SXSW 2013 Announce First Round Of Music Panels

Written by Sam Price on 22 October 2012

Texan super event South By South West (SXSW) has announced its first round of panelists, including over 40 presentation featuring several first-timers.

The festival, which combines music, film and interactive media, will take place in Austin, Texas and run over 10 days starting March 8th, 2013.

Focused heavily around both the music and creative media industry, the festival attracts revellers from across the globe, with many creative artists including musicians and filmmakers applying to showcase their talents to over 20,000 attendees at the event.

The first announcement includes specialist in fields such as global trends, marketing, self-promotion and live music practices.

Festival organizers last year showed strong interest in their trans Pacific brethren, with 37 Australian artists ending up in Austin playing multiple shows to 19,000 music industry attendees. This year looks to be even bigger for Australian acts, with 60 Aussie bands having already put their hand up to attend.

Bands were given the opportunity to apply for the 2013 event earlier this year, with applications closing early November. Submissions will be accepted past November 7th.

While the bands and the acts that occupy Austin are an exciting part of SXSW, the industry side of it is equally engaging, and now organisers have announced the initial batch of key speakers for the 2013 event.

The mix of panelists contains a devilish combination of exuberant guests, with many new topics and newbie presenters, most chosen by SXSW’s Panel Picker process.

Hyperbot has released the list of fortunate first round panelists, including names such as Jules Parker, (PRS for Music) who will focus on breaking into the UK band scene, and Brian Hirsh (Echo Creative Group), who will give attendees a full run down on how to make profit (legally) from musical Apps.

One of the major draw cards is undoubtedly the SXSW hosted interview with legendary engineer and producer, Ken Scott. The rock and roll curator was one of five masterminds behind the Beatles’ works and produced David Bowie’s iconic pop rock album, Ziggy Stardust.

Scott will no doubt be reminiscing publicly about some of the famous memories, featured in his newly christened memiors, Abbey Road To Ziggy Stardust.

The mix of panelists contains a devilish combination of exuberant guests, with many new topics and newbie presenters, most chosen by SXSW’s Panel Picker process.

The Panel Picker Concept is an online tool generated to give attendees the power of choice in selecting panelist. The initiative also gives punters a chance to become a greater part of SXSW, not only by submitting programming ideas, but also by reviewing, commenting and voting for those ideas they most want to see become a part of the event.

The SXSW website provides some useful tips on the unique concept, with special comments from the event board.

Ronald Swenson, SXSW Managing director, said “the PanelPicker interface is a natural extension of the creative intermingling that takes place during the festival itself”. He also added “We are excited that we can provide a forum for new ideas to debut and flourish year-round.”

However, while voting from the community is important, these totals are not the only factor in deciding SXSW programing. Also playing a large role in the decision-making process is the SXSW Advisory Boards and the SXSW staff. Fans will receive a 30% share of the final say, which another 30% dedicated to the SXSW staff, with the SXSW Advisory Boards making up the remaining 40%.

This year, voters have so far landed on:

Asia’s Seeping Influence Into Western Music (Rob Campanell, Blastro Networks)
Brands and Bands: Opportunities Beyond Licensing? (Roger Wojahn, Wojahn Bros Music)
Brands Are Music Fans Too, Not Just Pots Of Cash (Joe Edwards, I Like The Sound Of That)
C3S: Putting the Revenue in Creative Commons (Wolfgang Senges, Cultural Commons Collecting Society)
Constructive Disruption for the Music Biz (Jim Carroll, The Irish Times)
Digital Marketing Bootcamp For Musicians (Theda Sandiford, Universal Republic Records)
Digital Media/Music in Africa (Rab Bakari, Mixerpot LLC)
Downloaded: The Music Industry in the Digital Age (Alex Winter, VH1 Networks)
Economics, Consumer Psychology, and Music (Jodi Beggs, Northeastern University)
EDM: DJs vs Producers (Jeff Pollack, Pollack Media Group)
Enhancing the Mobile Music Experience (J Sider, BandPage)
Essential Music Royalties (Travis McFetridge, Great South Bay Music Group Inc.)
From 140 to 0: The Rise in Image-Based Marketing (Scott Perry, Sperry Media)
Get The Best Buck For Your Bang-Maximizing Revenue (Neeta Ragoowansi, TuneSat)
Herding Cats: New Digital Management for Artists (Rynda Laurel, 1968media)
How to Build a Profitable Music App (Legally) (Brian Hirsh, Echo Creative Group)
Inside the Music Supervisors’ Brain: Case Studies (Jon Bartlett, MEGAPHONO)
Insight from 1 Million Consumer Interviews (Chris Carey, EMI Music)
Into the Mystic: Secular Music as a Quest for More (Greg Garrett, Baylor University)
Live Music Supervision Session: Anatomy of a Scene (Rebecca Rienks, E! Entertainment/NBCUniversal)
Man v Machine: Data Science and the Future of A&R (Zanab Hussain, SimpleReach)
Music Festivals Powered by Tech Innovation (Esben Danielsen, Roskilde Festival)
Music in Devices – Can Music Support User Demand? (Vickie Nauman, 7digital)
Music Subscription & Artist Revenue (Antony Bruno, Digitalmusic.org)
Musical Identity: What Music Taste Says About You (Jim Lucchese, The Echo Nest)
Musician Business: Lessons from the Grateful Dead (Bob Weir, The Grateful Dead)
My Money & My Fans: The Copyright Conundrum (Margot Kaminski, Information Society Project at Yale Law)
Navigating Washington – Policy and Music in 2013 (Michael Bracy, Future of Music Coalition)
New Orleans Music Today (Scott Billington, Rounder Records)
Principles of Pop/Rock Record Making: Songwriting (Howard Benson, Howard Benson Productions)
Radio is Still Radio: And That’s a Good Thing (Brian Lakamp, Clear Channel)
Rogue Ticketing: Louis CK and LCD vs. Ticketmaster (Gannon Hall, Ticketfly)
Silicon Valley Isn’t the Enemy (Anymore) (Mike McGuire, Gartner)
Singles Labels + Artists: Proven Success (Jake Hurn, White Iris)
So We Won SOPA: Turning a Moment into a Movement (Michael Petricone, Consumer Electronics Association)
SXSW Interview: Ken Scott (interviewed by Kevin Augunas)
The Future of Music + Brands Looks Promising (Eric Johnson, DDB Chicago)
The Power of Lyrics in the Digital Age (Deborah Newman, MusicStrat)
The Royal(ties) Pain in the Music Industry’s A$$ (Patrick Reynolds, Triton Digital)
UK 101: How to Break Your Band in the UK (Jules Parker, PRS for Music)
Using Social to Fill the House (Jordan Glazier, Eventful)
Wild About You (Stuart Coupe, Laughing Outlaw Records & Management)
Writing for Music Libraries (Steve Knill, GMR Marketing)

Most Memorable Festival Performances

There’s a hell of a lot at stake when performing at a festival – potentially the biggest crowd of an artist’s career, being pitted against nature’s elements, sound and lighting that could go wrong at any moment. There’s the pressure to blow the act after you off stage, there’s the pressure to live up to hype and show that you are capable of pulling off a show on a massive stage. Mnay acts have come a cropper when trying to do this but many have risen to the occasion; the adrenaline and the massive crowds either overcoming them or proving that they are capable of being one of the best bands in the world. Join us as we count down some of the best festival performances ever. Watch this slideshow »

Share This Story

Join Us On Facebook