Are you ready for SXSW 2022?
The return of South by Southwest is right around the corner. Are you prepared? These questions will reveal the truth!
A guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix.
After two long years away, SXSW is returning to the streets of Austin, TX, this March for a long-awaited reunion with the global music community. While the wildly popular event will continue to offer online participation opportunities, the world’s largest gathering of musicians and music professionals is ready to usher in a new, in-person age. How many will attend this year’s event remains unclear, but thousands are expected.
Whether this is your first or fifteenth SXSW, there is never a good reason to descend on the streets of Austin without first having a plan. Traveling to SXSW is expensive, so you want to be sure you’re getting the most out of your time and finances. It’s easy to spend a week in Texas going broke and come home with nothing to show (aside from sunburn and a hangover). You and your career deserve better, so if you’re going to make the journey to Austin, you better ask yourself these questions first:
Whether this is your first or fifteenth SXSW, there is never a good reason to descend on the streets of Austin without first having a plan. Traveling to SXSW is expensive, so you want to be sure you’re getting the most out of your time and finances. It’s easy to spend a week in Texas going broke and come home with nothing to show (aside from sunburn and a hangover). You and your career deserve better, so if you’re going to make the journey to Austin, you better ask yourself these questions first:
1. Do you know your travel plans and budget for the week?
Budgeting and planning a trip can be a headache, which is why many people choose to procrastinate nailing down the details of any journey until the last possible moment. If you want to make this SXSW the most successful it can possibly be you need to know your plan of attack as soon as possible. Book a flight (while you still can), lock in your lodging, and discuss amongst everyone coming with what your daily budget will be. Many events offer free food and drink, but those seeking water or actual meals will need cash to satiate their cravings.
Beyond budgeting financially, you will also want to begin discussing how you plan to use your time in the city of Austin. Create a calendar, fill in every event you need to attend, and then review the list and slim it down until only the essential events remain. Once that is complete, work together with your band members and anyone else going to Austin with you to devise ways to promote your music and any performances you may have during the week. Assign each other tasks and brainstorm various approaches you can take to gain the public’s attention.
2. Speaking of promotion, how are you going to get the word out about your music?
Over 1000 artists perform during the week of SXSW, and more than 90% will walk away without seeing any change in their careers. We could go back and forth about the reason for this, but more often than not, it boils down to how much attention the individual act can bring to themselves during the week. If your promotion plan is social media updates and handbills, you probably will not see a tremendous impact on your career trajectory following the festival. If, however, you begin researching innovative marketing techniques for 2019 and apply them to your efforts in Austin, the sky is the limit. Creativity is key to success, and when you’re surrounded by literally thousands of creative people, it takes something extra special to stand out from the herd. Do not let your art become part of the majority.
3. Are you focusing on your efforts on quality or quantity?
Some bands believe the key to being noticed at SXSW is to play as many shows as humanly possible, but the real way to take your career to the next level is far simpler: Connect with the audience. Whether you play one show or ten, it only takes one person with the right connections to notice your music for your career to change overnight. Do not stress over the number of gigs you have or the time allotted, but instead, focus on delivering the highest caliber performance possible when the time comes. Remember: It only takes one person to change your world.
4. What are you doing right now to promote your time in SXSW?
Every successful marketing campaign begins long before the thing being promoted takes place.
The entire list of artists showcasing at official SXSW events was recently released, which means everyone with a publicist on their team is already at least one email into their promotional efforts for Austin. As an independent artist with few festival appearances under your belt, it would be a good idea to begin promoting and otherwise advertising your presence at SXSW as soon as possible. Reach out to bloggers, share your latest music, and let them know you would love to meet up if they’re coming to SXSW. You don’t need to sell them right away, but you should at least make them aware of your plans. It won’t be long until publications begin compiling the ‘must-see’ bands of SXSW, and with a little luck, your group could make the cut. Click here for some additional tips on contacting members of the press.
5. What goals do you have for SXSW?
Before heading to SXSW, the worst thing you could do is to tell yourself that one trip to Austin will change your life forever. We’re not saying such things will not happen because they most definitely could, but the odds are incredibly stacked against you. Set achievable goals that will help you further your efforts in the long run instead of focusing on short-term success. If you want to play to 50 people, do whatever you can to bring 50 people to your show. If you’re going to find a manager, order business cards and make plans to network whenever time allows.
SXSW works for those who know how to work it, and the first step to doing that is understanding you get out of your efforts what you put in. Those who do the work necessary to play at their absolute best and go out of their way to be creative with marketing are going to get further than the band with great hooks and zero following. It’s that simple.
James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.
