Road Touring and agency Mint Talent Group, being announced. Elsewhere, newly announced presenters include Adult Decisions, All The Vibes, ATC Live, Atomic Music Group, Breakout West, CareFreeBlackGirl, Chicken Ranch Records, City Slang, Dear Life Records, Dedstrange, Don Giovanni Records, Everything R&B, Father/Daughter Records, Fierce Panda, FOCUS Wales, Island Wave, Italians Do It Better, Gorilla vs. Bear, Jazz Re:Freshed, The Line of Best Fit, The Loyalty Firm, M for Montreal, Music from Ireland, Now Wave, Pop Montreal, Reeperbahn Festival, The Smoke Out, Space Agency, The Spanish Wave, Synásthesie Festival, Taiwan Beats, Tokyo Calling, Traffic Music and Wide Days Scotland.
Founded in 1987 in Austin, SXSW has grown to encompass tech, film and TV, music, education and culture. The entirety of the 2024 conference and festival will run from March 8-16.
In April 2021, it was announced that SXSW signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.
See below for the full list of showcasing artists announced on Wednesday.
250 (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)Afternoon Bike Ride (Montreal CANADA)Akira Galaxy (Los Angeles CA)Ako(a子) (Himeji City JAPAN)Alexander Biggs (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Alex Nicol (Montreal CANADA)Amis du Teche (Breaux Bridge LA)Angelo Moore and the Brand New Step (Austin TX)Anna Smyrk (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Anna Vaverková (Prague CZECHIA)Another Sky (London UK-ENGLAND)Arches (Hong Kong HONG KONG)Askew (London UK-ENGLAND)Axel Flóvent (Reykjavik ICELAND)Äyanna (London UK-ENGLAND)The Ayoub Sisters (London UK-ENGLAND)Bad Bad Hats (Minneapolis MN)The Beatbox Collective (London UK-ENGLAND)beccs (Warehan MA)Bee Bee Sea (Castel Goffredo ITALY)Being Dead (Austin TX)Benjamin Walker (Chile MEXICO)Bess Atwell (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Bleach Lab (London UK-ENGLAND)BLK JKS (Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA)Bloomsday (Brooklyn NY)Blue Lake (Copenhagen DENMARK)Boy With Apple (Gothenburg SWEDEN)BROTHER DEGE (Lafayette LA)Buffalo Nichols (Milwaukee WI)Caleb Landry Jones (Garland TX)Camidoh (Accra GHANA)Carla Geneve (Perth AUSTRALIA)Certainly So (Nashville TN)Cha’keeta B (Austin TX)Chalk (Belfast UK-N. IRELAND)Chartreuse (The Black Country UK-ENGLAND)Chelsea Carmichael (London UK-ENGLAND)Chiaki Mayumura (Setagya JAPAN)Chief Cleopatra (Austin TX)China Bears (Bridgwater UK-ENGLAND)Chxrry22 (Toronto CANADA)CLT DRP (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Conchur White (Portadown UK-N. IRELAND)CURRLS (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Danny Bonilla (Dallas TX)Dasom Baek (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)Daydream Twins (Austin TX)Dead Tooth (Brooklyn NY)Delights (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)DICE (Perth AUSTRALIA)Dirt Buyer (Brooklyn NY)Discovery Zone (New York NY)Divorce (Nottingham UK-ENGLAND)Dobrawa Czocher (Warsaw POLAND)DOMICO (Tokyo JAPAN)Do Nothing (Nottingham UK-ENGLAND)Dream Nails (London UK-ENGLAND)Dumb Buoys Fishing Club (London UK-ENGLAND)dust (Newcastle AUSTRALIA)Earth Tongue (Wellington NEW ZEALAND)Eleni Drake (London UK-ENGLAND)Elisapie (Salluit CANADA)Elle Shimada (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Ellie Bleach (London UK-ENGLAND)Emily Barker (Perth AUSTRALIA)Emily Frembgen (Brooklyn NY)Emma Aibara (Yokohama JAPAN)Enola Gay (Belfast UK-N. IRELAND)Etta Bond (London UK-ENGLAND)fantasy of a broken heart (Brooklyn NY)Fat Dog (London UK-ENGLAND)FAZI 法兹 (Xi’an CHINA)Field Guide (Winnipeg CANADA)Folk Bitch Trio (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)FONTINE (Winnipeg CANADA)Forest Claudette (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Friedberg (Berlin GERMANY)Fust (Durham NC)Gavin James (Dublin IRELAND)Glasser (New York NY)Glixen (Phoenix AZ)Good Looks (Austin TX)Grandbrothers (Berlin GERMANY)GRÓA (Reykjavik ICELAND)Gruff Rhys (Cardiff UK-WALES)Gurriers (Dublin IRELAND)HALLEY (Waseda JAPAN)Harvest Thieves (Austin TX)Hause Plants (Lisbon PORTUGAL)The HawtThorns (Nashville TN)HIEN (Budapest HUNGARY)HighSchool (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Hinako Omori (London UK-ENGLAND)HMS Morris (Cardiff UK-WALES)Ho99o9 (Newark NJ)Holly Macve (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Hooks & The Huckleberries (Albuquerque NM)Hour (Philadelphia PA)The Howdies (Athens GA)Humour (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)HYPNOSIS THERAPY (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)IFE (New Orleans LA)Iona Zajac (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)Iris Jean (Alkmaar NETHERLANDS)Izo FitzRoy (London UK-ENGLAND)Jack Barksdale (Fort Worth TX)Jack Harris (Cleveland OH)JADA (London UK-ENGLAND)Jad Fair and the Placebos (Manor TX)Jaimee Harris (Nashville TN)JÁNA (Stockholm SWEDEN)Jazz re:freshed DJs (London UK-ENGLAND)Jeannel (Berlin GERMANY)Jeshi (London UK-ENGLAND)JFDR (Reykjavík ICELAND)JM Stevens (Austin TX)Jon Muq (Austin TX)Jon Vinyl (Toronto CANADA)Juani Mustard (Viña Del Mar CHILE)JUANPALITOSCHINOS (Mexico City MEXICO)Justin Webb (Nashville TN)Kali Claire (London UK-ENGLAND)Ken Yates (London CANADA)Kikuo (Tokyo JAPAN)Kroi (Tokyo JAPAN)LAIR (Jatiwangi INDONESIA)Laney Tripp (New Smyrna Beach CA)Larry Seaman (Austin TX)Laura-Mary Carter (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Laura Misch (London UK-ENGLAND)Lauren Housley & The Northern Cowboys (Sheffield UK-ENGLAND)Lauren Lakis (Austin TX)L E M F R E C K (Newport UK-WALES)Library Card (Rotterdam NETHERLANDS)Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers (Austin TX)Lisa Morales (Austin TX)Logan Crosby (Milledgeville GA)Logan Halstead (Powell County KY)Los Cogelones (Mexico MEXICO)Lottery Winners (Leigh UK-ENGLAND)Madam Radar (Austin TX)Malugi (Berlin GERMANY)Mama Terra (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)The Manatees (Southampton UK-ENGLAND)maxime. (Montreal CANADA)May Rio (Brooklyn NY)Meagre Martin (Berlin GERMANY)Mia June (Perth AUSTRALIA)Mick Flannery (Cork IRELAND)Minas (Cardiff UK-WALES)Miranda and the Beat (Brooklyn NY)Miranda del Sol (New York NY)MØAA (Seattle WA)Moody Bank$ (Austin TX)Nagasaki Swim (Rotterdam NETHERLANDS)Natalie Jane Hill (Asheville NC)Native Harrow (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)néomí (Den Haag NETHERLANDS)NeOne Wonderer (Wolverhampton UK-ENGLAND)Neon Waltz (John O’groats UK-SCOTLAND)Night Lunch (Montreal CANADA)NOBRO (Montreal CANADA)O. (London UK-ENGLAND)Omni (Atlanta GA)OSKA (Vienna AUSTRIA)PAPISA (São Paulo BRAZIL)Pelvis Wrestley (Austin TX)Perennial (Amherst MA)Pink Pablo (San Juan PUERTO RICO)Planet Giza (Montreal CANADA)Plastic Palms (Turin ITALY)poolblood (Toronto CANADA)Population II (Montreal CANADA)Presence (Camarillo CA)The Psychotic Monks (Saint-Ouen FRANCE)PVA (London UK-ENGLAND)Pylon Reenactment Society (Athens GA)Rainbow Girls (Bodega CA)Ralphie Choo (Madrid SPAIN)The Rare Occasions (Los Angeles CA)Redbud (Austin TX)rEDOLENT (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND)Robby Hecht (Nashville TN)Rodeo Boys (Lansing MI)Rory James (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND)RUBIO (Mexico City MEXICO)Sam Williams (Paris TN)San Gabriel (Austin TX)San Saba County (Austin TX)Seafoam Walls (Miami FL)Selfish Sons (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)She’s In Parties (Colchester UK-ENGLAND)Sinkane (Brooklyn NY)Skateland (Austin TX)SNACKTIME (Philadelphia PA)Soda Blonde (Dublin IRELAND)Sofia Kourtesis (Berlin GERMANY)Sofi Paez (Berlin GERMANY)Softee (Moorhead MN)South Summit (Perth AUSTRALIA)SPRINTS (Dublin IRELAND)Stuck in the Sound (Paris FRANCE)Styrofoam Winos (Nashville TN)Sui Zhen (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)The Sully Band (San Diego CA)Sultan Stevenson (London UK-ENGLAND)Swallow the Rat (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)Sycco (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)Talia Goddess (Brooklyn NY)Tamera (London UK-ENGLAND)Teenage Sequence (Fort-Worth TX)Telehealth (Seattle WA)TENGGER (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)t e s t p r e s s (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)Texas String Assembly (Austin TX)TFD (Total Fucking Darkness) (Vancouver CANADA)This Is Lorelei (New York NY)THUS LOVE (Brattleboro VT)The Tiarras (Austin TX)Tokyo Syoki Syodo (Shimokitazawa JAPAN)TRACY DE SA (Sevres FRANCE)Tufan Derince (Diyarbakir TURKEY)twst (Barry UK-WALES)Venus Twins (Brooklyn NY)Vera Sola (Los Angeles CA)The Vices (Groningen NETHERLANDS)The View (Dundee UK-SCOTLAND)VLURE (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)Vulva Voce (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)Water Damage (Austin TX)William The Conqueror (Newquay UK-ENGLAND)Wyldest (London UK-ENGLAND)The XCERTS (Aberdeen UK-SCOTLAND)Yb. (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)YHWH Nailgun (New York NY)Yo Diablo (Valencia SPAIN)Yogetsu Akasaka (Tokyo JAPAN)YU-KA (Tokyo JAPAN)Zheani (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)Zoon (Winnipeg CANADA)ZÓRA (Budapest HUNGARY)zouz (Montréal CANADA)
Related Images:
A group of musicians who have gathered together under the banner of the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) has published a petition calling for better pay for artists selected to perform at the annual SXSW conference and festival each March. The petition — which at press time bore the names of more than 400 artists, and which is being continually updated with more names — has been signed by artists such as Eve 6, Mountain Goats, Jeremy Messersmith, Speedy Ortiz, Zola Jesus, Pedro the Lion, YACHT and Emperor X, as well as the Songwriters of North America (SoNA). Of the signees listed on the site, a half-dozen are scheduled to play SXSW this year.
In the petition, the UMAW is taking aim at the compensation that artists receive for being officially invited to perform at the festival, which launched in Austin in 1987. The petition claims that artists who are selected to perform must first pay an application fee, which has risen from $40 in 2012 to $55 this year, while they are offered a choice of either a festival wristband or $250 ($100 for a solo artist) as compensation. International artists, the petition says, are only offered a wristband, with no possibility of financial compensation.
In light of those claims, the UMAW is requesting that compensation for artists be raised from $250 to $750 per act; that a festival wristband be included as part of that compensation, not as an either/or choice; that international artists be offered the same compensation as domestic U.S. artists; and that the application fee be eliminated. The petition is addressed to SXSW and Penske Media, which owns Billboard as well as publications like Rolling Stone, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. (In April 2021, Penske Media Corporation became an investor in SXSW by taking a 50% stake in the conference and festival. A rep for PMC did not respond to a request for comment.)
“SXSW is honored to host over 1,400 showcasing acts every March,” a SXSW spokesperson said in a statement to Billboard. “We are committed to creating professional opportunities by bringing emerging artists together with media, the global music industry, and influential audiences. We appreciate the feedback from the UMAW and will be doing our policy review after next month’s event.”
The UMAW, which has 18 members on its steering committee, including Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz and Zachary Cole Smith of DIIV, has been active with petitions in the past. The most impactful has been the Justice At Spotify campaign, launched in 2020 to protest the low streaming royalty payouts from the music streamer, which was signed by more than 6,000 individuals and demanded both higher royalty rates and a switch to user-centric royalties. That initiative was followed up with a series of protests by musicians outside Spotify offices around the globe in March 2021; days later, Spotify launched a website called Loud & Clear intended to increase transparency around how it pays rights holders.
South By Southwest has announced a second wave of invited artists for next year’s 37th annual showcase event and conference, taking place March 13-18 in Austin, Texas. A scan of the 301 artists reveals a number of standouts, including baroque rock legends The Zombies and the hard-to-categorize Lemon Twigs, along with R&B singer Ambré and garage-punkers Osees.
When listed alphabetically, the Zombies aren’t even the last act in the list — that goes to zzzahara out of Los Angeles. Other standout names include 7ebra (Sweden), ALASKAALASKA (not from Alaska, but London), Baklava Blues (Toronto), Chickasaw Mudd Puppies (Athens, GA), Kill Lincoln (DC, naturally), Puppy Angst (Philly), Revenge Wife (New Hampshire) and Snotty Nose Rez Kids (Kitimat, Canada), among others (full list below).
SXSW announced a first round of nearly 200 artists back in October; that list included Armani White, Algiers and Balming Tiger. The music showcase is just one part of the larger festival, an event founded in 1987 and dedicated to celebrating entertainment and culture. In addition to musical performances, the six-day event also typically gives audiences access to panels and Q&A sessions.
Previously unveiled featured speakers this year include Warner Chappell Music co-chair and CEO Guy Moot, Signal And Cipher chief Ian Beacraft and authors Douglas Rushkoff and Joost Van Druenen.
Among SXSW’s partners for the 2023 edition: Anniversary Group, Atomic Music Group, Athens in Austin, British Music Embassy, Don Giovanni Records, Fire Records, FOCUS Wales, Gorilla vs Bear, Jazz re:freshed Outernational, Pop Montreal, M for Montreal, Music From Ireland, New West Records, Space Agency, and Wide Days Scotland.
Next year will also bring SXSW to Sydney, Australia for seven days and nights from Oct. 15-22, 2023, marking the event’s first foray outside of the United States. Claire Collins was recently announced as head of music for the event Down Under.
SXSW signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, the companies announced in April 2021, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.
Round Two List of Artists:
7ebra (Malmö SWEDEN)Abracadabra (Oakland CA)Adwaith (Carmarthen UK-WALES)Air Waves (Brooklyn NY)ALASKALASKA (London UK-ENGLAND)Ambré (New Orleans LA)Anastasia Coope (Cold Spring NY)Andrea Magee (Austin TX)Andrew Farriss (Barraba AUSTRALIA)Annie Blackman (Brooklyn NY)Annie Hamilton (Sydney AUSTRALIA)Aoife Nessa Frances (Dublin IRELAND)Ask Carol (Auma NORWAY)ÄTNA (Dresden GERMANY)Augustine (Stockholm SWEDEN)Ava Vegas (Berlin GERMANY)Aysanabee (Toronto CANADA)Balaklava Blues (Toronto CANADA)BALTHVS (Bogota COLOMBIA)Begonia (Winnipeg CANADA)Bellah (London UK-ENGLAND)Bella White (Calgary CANADA)Bells Larsen (Montreal CANADA)be your own PET (Nashville TN)Big Cream (Bologna ITALY)Big Wy’s Brass Band (Austin TX)BILK (Essex UK-ENGLAND)Billy King & The Bad Bad Bad (Austin TX)Blxckie (Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA)Bona Fide (Copenhagen DENMARK)Boy Golden (Winnipeg CANADA)Brad stank (Liverpool UK-ENGLAND)Brittany Davis (Maple Valley WA)Caleb De Casper (Austin TX)Camilla George (London UK-ENGLAND)Candeleros (Madrid SPAIN)The Carolyn (Atlanta GA)Carver Commodore (Florence AL)Casey Lowry (Chesterfield UK-ENGLAND)Catbite (Philadelphia PA)CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE (Tokyo JAPAN)Cheekface (Los Angeles CA)CHERYM (Derry UK-N. IRELAND)Chickasaw Mudd Puppies (Athens GA)Child Seat (Los Angeles CA)Christopher Brown (Mamaroneck NY)Cimarron615 (Nashville TN)CIVIC (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Cloudland Canyon (Memphis TN)CODY JON (Sydney AUSTRALIA)The Color Brown (Carolina PUERTO RICO)Constant Smiles (Ridgewood NY)Corook (Nashville TN)The Courettes (Mariager DENMARK)cowboyy (Portsmouth UK-ENGLAND)Coyle Girelli (New York NY)DAIISTAR (Austin TX)Dana Gillespie (London UK-ENGLAND)Dan Davidson (Edmonton CANADA)Daniel Villarreal (Chicago IL)DAT GARCIA (Monte Grande ARGENTINA)Death Valley Girls (Los Angeles CA)deca joins (Taipei TAIWAN)Decent Criminal (Santa Rosa CA)Del Castillo (Austin TX)DESTA FRENCH (London UK-ENGLAND)Dhruv Sangari and The National Sufi Ensemble (Washington DC)Diatom Deli (Taos NM)Disco Doom (Zurich SWITZERLAND)Dream Wife (London UK-ENGLAND)El Combo Oscuro (Austin TX)Elephant Sessions (Inverness UK-SCOTLAND)English Teacher (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)Enjoyable Listens (Oxford UK-ENGLAND)Enumclaw (Tacoma WA)Estereomance (El Paso TX)Esther Rose (New Orleans LA)Evan Bartels (Tobias NE)Fake Fruit (Oakland CA)Fergus McCreadie (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)Floodlights (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)Foley (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)Font (Austin TX)Fonteyn (Salt Lake City UT)The Foreign Resort (Copenhagen DENMARK)Fotocrime (Louisville KY)Fraud Perry (Montreal CANADA)Frost Children (New York NY)Future Crib (Nashville TN)Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country (San Antonio TX)The Garrys (Saskatoon CANADA)Gay Meat (Wilmington NC)Georgia Lines (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)Geskle (Worcester MA)GEWALT (Berlin GERMANY)GIRLI (London UK-ENGLAND)Girl Scout (Stockholm SWEDEN)THE GOA EXPRESS (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)Gold Fang (Sydney AUSTRALIA)Good Looks (Austin TX)GracieHorse (Los Angeles CA)Graham Reynolds (Austin TX)Graham Reynolds & The Golden Arm Trio (Austin TX)Gus Englehorn (Montreal CANADA)Hamish Hawk (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND)THE HARA (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)Heartworms (London UK-ENGLAND)Hembree (Kansas City KS)HIEN (Budapest HUNGARY)Holly Montgomery (Falls Church VA)Housekeys (Fort Worth TX)Huntly (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)The Hypochondriacs (Fredericton CANADA)Igor Grohotsky (Kyiv UKRAINE)Iona Zajac (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)IOTA PHI (Athens GREECE)Ishmael Ensemble (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)IST IST (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)Jake Whiskin (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)JayWood (Winnipeg CANADA)Jaz Karis (London UK-ENGLAND)JER (Gainesville FL)Jessica Winter (London UK-ENGLAND)JM Stevens (Austin TX)Johnny Chops (Austin TX)Júlia Colom (Valldemossa SPAIN)July Talk (Toronto CANADA)Junk Drawer (Belfast UK-N. IRELAND)Kadeem Tyrell (London UK-ENGLAND)KALLITECHNIS (Montreal CANADA)Kalpee (Lange Park TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)Kalu & The Electric Joint (Austin TX)Kate Davis (Frederick MD)Katie Toupin (Lexington KY)Katy Rea (Brooklyn NY)KAZKA (Kyiv UKRAINE)Kid Bookie (London UK-ENGLAND)Kill Lincoln (Washington DC)Kindsight (Copenhagen DENMARK)KING STINGRAY (Nhulunbuy AUSTRALIA)KOKO (Pesaro ITALY)Koleżanka (Brooklyn NY)La Paloma (Madrid SPAIN)Larkins (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)Laszlo and the Hidden Strength (New York, NY)Lauren Ann (Newry UK-N. IRELAND)Laveda (Albany NY)The Lemon Twigs (Long Island NY)Lil Cherry & GOLDBUUDA (SAUCE CARTEL) (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)Lime Garden (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)LÓN (Reykjavík ICELAND)Lontalius (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)Lorelei K (Dallas TX)Low Island (Oxford UK-ENGLAND)Luna Luna (Dallas TX)Maestro Espada (Murcia SPAIN)Mandy, Indiana (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)Manwolves (Chicago IL)Marcus Joseph (Leicester UK-ENGLAND)Mariel Buckley (Calgary CANADA)Marshall Hood (Austin TX)Mary Scholz (Los Angeles CA)Mauvey (Vancouver CANADA)MEERNAA (Oakland CA)Mexico City Heartbreak (Los Angeles CA)Micah Edwards (Houston TX)Miranda and the Beat (Brooklyn NY)Mnelia (London UK-ENGLAND)Moon Panda (Copenhagen DENMARK)Moriah Bailey (Oklahoma City OK)Mustangs Of The West (Los Angeles CA)Mya Byrne (Oakland CA)Natalie Shay (London UK-ENGLAND)Nathan Graham (Chicago IL)Night Tapes (London UK-ENGLAND)Noah And The Loners (London UK-ENGLAND)Normal Echo (Vancouver CANADA)Obongjayar (Calabar NIGERIA)Oracle Sisters (Paris FRANCE)OSEES (Los Angeles CA)otay:onii (Haining CHINA)Otis Wilkins (Austin TX)Painted Shield (Seattle WA)Palehound (Brooklyn NY)Paraísos (Barranquilla COLOMBIA)Party Dozen (Sydney AUSTRALIA)Patrick Holland (Montreal CANADA)Peach Luffe (Toronto CANADA)Pearl & the Oysters (Los Angeles CA)Pearl Earl (Los Angeles CA)PENDANT (Los Angeles CA)Personal Trainer (Amsterdam NETHERLANDS)Philine Sonny (Bochum GERMANY)Pink Nasty Meets El Cento (Austin TX)The Pink Stones (Athens GA)Plastic Picnic (Brooklyn NY)The Pleasure Majenta (Berlin GERMANY)Pleasure Venom (Austin TX)Poison Ruin (Philadelphia PA)Pol (Amsterdam NETHERLANDS)Poppy Jean Crawford (Los Angeles CA)popsiclestickairport (Gilbert AZ)POSTDATA (Halifax CANADA)Prim (Modena ITALY)Prima Queen (London UK-ENGLAND)Primo the Alien (Austin TX)Public Body (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)Puppy Angst (Philadelphia PA)Queen Millz (Leicester UK-ENGLAND)Rae Fitzgerald (Columbia MO)Redolent (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND)Reilly Downes (Bandera TX)Renée Reed (Lafayette LA)Rett Smith (Austin TX)Revenge Wife (Manchester NH)Rhinestone Pickup Truck (Asheville NC)Rinse & Repeat (Los Angeles CA)Roanoke (Nashville TN)Rob Cannillo (Florida NY)Rock Eupora (Nashvlle TN)Rod Gatort (Austin TX)Rogê (Rio De Janeiro BRAZIL)Roots From The Clay (Katy TX)Rose’s Pawn Shop (Los Angeles CA)Rosier (Montreal CANADA)Ryan Pollie (Los Angeles CA)sadie (Brooklyn NY)SAFER (Brooklyn NY)Salarymen (Sydney AUSTRALIA)Schatzi (Austin TX)The Scratch (Dublin IRELAND)Shae Universe (Watford UK-ENGLAND)Shanghai Baby (Madrid SPAIN)Shooks (Austin TX)Shutups (Oakland CA)Skye Wallace (Toronto CANADA)S.L. Houser (Austin TX)Snooper (Nashville TN)Snotty Nose Rez Kids (Kitimat CANADA)Sobs (Singapore SINGAPORE)Solar Eyes (Birmingham UK-ENGLAND)Sorcha Richardson (Dublin IRELAND)Sorry Mom (New York NY)South For Winter (Nashville TN)SpivOberta (Dobropillia UKRAINE)Spllit (Baton Rouge LA)S. Raekwon (New York NY)Stacey Ryan (Vaudreuil-Dorion CANADA)Stoneburner (Baltimore MD)Strawberry Guy (Liverpool UK-ENGLAND)Sunday Cruise (Chicago IL)Sunflower Bean (New York NY)Super Plage (Montréal CANADA)SURMA (Leiria PORTUGAL)Sweeping Promises (Lawrence KS)Sword II (Atlanta GA)Talia Goddess (Brooklyn NY)Tami Neilson (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)Tayls (Nashville TN)The Tender Things (Austin TX)Thala (Berlin GERMANY)Theodore (Athens GREECE)THICK (Brooklyn NY)Thin Lear (Waldwick NJ)Thor & Friends (Austin TX)The Tiarras (Austin TX)TITA (Guatemala City GUATEMALA)Tokio Myers (London UK-ENGLAND)Tribe Friday (Örebro SWEDEN)Trouble in The Streets (Austin TX)Truth Club (Raleigh NC)T. Thomason (Halifax CANADA)Tufan Derince (Diyarbakir TURKEY)Tulliah (Mornington Peninsula AUSTRALIA)TUSHAR (Adelaide AUSTRALIA)TVOD (Brooklyn NY)TYSON (London UK-ENGLAND)Ulysses Wells (Isle Of Wight UK-ENGLAND)UNI and The Urchins (New York NY)Vanille (Montreal CANADA)Venus Twins (Brooklyn NY)Viper Club (Phoenix AZ)VLURE (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)Voka Gentle (Stroud UK-ENGLAND)VooCha (Melissa E. Logan / Chicks on Speed) w/ Gaisma & Yohanna Logan (Berlin GERMANY)Warmduscher (London UK-ENGLAND)The Waymores (Atlanta GA)We Are The Union (Los Angeles CA)The Wends (Turin ITALY)West Texas Exiles (Austin TX)Winona Forever (Vancouver CANADA)Woodes (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)The XCERTS (Aberdeen UK-SCOTLAND)XENZU (Beijing CHINA)Yacko & Tuan Tigabelas (Jakarta Selatan INDONESIA)YAYOI DAIMON (Osaka JAPAN)You Said Strange (Giverny FRANCE)Youth Sector (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)YU-KA (Tokyo JAPAN)The Zombies (St. Albans UK-ENGLAND)zzzahara (Los Angeles CA)
-
Pages