SXSW Baby! Music

SXSW site relaunch and registration for 2010 is live

2009-08-01T04:37:58Z

The newly redesigned SXSW website was supposed to launch on Monday, along with the opening of registration for the 2010 conferences and festivals, but it appears they threw the switch a little early.

Through September 25, registration prices and hotel availability are the lowest and best they’ll be this year. We’ll dig around the joint a bit later but, in the meantime, you early birds may wish to head over there and make your plans for spring.

Panel submission deadline extended to Sunday

2009-07-10T20:12:01Z

SXSW just tweeted that the deadline to submit panel proposals through the ”Panel Picker” has been extended to midnight (Central time) this Sunday, July 12.

Reminder: Panel proposals due tomorrow

2009-07-09T15:37:57Z

If you’ve an idea for a panel for any of the three SXSW 2010 conferences—Interactive, Film or Music—tomorrow is the deadline to submit a proposal. See our previous post on Panel Picker specifics for details.

“Panel Picker” now live for all three SXSW 2010 conferences

2009-06-01T18:21:44Z

The “Panel Picker” is back for SXSW 2010 and the folks at South By have dialed it up to 11 this year, as the opportunity to submit panel proposals through the online interface has been extended to all three SXSW conferences: Interactive, Film and Music.

Check out the FAQ for complete details but here are the dates to remember: Panel submissions will be accepted from today through July 10. After that, voting on the proposals will be opened to the community from August 10–28.

After that, SXSW will use the community feedback along with guidance from its staff and advisory boards to make the final programming decisions for the March 2010 conferences.

Put on those creative caps and get to submittin’!

See you next year! Dates for SXSW 2010

2009-03-22T18:17:47Z

As things wind down (well, as much as they ever do in Austin) for SXSW 2009, the faithful are already planning for next year’s conferences and festivals. Mark your calendar!

SXSW Interactive: March 12–16, 2010
SXSW Film: March 12–20, 2010
SXSW Music: March 17–21, 2010

Whew! 1,302 SXSW bands reviewed

2009-03-18T15:42:50Z

Once again, Paul Ford provides a list of six-word reviews of more than 1,000 MP3s by SXSW showcasing bands, plus links and more, in The Morning News.

SXSW Baby! Social Agenda, Tuesday, March 17

2009-03-17T14:06:54Z

It’s the last night of the Interactive conference, the eve of the Music festival and, of course, Film just keeps chugging along. If you’re in the mood for a bit of chugging (or sipping or conversing or what have you) tonight, have a look at this sampling of post-conference events:

St. Patrick’s Last Stand: Party like a patron saint (yeah, we don’t know what that means exactly) at the PureVolume House from 10 pm until 4 am, sponsored by Crash Corp, Avenue Labs, PureVolume and the inimitable Rick Webb.
Brit Bash: Latitude 30 will vibrate with goodness from across the sea, including performances by The Proclaimers, Alice Russell, The Post War Years, and The Webb Sisters.
Squarespace Party with Totally Rad Show 2.0: It’s a live taping of the Totally Rad Show, followed by a performance from The Last Place You Look.
Media Temple Interactive Closing Party: It’s sad to say goodbye, my loves, but if we must, we might as well do it at the official closing party of Interactive at La Zona Rosa. Performances by Voxtrot, Franki Chan, Prince Klassen and Winter Gloves, and free to SXSW Interactive, Music and Film badge holders.

And it’s St. Patrick’s Day in Austin, the relative calm before the storm of a massive music festival. Sixth Street will be chock-a-block with celebrants, and no doubt you’ll find plenty of diversions all over town. Check out listings on Upcoming, Showlist Austin, sched.org or the official SXSW site.

She’s an all-American girl

2009-03-15T13:49:31Z

Time interviews SXSW Music showcasing artist Margaret Cho. Yes, that Margaret Cho. (See her here.)

Almost like being there

2009-03-14T20:34:59Z

Twitmatic is sharing a live stream of SXSW-related videos being posted about on Twitter. Film trailers, videos made by attendees, bizarre drunken verité—what’s not to like?

SXSW Interactive 2009 Extreme Sports Round-up

2009-03-13T08:45:30Z

Each year when our minds turn to SXSW Interactive, one topic inevitably leaps right to the top. That’s right, extreme geek sports. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you picture a large gathering of geeks for a tech conference? Dazzling displays of athleticsm, AMIRITE?!

OK, perhaps not, but still, there’s a surprising variety of sports and games activities planned around and during South by Southwest Interactive.

Climbing: No, not the tech career ladder. Geeks Love Climbing has some rock-scaling planned for Sunday, March 15.

Biking: Enjoy a very literal “mobile social” with the folks from Bike Hugger, who’ve planned a Saturday ride, naturally followed by barbecue and an after-party.

Running: Join the SXSW Runners for morning runs on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. They’ll meet near the Susanna Dickinson House, which is by the Convention Center at 5th and Trinity, at 8 am.

Yoga: Slightly more tranquil but just as exhilirating, morning yoga returns to SXSW with 9 am sessions at the Convention Center on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Bowling: Yep, believe it or not, we’re choosing to forego the obvious puns here. It’s geeks in rented shoes, back for the fourth year of the Avalonstar Bowling Extravaganza on Sunday night. New this year: you can bowl for fun, even without a team.

Billiards: If bowling is a bit too active for you, consider Pool 2.0, a 16-team eight-ball billiards tourney at Buffalo Billiards on Sunday night.

While we stick to such arduous events as the All-Day Panel Sit and the Marathon Bar Crawl, it appears everyone else will be out gettin’ all healthy. Ah well, that’s SXSW!

(Psst...if you’re sticking around for the Music festival and feeling a little...er, splashy, perhaps Splash by Splashwest, a secretive “cannonball” party, will be to your liking.)

Must-have mobile resources

2009-03-12T13:37:54Z

Here are a few sites to consider bookmarking for your smartphone or other web-capable mobile device to help plan or navigate your SXSW experience.

my.sxsw.com: If you’ve used the official planning application from SXSW to set up a schedule for yourself, the recently-launched mobile version will let you tote it around without keeping track of a fistful of paper. SXSW also offers a second mobile app, rate.sxsw.com, which is a bit vexing. It, too, lets you put together a schedule of panels and other events and, once they’re underway, to “rate” them. (Presumably, the folks at SXSW get this info. Maybe it is intended to replace or augment the panel feedback cards distributed after each session.) However, rate.sxsw doesn’t tie into the schedule you’ve created with my.sxsw, so you should stick with one or the other unless you want to construct your itinerary twice. my.sxsw has a richer feature set; of the two, it seems by far more useful.
SCHED.org: The unofficial planning app from SCHED has one principal advantage over its SXSW-issued counterpart, in that it includes most, if not all, of the unofficial events and parties swirling around the festivals and conferences. The mobile interface is a bit spare and, on my iPhone at least, feels a little creaky. As SCHED grows and matures, though, I’d wager its on-the-go version becomes just as nifty as its web counterpart.
B-Side Festival Genius: The new kid on the SXSW planning application block is Festival Genius, a step up from previous offerings from B-Side. Their mobile site is an easy-to-use reduction of the web version, although it lacks the feature that gives the application its name; it doesn’t appear you can use the mobile version to automagically search for and resolve conflicts among events happening at the same time.
The Unofficial Pocket Guide: Offering schedules of panels and parties for quick reference, this application doesn’t allow you to create a personal schedule but does allow you to add public events not already included. The latter is accomplished by editing a publicly-accessible Google Spreadsheet, which ups the opportunities for mayhem but, hey, we’re all friends here, right?
Razorfish SXSW Guide: A combination schedule reference (again, no facility for making a personal schedule) and city guide, this contains a nice variety of information, from panels and parties to news sources to shopping and survival tips to pointers about what makes Austin truly unique.
MobileATX: Here’s one mobile site that doesn’t include a SXSW schedule, although it does have a nice quick reference to SXSW venues along with Google Maps links that’s easy to navigate and could be a vital resource when you’re rushing from party to party come the Music festival. There are quick links to mobile versions of other local sites too—including Show List Austin—plus social tools such as Flickr, Yelp, Upcoming and more. For the Music attendee, this is a winner.

Do you have a favorite SXSW or Austin-related mobile site we’ve left out? Or a favorite tip for using one of the above to its best advantage? Let us know in the comments!

I wish they all could be Southby Girls…

2009-03-11T22:40:52Z

Y’know, we were just gonna note this one without comment, maybe Twitter the link and then get on with life. But something funny happened on the way to the browser window: we found ourselves up out of our chairs, shaking our respective booties and waving our hands about as if we didn’t care.

Yeah, that’s right, we were listening to Double D’s oddly endearing nerdcode rap single, “Southby Girls”. And while we don’t really have the mad skills needed to make a video for the song and possibly win an iPhone, we have to respect the whimsy that went into this whole project. Respect! So put your lip-dub abilities to the test and enter. We can’t wait to see the results.

Getting started: Registration and badge pickup times

2009-03-11T17:55:29Z

One of the first things you’ll want to do upon arriving in Austin for SXSW is pick up your conference/festival credentials on Level 4 of the Austin Convention Center. Badge pick-up hours are:

Thursday, March 12: 7 pm–10 pm
Friday, March 13: 9 am–9 pm
Saturday, March 14: 9 am–8 pm
Sunday, March 15: 9:30 am–6 pm
Monday, March 16: 9:30 am–6 pm
Tuesday, March 17: 10 am–8 pm
Wednesday, March 18: 10 am–midnight
Thursday, March 19: 9 am–10 pm
Friday, March 20: 10 am–9 pm
Saturday, March 21: 11 am–4 pm

Lines for badge pick-up can be long during peak hours, so be prepared with some lively conversation topics for your line-mates or, for the more misanthropic among you, a good selection of tuneage on your personal music device with noise-cancelling headphones.

You can help expedite the process of receiving your credentials by making sure all of your information is correct in the database at my.sxsw.com and by uploading your badge photograph in advance so you don’t have to stand and model for the camera at the registration desk.

NPR streams The Austin 100

2009-03-11T16:54:49Z

National Public Radio has created a streaming playlist of 100 songs from SXSW artists called The Austin 100 to whet your appetite for the gazillion songs that’ll be played next week.

Of course, if you really want to drink from the hose, there’s always the unofficial SXSW music torrent.

Pinch those pennies: a blogger’s guide to the cheap SXSW experience

2009-03-10T23:11:01Z

Atlanta marketer—jobless for 10 months—Tessa Horehled is planning to spend only $200 to attend both SXSW Interactive and Music this year, not including her transportation. How will she do it? Well, she cashed in frequent flyer points for most of the travel and she got lucky enough to win an Interactive registration through an official giveaway. As for the rest? You’ll just have to follow her blog.

It Came From the Baby! Boards

2009-03-10T20:09:42Z

Over on The Baby! Boards, the inimitable SXSW Baby! discussion forum, there’s lots of good chatter about all aspects of SXSW 2009. Here’s a sampling:

New media grad students at Texas State are covering the conference, giving the Baby! a little run for its money, I tell you what. Today’s entry at their South by Texas State includes a video interview with some of the SXSWi staff.

A Londoner headed to SXSW Music wants to know which acts you’re most excited about seeing.

Interactive panelists and panel leaders are checking in to introduce themselves. Join the conversation!

Librarians and folks working in library-related fields are planning a luncheon meet-up.

Last year’s thread asking “How do you rawk SXSW?” is picking up some great tips this year. Add your own!

James wants to know what looks good to you in the Film line-up.

Dave would like to meet some other folks who work in academia while at Interactive.

There are three SXSW scheduling apps battling for supremacy. (No wagering, please!) Which do you find most useful, and why?

The Baby! Boards are there for you to discuss and plan your SXSW experience. Get in there and start or join the conversation!

Cameron Moll’s tips for conference speaking epic wins

2009-03-09T23:36:02Z

If you’re presenting a SXSW panel, it’s not too late to reduce your “deck”, slightly over-estimate your audience and finesse your style. Designer Cameron Moll has a great list of 20 tips for conference speakers that you might find useful when preparing to wow the crowds in Austin.

Get ready, get set…get packed!

2009-03-09T22:03:35Z

Baby! Sitter Kathryn is taking a break from SXSW this year, but I’ve taken a stab at updating her most excellent “What to Pack, To-Dos, Tips, Tricks, and Things to Remember” guide from last year. Check it out after the break.

In addition, Franco-Canadian UK blogger That Canadian Girl has a few tips of her own that might be especially useful for international visitors to SXSW.

What to Pack, To-Dos, Tips, Tricks, and Things to Remember for SXSW 2009:

LAPTOP: It seems like a no-brainer to bring your computer with you to SXSW. However, you may not want to lug it around while you’re out and about having fun, especially at night. Many people who attend SXSW Interactive prefer leaving their laptops in their hotel rooms, preferring to focus on non-computer activities during the day. Close the laptop, and you might end up learning more and having more fun! But if you absolutely must do some work, there is also abundant and free wireless throughout Austin, like the hotspot in the Downtown Hilton’s lobby. (Personally, I’d hike it out to Halcyon, Jo’s, or The Hideout instead.) Bring any other tech bibs and bobs you can’t live without. Additionally, it might help to clear off some hard drive space and backup your files before you arrive in case you plan on downloading photos to your computer, etc.
CHARGER, POWER STRIP, EXTENSION CORD, ETHERNET CABLE: Don’t be an outlet hog. If your Apple computer’s power brick covers up free outlets, please bring an extension cord. Bring a power strip, if you’re got one, and you’ll be the most popular kid on the block during Interactive. Always Be Charging. Always Be Charging. The Convention Center never seems to have enough handy outlets (and your hotel room might not either). Note that wireless connectivity in the Convention Center can be spotty due to the huge number of people connected at once. Some folks like to bring an ethernet cord, just in case, so they can plug into the wall at the ACC. Each night, before you go to bed, do remember to charge your essential gadgets, like your phone. There’s nothing worse than having a dead or dying phone at SXSW.
LAPTOP BATTERY: Don’t forget your batteries! Put it in a plastic bag if you’re going to check it! Effective January 1, 2008, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will no longer allow loose lithium batteries in checked baggage.
SWAG: Self-promotional items: got business cards? Moo cards? Stickers? Buttons? Other swag? Bring it! People love free stuff, and that’s how they’ll remember you after SXSW is over.
(NOT TOO FULL) LUGGAGE: Don’t forget to leave room in your suitcase for all the extra swag you may be bringing home with you.
CAMERA: Digital camera with extra memory cards and charged batteries. And the battery charger, if necessary. And a camera cable or card reader to transfer images. Again, it might help to clear off some hard drive space (and do a backup) before you arrive. Oh, and do turn off the sound on your camera. Nothing says “I’m taking a picture of the panel!” like hearing those little beeps.
CAMERA BATTERY: same goes for camera batteries. If it’s lithium, put it in a separate plastic baggie.
CAMERAPHONE AND FLICKR: iPhone/PDA/Treo/Blackberry and attendant charger. Turn off any annoying sounds or embarrassing notification sounds, or else you’ll drive everyone around you insane from hearing those little iPhone typing sounds or an SMS notification wind chime. Before you leave, set your smartphone up to email photographs to Flickr. I like to set it up so that Flickr automatically adds a “sxsw” or “sxsw 2009” tag, too. Also note that cellular connectivity in the Convention Center can be unreliable due to the huge number of cell phones in one location. I’m guessing AT&T will definitely be spotty with all those iPhones in one confined area at the same time… so don’t be surprised if you can’t get onto Edge or 3G.
SXSW MOBILE SITES AND SXSW SMS: Don’t forget to bookmark the official mobile site sxsw.mobi. Sign up for the SXSW SMS list. Simply text “join” to 47979. You can also look up panels, films, and bands via SMS. Text ‘find panelname’ or ‘find bandname’ or ‘find filmname’ to 47979 to get schedule listings. Adding the short code to your address book makes it even faster!
UPCOMING: Community event site upcoming.yahoo.com is a must if you’re attending SXSW Interactive, as many of the official and unofficial evening events and parties are listed there. Other attendees also self-organize outings to go bowling, visit the Rodeo, or meet like-minded folks. So don’t forget to RSVP to all the cool parties!
TWITTER: Twitter is basically the easiest way to keep in touch with your fellow SXSWers, but people at SXSW are a chatty bunch. I’m hesitant about allowing Twitter to send my friend’s updates to my phone this year, given the high volume of messages sent out last year. Bookmark the mobile Twitter site, m.twitter.com in case the volume gets too high. And if you do have SMS updates on, I recommend setting Twitter off during sleeping hours, say between 1 AM and 8 AM. If you don’t have SMS updates on, you might also want to turn on direct message forwarding to SMS. I hope you all increased your SMS plans with your cellular provider already! You may also want to warn your Twitter friends that you’re going to SXSW, and that it’s OK to unsubscribe from you for a little while. Hint: if you’re on AT&T, dial *DATA# to see your remaining text messages for this billing cycle.
PHONE ADDRESS BOOK: Enter in the numbers of folks to meet up with (handy to have in case SMS or email is too slow). The SXSW Headquarters line is (512) 467-7979. Also enter in the phone number to your hotel’s front desk and airline customer support numbers and bookmark Orbitz Mobile, for airport delay information and flight status, if you’re flying into AUS. I would also add a few Austin taxi companies into your phone, like Austin Yellow Checker Cab, at (512) 452-9999, Austin Cab Company at (512) 478-2222, and Lone Star Cab at (512) 836-4900. In Austin, I’ve had bad luck trying to hail a cab from the street (unlike NYC) so calling ahead is always, always recommended. And in the rare instance that you want to call 411, use Google’s free 411 service, at (800) 466-4411.
CONFIRMATION EMAILS AND SUCH: Just to be safe, bring printouts of your flight itinerary, SXSW 2008 registration confirmation email, hotel confirmation email, perhaps a downtown Austin map, and schedules for public transit options like the free Dillo or inexpensive Airport Flyer. Just in case.
YOUR PERSONALIZED SXSW CALENDAR: By now you probably have a tentative schedule of panels, keynotes, screenings, parties, music showcases, unofficial events, sightseeing, and more from my.sxsw.com or your sched.org calendar. Print it out and/or sync it to your iPhone/PDA/etc. Make sure you have the correct time zone chosen for Austin. I find it’s always good to have a paper copy, just in case. Do one last sweep of the schedule, knowing you may not make it to 50% of the stuff you choose. What you really need at SXSW is both your personal picks and the master lists and schedules. Bring your Plan B, and Plan C, and Plan D, and the knowledge that any of your plans may fly out the window the minute you wake up. Be flexible, but bring a game plan. If you’re really dying to get into something (especially a popular panel or small-capacity party), arrive early.
FREE PARTIES LIST FOR MUSIC: Print out the free day time events from Austin showlist (highly recommended). The Austin showlist has printable pages! Look for the “printable” links above each day. Also, bring pens and a highlighter so you can easily choose what you want to see. I recommend printing out the entire schedule from showlistaustin.com since plans can change very quickly. It’s way easier to make plans for the day during breakfast or find a backup party if you have the entire Showlist schedule with you. As I mentioned earliier, you really need both your personal picks and the master Austin showlist and evening schedules on hand.
MP3 PLAYER: For the plane, an mp3 player, filled with a ton of music from the the unofficial SXSW BitTorrent file. And don’t forget your charger for that device, either!
GOOD SHOES: Wear the most comfortable shoes you own. Now is not the time to break in new shoes. You will be standing, a lot, especially if you’re doing SXSW Music. Purchase padded insoles, for shock absorption. Bring multiple pairs of comfortable shoes, so you can air them out and alternate. Closed-toe shoes work better, because Sixth Street gets dirty, and the bars are crowded. Sometimes it rains, so don’t bring any shoes that bleed if they get wet. Leave those flimsy slippers and smelly flip-flops at home.
EARPLUGS: Bring good ear plugs. I like to bring multiple pairs, in case you lose one earplug or have a friend who is unprepared. They don’t take up much space, so why not bring the entire box? This is especially important for the Music Festival. And who knows how good thick walls of your hotel room are?
A RESTED BODY: Get plenty of sleep before SXSW because you’re going to need it. If you arrive in Austin tired, you’re only going to get more tired.
SLEEP MASK: This + earplugs = awesome power nap time! Sometimes you just need a disco nap.
PEN AND PAPER: Handy if you want to take notes old school style. You never know when you’ll need it. Also good for writing on the back of business cards.
COMFORT ITEMS: Chapstick, band-aids, travel size lotion bottles, extra hair ties (if you have long hair), sanitizing hand-gel (Purell travel size), tissues/napkins, floss (for post-BBQ cleanup), breath mints/gum, eye drops, vitamins/Emergen-C, stain stick and handi-wipes (for sticky BBQ messes), and Woolite single wash packets, in case you need to hand wash something. The hand sanitizer is especially handy if you find yourself at an outdoor party with BBQ and only porta-potties during the Music Fest.
SNACKS: If you’re flying, bring some food for the plane. Also consider bringing snacks that are portable, healthy, and non-perishable. Don’t forget that SXSW is a blur of beer, BBQ, and tacos, so some fruits and veggies will be in order at some point. Bring dried fruit, nuts, granola, trail mix, instant oatmeal, apples, oranges, crackers, other things to nosh on, just in case. You probably shouldn’t eat only queso and brisket the entire time you’re there, and you’ll be pressed for time, often. The food in the Convention Center’s tradeshow area...leaves something to be desired. Bonus: if you have a room with a fridge (I think you can get them for a small fee at the Hilton) or kitchenette, visit the Whole Foods (via cab or Dillo) and pick up some healthy snacks and water.
WATER: Stay hydrated. You’re going to be drinking, talking, standing, walking, and more. Drink lots of water, especially if you’re spending a lot of time at open bars. Of which, you’ll probably be doing a lot, so pace yourself. If you’re flying, have an empty water bottle for the plane, so you can get through US security at the airport, and then fill it up later.
MEDICATION: Claritin. Nose sprays. Eye drops. More tissues. It’s springtime in Austin, and that means allergies, thanks to ragweed. Note: there is a CVS on Congress and 5th Street, but the pharmacy is only open Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 am—6:00 pm. This particular CVS location is also closed on Sundays.
MONEY: The average tourist spends $24 a day in Austin. You’ll probably spend more if you’re eating, drinking, and parking or taking cabs. That convention center latte isn’t going to be cheap either. Have lots of small bills on hand and don’t forget to tip the waitstaff! They have to put up with tens of thousands of tourists in their town for 11 days straight.
A COAT AND FLEXIBLE CLOTHING: Dress in layers. Bring a light jacket or sweatshirt, because SXSW can get quite chilly at night, and the Convention Center is highly air conditioned! Austin spring is very unpredictable. It might be hot and humid the whole time you’re there, or it might be overcast and drizzling. Dress code tends towards the casual but hip. Pack accordingly.
RAIN PLAN: An umbrella or rain poncho, in case of sudden thunderstorms. Yes, it does happen! And it’s not pretty, especially if you’re at an outdoor show and it starts hailing on the band playing.
HUMOR, PATIENCE, AND A SMILE: Please don’t forget these at home. Be friendly. And know that even if you didn’t get into that one panel, party, screening, show, or club, there’s plenty of fun elsewhere during SXSW.

TO DO AS SOON AS YOU GET TO AUSTIN

BREATHE: in that sweet Texas air! Mmmm.
LODGINGS: Go check into your hotel as soon as possible. Drop your bags off.
REGISTER: Go stand in line at the Convention Center to get your badge as soon as possible (lines will get long, heinously long) and bring a pen or something to fill out the registration form.
GET THE BAG: Go get your “big bag” of conference materials (this is heavy, and usually filled with swag), go back to the hotel, and empty it out. I usually take out the conference guides/schedules, the Austin Chronicle, and party invites, and leave the rest for *cough* later. The pocket guides are key to SXSW survival. You can fill up your iCal all you want, but sometimes, you need the pocket guide. Don’t lose it! They run out every year. Platinum badgeholders, note that the SXSW Music pocket guides and materials often aren’t ready until a few days into the Interactive/Film conferences.
BREATHE AGAIN: Take a nap or grab a quiet beer before the insanity starts.
GET THE PAPER: Going to SXSW Music? If you don’t have a music badge, make sure you have a copy of the Austin Chronicle (Austin’s free alt-weekly) as they’ll have the entire showcase schedule printed up inside. This can easily be removed, and folded up. Also don’t forget to cut off the “tail” of your wristband.
GET READY: Expect exhaustion — relax when you get home! You can always sleep on the plane. Right?
GO: And most importantly be ready to: have fun, introduce yourself to strangers, to sleep too little, eat far too well, listen a whole bunch, think so hard your brain hurts, get way too excited, mix and mingle with tons of fascinating people, trade business cards, put names to faces to URLs, take a lot of photographs, drink lots of Shiner or Lone Star or Red Stripe or what have you, rock out, smile until your face hurts, make bundles of new friends, expand your blogroll like nobody’s business, fill up your brain with all sorts of new ideas, talk too much, see a lot of exciting and cool and inspiring things, have a ton of fun, and network like you’ve never done before.

Austin, here we come!

More music! (A literal torrent!)

2009-03-09T21:50:19Z

The unofficial SXSW music torrent for 2009 has been updated since its initial release to include more than 200 additional songs by showcasing bands. The initial torrent file is still online and seeding too.

It doesn’t take a genius to create your SXSW schedule

2009-03-09T20:46:05Z

Or does it?! [[ SFX: ominous chord ]]

Austin’s B-Side Entertainment has had its toe in the SXSW scheduling app pool before, but they’ve recently launched an upgrade to their tool and, just possibly, created a major escalation in what we’re (over-dramatically and probably unnecessarily hyperbolically) dubbing The Southby Calendar Wars.

It’s called Festival Genius and it...well, here, I’ll just let B-Side’s Chris Holland explain it to you:

[Festival Genius] is “yet another” scheduling product for SXSW but with an important difference—it will actually help you with the logistics of juggling events, particularly on the film side of things where multiple screenings make it possible to fix conflicts. (We include the event data for music and interactive as well but our company focus is on film festivals.)

Just add events to your calendar and hit the “Schedule Genius” button—the site will generate the optimal schedule required for you to see the maximum number of your desired events without conflicts. Once you’ve tweaked you calendar to the desired results you can share it on the web, print it, or export it to an iCal file or feed.

Nifty, right? Chris also pointed out a short video tutorial for getting the most from the site. We’ve helpfully embedded it after the break.

Introducing B-Side Festival Genius from B-Side Entertainment on Vimeo.