The Latest Featured News and Event Updates from SXSW

Daniel Ek Gives You One More Reason to Go Platinum

Christine Auten — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:19:23 +0000

One of the greatest values of attending SXSW can be found in the eclectic mix of people attracted to all three events: the SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Festivals and Conferences. Filmmakers and producers mingle with web developers and motion graphic artists, movie stars join social media superstars, and musicians and labels unite with new media music moguls.

As diverse as these varied disciplines are, we are seeing a shift to convergence through new technologies that cannot be ignored. A Platinum registration offers the opportunity to experience this convergence first hand. Register for Platinum by the end of this week and save $230 off the walk up rate.

Upgrading to Platinum has its advantages. Music Festival attendees won't want to miss the Interactive Festival 2:00pm Tuesday Keynote conversation with Daniel Ek, CEO and co-founder of the innovative online music service Spotify.

Interactive attendees will find the Film Festival's new Title Sequence Design Competition irresistible and Film attendees will want to take advantage of the wealth of information offered in the many Interactive Festival sessions devoted to new media production and distribution.

And all three elements come together with ScreenBurn at SXSW, the video game element of the Interactive Festival, where film, music and the web collide.

There's a reason we say "Tomorrow Happens Here." Go Platinum today!

Photo of Daniel Ek courtesy of Spotify Press.

Chicago Music Mixer Tonight!

jill — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:20:48 +0000

Hey Chicago! We have arrived in the Windy City and can't wait to see you tonight! Meet us at the The Hideout 6-8pm. Let's mix & mingle and talk shop over some drinks.

Did you forget to RSVP? It's not too late - you have until 3pm today to do so. Email us right now at MusicRSVP@sxsw.com, and we'll get you on the list. Then head on over to 1354 West Wabansia at 6pm and let's have some fun!

Registration Deadline November 13: Register Now and Save!

adrienne — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:29 +0000

Planning on attending SXSW 2010 this year? Well, stop sitting on your haunches and register by the end of the day Friday, November 13 to take advantage of discounted badge prices! You will save $230 on the walk-up rate for a Platinum badge, $125 for Film and $100 on all Gold, Music and Interactive badges.

Not only do you gain access to five days worth of SXSW Music showcases, Film screenings, ScreenBurn, daytime panels, Trade Show events and after parties at this steep discount, but you will be the envy of all who did not take advantage of the early registration discount rates. Badge prices increase after November 13 so register before Friday!

Exhibitor Pages Have Arrived

Peter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:42:46 +0000

Beginning today, the exhibitor pages for the 2010 SXSW Music and Film + Interactive Trade Shows are live! This useful compendium of exhibiting brands at SXSW offers companies a chance to post a profile and logo on the SXSW website. It is one of the many, many ways SXSW can aid you in raising your brand awareness. Companies like Audio-Technica, Element Fusion, Huddle Hub, Idea Foundry, Iron Mountain, Mimoco, Moving Pictures Magazine, Nevada Film Office, Texas Music Office, The New York Times, thePlatform, SonicBids, Dorado Press-Music Packaging, Google, and Koss Corporation are privy to this and have already jumped aboard.

Right now, rubbing shoulders with the best is easy. And until Friday, November 13th, relatively cheap to boot! If you secure your spot in the SXSW Trade Show by Friday, you'll receive a 10% discount. These massive savings do not stop there, however. Also until Friday, you can save 10% on any SXSW Big Bag Inserts. From hip flash-drives to digital download cards, these are an unrivaled way to catch the eye of SXSW Registrants.

Contact our Sales Team today to take your place at SXSW 2010.

SonicBids photo courtesy of Daniel Lewis

Second Batch of 2010 SXSW Interactive Programming Announced

Christine Auten — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:31:52 +0000

We are excited to reveal the next batch of confirmed programming for the 2010 SXSW Interactive Festival (titles linked to PanelPicker proposals after the jump). Today's announcement adds to the wealth of innovative, thought-provoking content that makes March in Austin such an inspirational experience.

With over 2300 proposals submitted to the SXSW PanelPicker for 2010, the selection process has been both challenging and exciting, and we aren't done yet! This batch combined with the 100+ titles announced last month make up only about one-third of the more than 400 sessions slated for the 2010 event. So stay tuned for more panels, Keynotes, solo and dual presentations, Core Conversations, Salons, Book Readings and, new for 2010, in-depth technical workshops... plus a few more surprises!

Also, check out our list of confirmed speakers for SXSW Interactive 2010 for some bright new talent and a few familiar faces.

If you want to see this amazing content live and in person, register now for the 2010 SXSW Interactive Festival. Remember that admission fees increase at the end of the day on Friday, November 13.

10 Rules of Brand Fiction from Mad Men's @BettyDraper (Helen Klein Ross, Brand Fiction Factory)
AI 2010: Wall-e Or Rise Of The Machines? (Mason Hale, OneSpot)
ANYONE Can Create a Video Game! Twitter Revolution? (Michael Agustin, Gendai Games Inc.)
The Art of Eating In (Cathy Erway, Not Eating Out in New York) - BR
Balance is Bullshit (Stephanie Klein, Slinging Ink, LLC) - CC
Battledecks 2010 (Mike Monteiro, Mule Design)
Become Immortal: Understanding the Digital After Life (John Romano, The Digital Beyond) - CC
Big Brother in Your Brain: Neuroscience & Marketing (Eric Kogelschatz, Modernista!)
The Birth of Eye-Def Acting (Rick Bergman, AMD)
A Brave New Future for Book Publishing (Kevin Smokler, BookTour.com)
The Broke Diaries: Using Blogs And Twitter To Live Cheaply (Nichelle Stephens, Keeping Nickels)
Bruce Sterling Presentation (Bruce Sterling, Author)
Can the Real-Time Web Be Realized? (Brett Slatikin, Google)
Can You Copyright a Tweet? (Fred Benenson, Creative Commons)
Casting Crib Cutesploitation - Using Your Kids As Content (John Styn, Royal Pink Productions)
Coding for Pleasure: Developing Killer Spare-Time Apps (Adam Pash, Lifehacker)
Covering Big News on Small Budgets (Amanda Hirsch, amandahirsch.com)
Crowdfunding: How The SAfrican Community Financed Online Businesses (Eve Dmochowska, SeedFund)
Dangerous Curves: Hockey Sticks, Swine Flu And More (Rolf Skyberg, eBay)
Data is Money: How Geeks are Changing Finance (Eric Olson, Olson's Observations)
Design, Collaboration, Pokemon: How Not to Offend People Globally (Chris Moeller, Yahoo! Inc.)
Do Evolutions In Design Thinking Promote Innovation? (Jim Nieters, Yahoo! Inc.)
Does My Sh*t-Talking Really Help Your Brand? (Ivan Askwith, Big Spaceship)
Doing it Wrong: Recently Possible Technology (Bre Pettis, Makerbot Industries)
Don't Move! Build a Startup Community Where You Live (Jeff Slobotski, Silicon Prairie News)
Drink Tea: Designing With Middle Eastern Customers (Kate Walser, CX Insights)
The Era of Crowdsourcing: Five Guiding Principles (Scott Belsky, Behance)
Freelance Isn't Free: The Twisted Economics of Writing Today (Jeff Beckham, Austinist) - CC
From Right-to-Left: Entrepreneurship & the Middle East (Sacha Tueni, Vodafone International)
Funding Your Projects from the Crowd (Perry Chen, Kickstarter)
How Sci-Fi Shapes the Internet (Adria Richards, butyoureagirl.com)
How to Rawk SXSW (Min Jung Kim, minjungkim.com)
Influence and Innovate: Transforming Media Education (Cindy Royal, Texas State University) - CC
Innovation Overseas – The European Startup Environment (Peter Robinett, Bubble Foundry)
Is App-vertising the Answer (Garrick Schmitt, Razorfish)
Is Too Much Math Killing Marketing? (Mike Teasdale, Harvest Digital)
It All Changed in An Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs (Larry Smith, SMITH Magazine) - BR
James Fowler Presentation (James Fowler, Author)
Jaron Lanier Presentation (Jaron Lanier, Author)
Journalism Next: Thriving in the Digital Age (Mark Briggs, Journalism 2.0) - BR
Kittens & Porn: You Choose the Winner (Bud Caddell, Undercurrent)
Maps, Books, Spimes, Paper: Post-Digital Media Design (Chris Heathcote, meta loca
Memory Matters! How Do Elephants Do It? (Mark Channon, markchannon.com) - CC
Merch: The Other White Meat Of Monetization (Joel Bush, Amplifier)
Millionaire or Artist? How About Both? (Hugh MacLeod, gapingvoid)
Mind Control: Psychology for the Web (Ben Scofield, Viget Labs)
Networking at a Multi-Day Conference (Thom Singer, Author / Speaker) - CC
Nina Hartley: Porn Star, Sex Educator, Social Networker (Nina Hartley, nina.com)
Online News of Tomorrow (Andrew Huff, Gapers Block)
Open Collaboration Between Scientists, Communities and the Unknown (Ariel Waldman, Spacehack.org)
Persuasive Design: Encouraging Your Users To Do What You Want Them To! (Andy Budd, Clearleft Ltd)
Results Only Work Environment (ROWE): Why It Works (Nikki Haffey, OpenSpace Coworking )
‘Seed Combinators’: Startup Incubators 2.0 (Marc Nathan, Houston Technology Center)
Selling Your Milk When the Cow is Free (Jeff Eaton, Lullabot)
Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&! (Twanna Hines, Funky Brown Chick) - CC
Sick Clicks: The Evolution of Health Online (Caley Van Cleave, FeelGoodNow.com)
Social Business By Design (David Armano, Dachis Group)
StoryCorps 2.0: Social Networking Meets Storytelling (Suneel Gupta, The Kahani Movement)
Twittering Through Chemo - Survivors Unite (Brian Simpson, Roger Smith Hotel) - CC
Upstarts! GenY Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the Business World (Donna Fenn, Inc. Magazine) - BR
User's Guide to Democratized Media (Dan Gillmor, Author / Teacher) - BR
Web Series 2.0: Big Campaigns on Digital Dollars (Chris Hanada, Retrofit Films)
What Can Carl Sagan Teach Us About The Web? (Mark Trammell, Twitter)
Who Needs Venture Capital? (Mike Trotzke, SproutBox)
Who’s Nibbling at Your Cookie? (Frank Addante, Rubicon Project)
World Cup 2010: Engaging U.S. Soccer Fans Online (Chris Hall, U.S. Soccer Federation)

Updated: 11.9.09
All subject to change.

CC - Core Conversations
BR - Book Readings

Photo of 2009 Interactive panel room courtesy of Mary Sledd / www.marysledd.com.

Five Artist Track Panels Announced

jill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:53:45 +0000

Here are five more reasons to apply to showcase at SXSW 2010 - five great panels especially for you!

Building a High Value Fan List
Moderator: Noah Dinkin, FanBridge

Friendbase to Fanbase: Why You Must Tour Now!
Moderator: Todd Hansen, Better Than The Van

Music Publishing: Making Money in Your Sleep
Moderator: Ed Hunt, Harry Fox Agency

Production Music as an Alternative Source of Income
Moderator: Carl Peel, Killer Tracks

Crowdfunding Music: Raising Money from Your Fans
Moderator: Yancey Strickler, Kickstarter

These panels will be part of the Artist Track of the SXSW Music Conference at the Austin Convention Center, March 17 - 20, 2010. As we open up the Music Conference to showcasing artists (who choose the registration option) for all four days, we are expanding our offerings that address issues facing working musicians. Meet experienced pros. Make valuable contacts. Take advantage of all that the SXSW Music Conference has to offer!

Photo: Todd Hansen, Owner, Better Than The Van

Early Film Submission Deadline is TODAY, November 5!

jim — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:12:22 +0000

Today is your last chance to submit your film before the early deadline! What does that mean? It means you can save money on entry fees - pay just $25 for shorts, or $40 for features - but you must do it TODAY.

Also remember that today is the POSTMARK DEADLINE for submission. Translation - you need to have your DVD screener in the mail by close of business today, November 5. Get on it now!

When you've filled out that form, paid those fees and mailed off that screener, consider applying to our SXSW Title Sequence Design Competition. It cost just $10 right up to the December 11 deadline, and anyone with a completed film can enter.

More info right here, or contact us at film@sxsw.com.

Chicago Music Mixer Tuesday November 10th!

jill — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:18:31 +0000

The Hideout in Chicago is the place to be on November 10th. Head on over to 1354 West Wabansia next Tuesday from 6-8pm to mix and mingle with SXSW staffers and other Chicago industry folks. And don't forget to bring your business card for our SXSW 2010 Music badge giveaway!

The deadline to RSVP is this Friday November 6th. Email us now at MusicRSVP@sxsw.com if you haven't already, and we'll add your name to the guest list. We look forward to seeing you next Tuesday, Chicago. And although we might just be visitors, we do know that ketchup is never used on a hot dog.

What Color is Your SXSW?

adrienne — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:51:50 +0000

You’re ready to register for SXSW 2010 – but which badge is right for you?

Maybe you’re a Platinum because you know the Platinum badge is good for admission to all official SXSW events – whether it’s great Music Festival showcases, Interactive keynotes or Film Festival premieres.

It could be you’re a Gold because you’re just not into the music side of things and you can get everything you need from the Interactive and Film Conference and Trade Show festivals. If your life and career are focused on a single path then it could be a single-event badge that is the thing for you – Music (green), Interactive (red), or Film (blue).

Whichever direction you take, read online about what you get with the different badge types then follow the link to buy your registration while you can still save up to 25% off walk-up rates.

Spotify's Daniel Ek to Keynote SXSW Interactive on Tuesday, March 16

andrew — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:02:11 +0000

SXSW Interactive is excited to announce that Daniel Ek will participate in a keynote interview at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, March 16. The 26-year-old CEO and co-founder of the innovative online music service Spotify, Ek has been characterized as a serial entrepreneur. He started his first company in 1997 at the age of 14 and has also served in leadership roles at Stardoll and Advertigo.

Spotify's emergence in Europe proves that new media technology can provide new, and legal, solutions to the challenges currently faced by traditional content providers.

"SXSW combines two of the topics that I'm most passionate about, music & technology," comments Ek. "I'm pleased to be a part of next year's event and look forward to some great programming."

Keynote Speakers for Sunday, March 14 and Monday, March 15 will be announced shortly.

Official Press Image of Daniel Ek Courtesy of Spotify.