Run out of Austin, Texas, South by Southwest Music Festival & Conferences, announced today that 55 Australian artists have confirmed contracts to perform at this year’s showcases from March 11-16. It’s a record number of Australian homegrown talent at SXSW and the most Australian artists in the US at any one time in history. Six artists invited from a field of 80 are still yet to confirm.
In addition to this, there will be over 550 Music, Film and Interactive delegate registrants involved with four major stand presences in the Trade Fair and several films for screening that will all be revealed January 31.
What started as five Oz bands and 20 delegates in 2002 has grown into its own brand through this combination of three creative content conferences and festivals that began 28 years ago in Austin. Despite recessions, currency fluctuations and rising travel costs, Australians have created their own music, film and interactive brands at SXSW.
SXSW Australian, New Zealand and Hawaiian representative Phil Tripp had this to say; “We have so many bands because Australian music is performance-based live at the crash barriers, not cloned in auto-tune studio cubicles. Our film makers are world class and our interactive software and online entrepreneurs are in high demand overseas. SXSW has been the catalyst for this Australian Invasion of talent for over a decade of momentum and we’re ready to explode in 2014.”
The music component at SXSW attracts close to 15,000 registered delegates from the industry; The film component sees close to 10,000, while SXSW Interactive is the epicentre for 30,000 attendees.
