SXSW Music Has Its Moments, But Caters to the Elite
By davidhall
By the early Friday evening at the 2009 SXSW music conference, the line for the “secret” Metallica show at Stubb’s BBQ had extended halfway around the block.
Even when the doors opened, the queue didn’t budge.
After nearly an hour of glowering at a steady stream of mostly middle-aged hipsters flashing their badges (which cost nearly $700 for the highest level of access) to waltz right in past the endless line, my patience was spent. With the urge to scream, ‘Screw all you yuppies!’, I tromped off to try my luck at a smaller show. After waiting in yet another line, I finally found solace at the Cedar Street Courtyard, where Dinosaur Jr. dominated the stage later that night.
This type of frustrating situation seemed to typify the experience of many SXSW participants at this year’s festival. If one searched hard enough (and exhausted all patience), SXSW still has its marvelous moments, but it appears that (for the most part), the festival now caters primarily to the wealthy or the “in” crowd.
“Going to South by Southwest is a gamble,” said 21-year-old Marie Louise Friedland, an Austin resident who attended the fest for the third time this year. “Some shows are press or badge only, and even if you bought a wristband for $160, you get shut out of shows and end up going to see some shitty bands.”
Since its conception in 1987, SXSW has grown to an attendance of 9,000 in 2008. Statistics for 2009 are not yet available, but the number of patrons was expected to continue rising, according to interactive festival director Hugh Forrest.
The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated that SXSW brings $103 million into Austin’s economy, which includes spending by patrons on food, hotel and other expenses.
“By the end of the week some waiters and waitresses can afford to buy cars with all the money they make,” said 20-year-old Courtney Schwamb, an Austin resident who worked at a restaurant during the 2008 fest and volunteered at various venues this year. “That’s why they accentuate access for the wealthy – they throw their money into the city without thinking about it.”
Schwamb, who manned the door at Cedar Street Courtyard on March 19, said that it was difficult to keep customers happy with the apparent excess of badge-holders.
“People without badges or wristbands who just wanted to pay to get in were fucking pissed,” she said. “Everything that came out of their mouths was negative.”
Because she was a volunteer, Schwamb was gifted a badge, which would have given her elite access to most venues, but after dealing with unreasonable fans for three days, she opted to ditch her last day of work and stay home, far away from the masses.
“It wasn’t worth my time because I didn’t get the very experience I signed up for,” she said. “I got to see one band for two songs.”
While Schwamb’s frustration with SXSW was echoed by many participants and locals (including myself) with equal or lesser access, other festivalgoers like Friedland made the most of the chaos without even purchasing a wristband.
“I went to a lot of free shows during the day where there was plenty of free beer and food,” she said. “The atmosphere was so much better because it wasn’t about getting in – it was about hanging out.”
Friedland said that the key to her positive encounter was staying away from all the hyped-up events, like the Fader Fort parties (where Kanye West made his March 21 appearance) and the Perez Hilton party.
“There are so many good local places that the trendy people don’t know about,” she said.
But Friedland did dish out $20 for The Parish‘s March 18 showcase with Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) and San Antonio blues-rockers Hacienda.
“With six acts, that’s less than $5 per artist, and considering some of those were some big acts, I didn’t mind paying,” she said.
Coincidentally, I was in the line for that very show at The Parish last Wednesday, and after being told I wasn’t going to make it in because of a long line of badge peeps, I ended up paying a bartender to let me in through the back door – even though my wristband should have granted me free access. In the end, it was the only show I had to pay for (although I considered offering bribes at a few other shows like Metallica’s), and it was worth it.
As a local who was able to skip freely from show to show without worry of long lines in past years, I agree with the perspective of Schwamb and other disgruntled and disillusioned fans that the festival may no longer be worth the time and effort (unless $700 just for a ticket is no sweat for you). Aside from getting locked out of popular shows, it was also annoying to notice that most badge-holders seemed to care more about getting noticed than actually enjoying the music. The lack of excitement in the air was sickening.
But I also agree with Friedland. You have to value the opportunities that come your way at SXSW more than the overall festival experience. Indeed, my most exhilarating moment was discovering the tail end of a secret Dinosaur Jr. show at The Mohawk by pure happenstance.
In truth, every music festival is overrun with wealthy, indifferent “insiders” who just went because they could afford it and so that they could say, ‘I was there’. And even at (mostly) equal access festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo, you don’t have time for every show, and sometimes you have to settle for standing in the back to keep your sanity.
For those of us that have witnessed the awe-inspiring intimacy that Austin venues never fail to offer (I once saw the Pixies at Stubb’s, which holds only 2,100 people), SXSW is a non-inclusive sham. But with some added limitations – like placing a cap on how many badges are handed out – the festival could make a comeback. With enough voices behind the cause, maybe festival organizers will overcome their greed and realize that SXSW was never supposed to be about the money; it’s about the music, and those of us that genuinely love it – the true “in” crowd.
Check out photos and interviews from SXSW now!
Check out BeatCrave’s full music festival coverage from throughout the week:
Daily Coverage
- SXSW Music Day 1: Fol Chen, Dan Auerbach and Access
- SXSW Music Day 2: Stubb’s BBQ Showcase and Dinosaur Jr. Secret Show
- SXSW Music Day 3: Cedar Street Courtyard Showcase With Peter Bjorn and John, Grizzly Bear, and Dinosaur Jr.
- SXSW Music Day 4: Blue Scholars, White Lies, Exene Cervenka, Octopus Project, Livings Things and Hot Leg
Interviews
Photo Galleries
- Photos of Fol Chen at SXSW
- Photos of St. Vincent SXSW
- Photos of M. Ward at SXSW
- Photos of 3OH!3 at SXSW
- Photos of The Meat Puppets at SXSW
- Photos of Gomez at SXSW
- Photos of Andrew Bird at SXSW
- Photos of Ben Harper at SXSW
- Photos of Funeral Party at SXSW
- Photos of Future to the Left at SXSW
- Photos of AirBorne Toxic Event at SXSW
Panels
- SXSW Panel: Should Artists Be Paid for Radio Airplay?
- SXSW Panel: Indie Label Sales in “Free Fall” Discussed
Will SXSW overcome its corporate stigma in years to come? Would it be possible for a festival of this scale to survive without excessive support from ‘The Man’? Whether or not you were there this year, tell us what you think!
