Features February 12, 2018

Op Ed: Australians are learning to use SXSW more effectively

Australians have always thought global. We’ve had to.

We’ve been early adopters of communication tech to bridge the tyranny of distance from overseas markets where the real earnings are.

We are more export-oriented and Austrade is a great supporter to export-ready IP companies and creators.

And let’s face it, we all love an overseas trip. Australians have more passports per capita than most first world countries.

This year, we have 55 Australian acts going to South By Southwest (SXSW).We’ve only had one other year where we had more, where the release and touring cycles of bands that applied matched this year in terms of invitations.

SXSW actually invited 73 in 2018. Some had to drop out, some were unable to accept and some had other things come up between the time they applied and were accepted.

Normally we have about 240 bands apply between June and October for March’s showcases.

There’s been a noticeable trend in recent years in what Australian bands and delegates want out of SXSW.Everybody wants ‘a deal’ but it’s no longer about a recording deal with a major.

Some want booking agents, some are looking for US management or co-management, publishers, streaming and media exposure.

The biggest uptick in the past ten years has been the level of professionalism of artist manager and bands not applying frivolously thinking SXSW is the golden ring on the merry go round of the industry.

Attendees are more patient, craft long-term strategies, become export ready and those with management do have an edge.

They’re also looking more and more at Europe whose festival producers and bookers run riot through the talent here.

Australians are being smarter about the time spent at SXSW.

They work our registrants through our online database SXSocial more thoroughly as professionals sign up, they are a lot more savvy about the media who count.

Surprisingly the most important are the Austin street press The Chronicle and the Austin Statesman newspaper which publish daily bumper issues that everyone pores through for the next new thing.

In 2018 the Australian contingent will get more bang for the buck at SXSW.

We’ve had the music export body Sounds Australia over the past ten years take on the Aussie BBQ over a few days with dual stages.

This year, they have an ambitious party planned using one stage but at the venue Lucille’s on Rainey Street, which G’Day USA (a partnership between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and corporates like Qantas and Tourism Australia) has dubbed ’Australia House’.

Three major parties are being held there at nights—MGM, Future Classic and Secret Sounds.

Sounds Australia is expanding its networking program and bringing in more important foreign identities and providing greater on the ground resources.

For example, they have their own complete backline equipment stored in Austin for just this event.

G’Day USA is also changing the game for Aussies at SXSW.

Whereas Austrade started supporting homegrown music export in 2002-2010 with a stand and the Aussie BBQ, they are now diverting more into tech and gaming with their massive stand in the Trade Show over four days.

G’Day USA scoped SXSW last year and determined that a massive presence, their own building downtown, huge promotion, bringing in the celebrities as they do for their highly successful Australia Day event in LA would bring attention to the tech sector, tourism, start-ups, films and music in our SXSW walled garden.

In addition, SXSW is giving delegates some new services as well.

We have a great scheduling app SXSW GO where you can make up your own calendar of events and a red/green/yellow light system in real time on the day that shows if the room is full/plenty of seats/filling fast to make it more convenient for conference goers to get into a particular panel or shift to another room in a plan B.

We have our own private social media system SXSocial where you can meet and communicate with other attendees who you can look up through a powerful database.

Also, if you bought just a Music badge before, you could only go to Music Events and Interactive or Film badges could only go to their own where a Platinum badge had access to all three.

Now each badge gets first priority into their stream of events but can also be in a second line for the other streams after the first priorities get in.

It allows for a richer experience and more opportunities for cross-pollination.

The convergence between the creative content industries is getting more pronounced, so many more music people are fleeing the old biz for the tech biz.

Let’s face it, the film industry has become a massive revenue source for music in sync rights.

At SXSW we believe ‘Tomorrow Happens Here’ and it’s part of our event’s evolution.