Adhering to the number one rule in showbiz – the show MUST go on – South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference is gearing up for an impressive 16th year. With that in mind, make arrangements soon to be in Austin, Texas from March 13 – 17, 2002 for a productive, enlightening, and overwhelmingly musical week.
SXSW is proud to announce that Robbie Robertson will deliver the keynote address opening the 16th annual conference on Thursday, March 14, 2002 at the Austin Convention Center. Robertson’s esteemed career includes his role as guitarist and songwriter for popular rock group The Band throughout the late 60s and 70s. Robertson’s songs, including “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” brought The Band much acclaim, and their body of work remains one of the finest of the rock era. Since The Band’s last performance in 1976, Robertson has scored and produced a number of soundtracks and released four solo albums. Currently, Robertson holds an executive post as creative advisor for DreamWorks Records.
Join music business professionals from around the world for four days of panels, interviews, demo listening sessions, and the mentor program. This year the conference panels will begin on Wednesday, March 13 with a special track of introductory and entry level discussions known as the Crash Course. This track of panels was so well received last year that participants insisted we reprise it this year. Other panels will include: Attracting Media Attention, Indie Label Opportunities, How Much Does Music Matter?, Artists vs. Technology, The Road To Airplay, Studio Tips, Online Retail, A&R Myths and Realities, Publishers’ Role in Creating Income Streams, Digital Music Subscription Services, Are Recording Contracts Fair?, and Touring – Exclusive Artist-Promoter Deals. Many more topics are in the works.
SXSW Interviews this year will be conducted with Hilary Rosen, president and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, and author Peter Guralnick. Confirmed speakers include: Lorraine Ali, writer, Newsweek; Bill Bentley, senior vice president, Media Relations, Warner Brothers Records; Jeff Brabec, vice president, Business Affairs, Chrysalis Music Group; Frank Callari, senior vice president of A&R/Artist Development, Lost Highway Records; Paul Corbin, vice president, Writer Publisher Relations, BMI; Carol Holz, project manager, Southwest Wholesale Records and Tapes; Ken Irwin, owner, Rounder Records; Jon Pikus, director A&R, Columbia Records; Frank Riley, agent, High Road Touring; John Rubeli, vice president, A&R, Atlantic Records; Rob Seidenberg, president, Mammoth Records; Bonnie Simmons, Bonzilla Corp.; Bruce Warren, program director, WXPN/World Cafe; Nan Warshaw, Bloodshot Records; Howie Weinberg, senior engineer, Masterdisk. All panel topics and speakers are subject to change. Consult our website at sxsw.com for the schedule.
Some exciting confirmations at the music festival include: Acid Mothers Temple (Nagoya JAPAN), Atmosphere (Minneapolis MN), Jon Auer (Seattle WA), Cowboy Mouth (New Orleans LA), The Damned (London UK) Electric Eel Shock (Tokyo JAPAN), Firewater (New York NY), The Frames (Dublin IRELAND), Grupo Fantasma (Austin TX), her space holiday (San Francisco CA), Imperial Teen (San Francisco CA), Big Jack Johnson & Kim Wilson (Clarksdale MS), Kinky (Monterrey MEXICO), Luna (New York NY), Magnapop (Athens GA), Mother Hips (San Francisco CA), The Pine Valley Cosmonauts (Chicago IL), The Polyphonic Spree (Dallas TX), Rasputina (Brooklyn NY), Bruce Robison (Austin TX), Sindicato Argentino del Hip Hop (Buenos Aires ARGENTINA), Sparta (El Paso TX), They Might Be Giants (Brooklyn NY). A list of other confirmed bands can be found at www.sxsw.com.
Registering for the conference has multiple advantages. In addition to having access to the panels and priority access to the music festival, SXSW registrants will be able to attend the Austin Music Awards, the outdoor stage shows, a huge industry Trade Show, the Acoustic Day Stage, the infamous softball tournament, and have the opportunity to sign up for the golf tournament. Also available to registrants from January to December of each year is the Online Registrants’ directory, an invaluable listing of the music industry professionals attending SXSW. All of these things together create an unparalleled opportunity for doing business.
Register now and spend an incredible week soaking up information, interacting with music professionals and seeing some of the best signed and unsigned bands in the world. Sign up at www.sxsw.com. For more information, contact SXSW at [email protected] or call 512/467-7979.
