The SXSW Music Conference consistently covers a variety of timely industry topics each year, including copyright, marketing, artist management, A&R, tech, music history, policy and politics, touring and much more. Explore sessions on these topics for SXSW Music 2016 below.
Our sessions take place in a variety of formats, including panels, meet ups, workshops and more. Music and Platinum badges, as well as Showcasing Artist Wristbands, have access to all Music Conference sessions and most Convergence programming. Film and Interactive badges have access to select Music sessions through Convergence programming.
We've announced many speakers and sessions for the 2016 SXSW Music Conference – browse through them on the schedule by clicking the links below.
Music Conference Tracks
Artist How-Tos
Artists have direct learning opportunities at the Conference. We offer Demo Listenings by A&R/Label brass, Supervisor/Sync music pitch sessions, hands-on workshops, studio/productions tips, and successful touring & merch, just to highlight a few.
Bands & Brands
Partnering with brands has lost its stigma, and artists are finding new and creative (often subtle) ways of teaming up for mutual benefit.
Data Dives
A truly immense amount of data is now available on fan/consumer behavior, trends, successes, and where money and ears are going. Sorting through and making sense of it is the tricky part.
Discovery & Delivery
The traditional music release structure is being reinvented, while music discovery is in a state of flux. Lean back or lean in? Algorithms or hand-curated playlists? How will you find your next favorite band or target an audience? How are A&R and labels finding hot artists?
Genres & Eras
Music has a rich history, and some amazing (often legendary) stories to tell. Meanwhile, as different genres develop, they encounter unique issues even as the lines between the genres are blurring.
International Issues
Music transcends borders, but the financial and logistical issues surrounding international artists still exist.
Licensing, Syncs & Publishing
TV, movies, and ad syncs can propel an artist into the spotlight and provide a nice payday. Innovations in the licensing and publishing worlds have made this process open to more artists and more licensees looking for music.
Live Music, Touring & Festival Experiences
Festivals are upping their game (and bottom lines) every year across the world. Venues large and small support the dynamic touring industry that so many artists rely on, increasingly, for their livelihoods.
Marketing & Fan Engagement
Marketing to music consumers is more multi-faceted than ever across the industry. Artists also have new ways of engaging with their fans live and offering new (and lucrative) fan experiences.
Music Tech & Format Wars
Groundbreaking hardware and software are changing the music world, and listeners have an array of choices from streaming to vinyl to terrestrial radio and more.
PR, Journalism & Media
How are consumers finding out about new releases? How are writers, journalists, and critics adapting to the current state of information flow and speed?
Royalties & Copyright
Copyright rules are under fierce debate in private and in government, and change seems imminent. Even more importantly to the industry is how royalties (radio, digital radio, streaming) are being paid out and what's fair.
To supplement the Music Conference Tracks, we've created a series of Cheat Sheets to help artists and industry further navigate the conference. Download infographic schedules for Touring Artists, Unsigned & Independent Artists, Finding New Revenue Streams, Live Event Coordinators and Music-Tech Entrepreneurs.
Convergence Tracks
Any time you see a SXSW event described as Convergence, that programming is accessible to more than one type of badge. This means you'll be able to mingle directly with registrants from other areas of expertise, providing a bonus learning & networking opportunity that you'll only find at SXSW.
If you’re interested in the Convergence programming below, take a look at SXSW Gaming and SX Create, which are open to all SXSW registrants and the general public.
SXSW Comedy
SXSW Comedy showcases the best in up and coming and big name stand-up talent. The program also features a host of popular sessions centered around TV and Film.
CLE
Continuing Legal Education has been an important part of SXSW for many years. Members of the legal profession have priority access to these sessions and gain CLE credit for attendance.
Future of Entertainment
The Future of Entertainment track looks at the changing landscape of entertainment, focusing on areas like TV and episodic content, boundary-pushing digital storytelling, the cord cutting and OTT revolution and the business behind it all.
Startup Village®
Startup Village will feature music-related startup sessions on Tuesday, March 15. Come hear from industry experts about new and innovative developments and trends in music.
SouthBites™
This track, newly added to Convergence, brings together the food community's most inspired speakers, chefs, filmmakers and enthusiasts to connect and explore ways in which technology can be leveraged to transform the food industry. The topics covered include but are not limited to, foodtech, food scarcity solutions, agtech, food communities, future of the grocery store, food funding, QSR innovations and more.
SXgood
SXgood highlights innovative ideas from storytellers, entertainers, nonprofits, charities and digital creatives that are contributing to a better world.
VR/AR Track
These technologies are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world around us, and in many instances they are redefining how we experience the world.
Photo by Steve Rogers/Getty Images
