Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

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October 4, 2022
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SXSW ignores artists’ needs to chase profits

2016-03_19_SXSW_Day9_Saturday_Music_Joshua
Joshua Guerra

When 500 bands are booked to play a festival, it is not a big deal when one of those acts drops. But that was not the case last week when Brooklyn indie-pop band Told Slant publicly repudiated South By Southwest. The group decided to cancel their SXSW show after reading the artist contract, which includes the festival’s policy to report foreign musicians to ICE for playing unofficial shows. Although this is not a new policy, it takes an eerie form under the new administration. SXSW has devolved from a celebration of creative expression into a corporate conglomerate interested in its own profit and success, and this crack down on unofficial shows highlights that more than ever.
SXSW may be the pinnacle of what keeps Austin weird, but it harbors a sinister underbelly. What started as an eclectic festival to promote local artists has slowly morphed into a multi-faceted, multi-million dollar investment catering to wealthy tech and creative professionals. Music badges cost a minimum of $825. Big brand-name acts are prioritized over local artists. The festival not only attracts tech startups that drive up rent but also directly encourages gentrification, turning East Side businesses into a Spotify House and parking garages.
Unofficial shows are spaces where music is undeterred by corporate oversight and the pressure to please yuppies — they facilitate artist collaboration and exploration. But SXSW doesn’t stand to benefit from any of this. So when news broke that the festival supports deportation to discourage unofficial shows, it didn’t surprise the Austin music community.
Cameron Hudgens, the drummer in local indie band Boyd that is scheduled to play an unofficial show next week, observed that SXSW is built to monopolize artists’ time and prevent them from participating in other events. Over Facebook message, Hudgens said, “it seems to me that SXSW is trying suppress any show that is not sponsored by Facebook or Pepsi or whatever the hell brand is present at SXSW. It’s no longer a festival supporting and promoting art.”
This allegation is not too incredible when you look back to shows that required a specific Samsung Galaxy S7 phone — only available for purchase at a SXSW kiosk — for admission.
This legal provision demonstrates how SXSW views performers’ art as a commodity, a product that only official badge-holders can enjoy. And for those artists who are guests in our country, they are only welcome here to help SXSW profit, not to share their music with the community or collaborate with each other.
What is further puzzling about this clause is the festival claims it is a formality. This clause only applies to certain visas, the kind that artists will acquire if SXSW is the only show on their setlist. Most foreign musicians tour around the country on work visas, which the festival does not have the jurisdiction to report on. SXSW managing director Roland Swenson told the Austin Chronicle, “we’ve had these restrictions in the agreement for about five years and never had to enforce them … It’s intended for someone who does something really egregious like (killing somebody).”
Even if SXSW never exercises this power, just including this clause influences musicians. It appears that the festival is attempting to kill off the alternative of unofficial shows by capitalizing on xenophobic sentiments. This contract uses fear to restrict artists’ opportunities, similar to how Trump strikes fear in immigrants to repress their livelihoods. Granted, the two situations are worlds apart, but the same tactics are at play.
SXSW announced that it is going to revise its artist contract for next year’s festival. If it cares about making everyone feel welcome in America and promoting artistic creation, it will delete this clause entirely — and re-evaluate which audience, talent communities and values the festival itself wants to honor.
Larcher is an economics and Plan II freshman from Austin. Follow her on Twitter @veg_lomein.

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SXSW ignores artists’ needs to chase profits