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Austin, Texas has been hosting the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) since 1987. Once a single music event, it has expanded into five concurrent festivals: Interactive, Film, Comedy, Gaming and Music. The event is extraordinary, with hundreds of sessions, keynotes and networking events attended by over 200,000 visitors from all corners of the creative industries. The sessions are complemented by live performances in comedy and music and - as if more were needed - a host of film premieres. Planning your time at SXSW demands concentration and dedication. Even then, it’s near impossible to stick to a schedule because there is always some irresistible rabbit hole to disappear down and get lost in . . . Hosted at the Austin Convention Centre and pretty much every hotel, bar, café and street corner in Austin’s central business district, the conference is aimed at the creative entrepreneur and primarily focuses on interactive media, film and music. Each genre has various, often converging tracks including, among others, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, Brands and Marketing, Design, Entertainment Influencers, Experiential Storytelling, Making and Marketing Music, Music Industry and Culture, Tech Industry and Enterprise, Touring and Live Experience, VR/AR and MR (virtual, augmented and mixed reality).
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Attending SXSW is stimulating, educational, startling, overwhelming and enlightening. The speakers and the performers tackle issues that require their audience to think deeply and challenge long-held ideas and opinions. Seemingly small issues are magnified, exploded and debated. Things many of us perceive to be fixed become fluid again - it’s a liberating experience. The city-wide conference overflows with inspired thinkers and entrepreneurs from creative and tech industries, covering a range of compelling topics. Buzzwords and phrases this year included: convergence, authenticity, immersive and experiential, machine intelligence, representation and gender imbalance, belonging, digital loneliness, diversity, free speech, fake news, rebuilding trust, design thinking - and this is just a small selection! The atmosphere at SXSW is refreshingly collaborative, curious, interested and awake. It’s the antithesis of the echo chambers so many of us unconsciously inhabit - digitally, professionally and even personally. Seminars addressed everything from the future of Ai in the film industry to how AR may be used in live music; how individual empowerment can create lasting social change and how blockchain has the potential to bring new transparency to industry and business online.
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Sarah Rushton-Read reports from South by Southwest Festival, the technological marathon where artists and crew party together thanks to a new initiative . . .
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS A growing part of the conference and festival is the VR, AR and MR tracks, which feature artists, film makers, composers, technologists and creators. Discussions were around the potential impact, positive and negative, that VR, AR and extended reality (XR) will have on how we experience our world in the future. As these technologies become fully woven into the fabric of our storytelling, marketing, education and training across all sectors and disciplines of science and art, they will likely become as ubiquitous as TV, the internet and video is today.
experiences, including a fascinating Art and Innovation lab hosted by The Royal Shakespeare Company in collaboration with Imaginarium Studios and US-based AR start-up Magic Leap, they demonstrated some of the latest innovations in MR experiences.
The pioneers navigating this wild west virtual world bring a diversity of skills, ideas and ambitions to the table: the growth of this electrifying community is exciting to witness. The Brits were represented in force, with the British Music Embassy taking over music venue Latitude 30 for six nights. The nightly showcases, presented in partnership with AIM, BBC Music, BPI, the Department for International Trade, PPL, PRS for Music and the PRS Foundation, put a spotlight on the best new British music from grassroots bands to established artists.
Also in the Virtual Reality Cinema was the Kaleidoscope Fund, a private network for leaders in immersive arts and entertainment. The Funding Showcase featured new projects currently in development by some of the most commercially successful XR creators. One such project seeking funding was Satore Studio and Satore Tech, whose enigmatic creative director Tupac Martir presented his evocative VR project on living with Alzheimer’s. Martir believes events like this are important for a number of reasons: “This industry is in its infancy. We are building a brand new industry, looking for models that don’t yet exist to create things with workflows and rules that also don’t exist; it’s all very meta. The industry is developing fast and the innovations of today will age quickly as we begin to fix the elements that will allow us to make a living doing this.
Arts Council England and production company British Underground presented a selection of work created to expand the boundaries of art and technology under the banner Future Art and Culture Programme. Featuring immersive and MR
Showcasing in the Virtual Reality Cinema, the BBC VR Hub, 59 Productions and composer Anna Meredith’s VR film, Nothing To Be Written is a World War I VR experience inspired by the millions of postcards sent to loved ones by soldiers fighting in the trenches.
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Kudsk Steensen that uses an audio recording of the now extinct Kaua’i o’o bird to tell its tragic story.
“Most people in VR are doing it as a second job. Making VR projects demands that you pull people in from a plethora of disciplines. You then have to invent a language and a process that enables them to work together effectively. We are building teams that comprise film makers, developers, marketing experts, graphics, music, audio and gaming. Most of our project team formats have never actually existed before.” Best of the rest in the Virtual Reality Cinema included Steye Hallema’s Smartphone Orchestra, where anything from 10 to thousands of smartphones can be synchronised and where every participant’s phone plays a unique part, opening up a vast array of possibilities to share experiences with mass audiences.
B From top: VR film, Nothing To Be Written Networking in the age of VR, AR and MR Inside the VR Cinema
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Then there’s Analog Reality, an immersive MR experience that brings to life New York artist Dustin Yellin’s 3D, minutely detailed and imposing collages; an AV AR experience enables the viewer to move inside the story being told in each art piece. Finally, there is Re-Animated, a mournful VR artwork directed by Jakob
INSIDE THE ROADIE LOUNGE After a busy day at the conference, Austin provides endless opportunities to kick back and see any kind of music, comedy or film in every type of venue, from swimming pools to parking lots and churches to street corners. One I particularly enjoyed was The Historic Scoot Inn, where, for the second year running, The Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion, Relix magazine and Harley Davidson hosted over 30 new and up-and-coming bands. Also on site was the The Relix Roadie Lounge, much appreciated by the touring fraternity. Produced by Josh Rowe and his team, the Roadie Lounge was conceived and launched in 2018 to give something back to the bands and their crews performing at SXSW. Rowe asked the SXSW organisers to invite every one of the festival’s 2000 bands and their crews to pre-register for The Relix Roadie Lounge, enabling them to bypass the long queues of waiting music fans, straight into the comfort of their own private bar, via their own VIP entry door. “In just one year, The Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion has quadrupled RSVP numbers and attendance has been consistently high,” explains a delighted Rowe. “With over 2000 bands playing so many venues in Austin, and with every bar and club packed with music industry professionals and fans, I wanted to provide a place of sanctuary for the people working hard to make SXSW so successful - the artists and the crews.”
m FESTIVAL And a sanctuary is what Rowe has achieved. The Scoot Inn is exactly what you’d hope for from a live outdoor music venue in Austin - a real spit and kicked-up-dirt open-air auditorium, replete with a covered wooden stage, festoon lighting, food trucks and bars. Rowe’s responsibility is threefold. Firstly, to establish a compelling daily line-up that attracts the crowds and positively promotes the Brooklyn Bowl brand and its partners; second, to ensure that the main sponsorship partners align with the line-up and the audience; and third, confirm that the sponsors supporting the Roadie Lounge are the right fit for his venue and the audience it attracts. “I’ve been producing and hosting small- and large-scale events at the festival for the past 14 years,” he says. “Two years ago I started working with Dayglo, which owns The Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion, LOCKN’ Festival and a host of other brands and venues. I knew we didn’t necessarily have to produce the biggest event to have the strongest impact, we just needed to be meaningful to our partners and our different audiences. We wanted a mini festival feel and crucial to that was finding the right
home for The Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion. When I walked into The Historic Scoot Inn, I knew it was totally our vibe.” With backgrounds in production, Rowe and his team understand how hard crews work at festivals and on tour. “We have long thought it unfair that while there’s invariably an artist and VIP space backstage, there is rarely one dedicated to the guitar tech or the FOH engineer. This is particularly crucial at SXSW. It’s a rare thing to have so many bands in one town at the same time. I wanted to create a space where artists and crew members could hang out and relax.” At the same time, Rowe looked for support from the technical industry: “Meyer Sound, Robe and Ultimate Ears are all ideal partners for The Roadie Lounge,” he says. “They’ve all made it their mission to give back to their commercial communities. Our visitors may not all use their gear, but it’s good to know who these people are and that they are there for them. Artists and crew can get fitted for new in-ear pieces for free, learn about the latest technology in lights and sound, and there is plenty on offer in terms of free drinks, snacks, training, T-shirts and other swag.”
“We have long thought it unfair that while there’s invariably an artist and VIP space backstage, there is rarely one dedicated to the guitar tech or the FOH engineer . . . I wanted to create a space where artists and crew members could hang out and relax . . .” - Josh Rowe
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Overall, presenting sponsor Harley Davidson also offers some nice perks to the roadie community, as Rowe explains: “Harley Davidson brought in a load of bikes, so if one of our visiting artists or crew members has a motorcycle license they can test-drive a Harley. If people don’t ride there’s a jump-start activation, which teaches the basics and they can register for the Harley Davidson learning academy for free.” AN OASIS IN A DESERT OF HARD WORK Rowe and his team have hit a sweet spot in a world where crews are often treated less like human beings and more like convict labourers at festivals globally. We all know that life on the road can get lonely. The Roadie Lounge is an oasis in a desert of hard work, dusty venues and long working days. It’s a place where people can find commonality and community, share their experiences and discuss the issues they face on the road. Unsurprisingly, The Roadie Lounge has been extremely popular with artists, their road crew and their tour managers. Assisting Rowe is production manager Brian Kim, who is chief designer at Los Angeles-based LightenUp, and previously spent eight years touring the world as head of lighting with Cirque du Soleil, before joining forces with Rowe. “We first worked together on the Hype Hotel events at SXSW, which Josh used to run,” says Kim. “We had such a good time that my tour mates used to take their vacation so they could come and work with us! It’s been like that ever since. “We wanted to do something new, something that would genuinely be needed at SXSW. Over the years, we’ve got to know a lot of production people and we always invited friends who came in with different artists to hang out. The Roadie Lounge idea developed from that. Once we saw The Historic Scoot Inn, we were sold.”
B From top: The Roadie Lounge; Meyer Sound’s Jane Eagleson, Caitlin Clausen, and Kayla Knoll; Josh Rowe and Brian Kim; Tupac Martir of Satore Studio; Robe’s John McDowell and Craig Burross
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And the team has been surprised by who has turned up: “I have my hands full with the visiting artists, but the feedback has been positive,” smiles Kim. “The roadies say it’s great to see reps from businesses like Robe, Ultimate Ears and Meyer Sound available where they are. We have always had high production values and our relationships with companies like LightenUp and people like Craig Burross and other local Austin suppliers is key. Craig has supported us for years, from his High End days right through to Robe. It’s thanks to individuals like him, people who encourage the businesses they work for to invest in the younger
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generation of producers and designers, that we have done so well.” Burross, national business development manager with Robe North America, has worked in lighting for over 30 years and lived in Austin since 1991. He knows the SXSW Festival intimately. “The Roadie Lounge is a fantastic idea, with so many production staff in town and every bar packed to the gills, this place offers a relaxing place for them to hear some good music, chill out, meet up with old friends and reap some rewards for what they do.” Burross feels that it’s crucial that manufacturers put more focus on the next generation. “The live industry needs to attract more young talent, but it’s hard to find these days. We all want initiatives where we can develop more interns and apprenticeships, training on the job from the ground up. These are jobs that can easily be learned in the field or in the warehouse.” From the audio perspective, Rowe explains why he felt Meyer Sound was the ideal fit. “Meyer Sound really does care about roadies and already has a number of programmes, beyond ours, that look after roadies outside of the US. The Roadie Lounge is a natural extension of that philosophy for them.” Jane Eagleson, director of communications and artist relations at Meyer Sound and long-time lover of live music, says: “Meyer Sound runs similar events to the Roadie Lounge with the not-for-profit Roskilde Festival in Denmark, so when Josh and his team reached out and invited us to support the Roadie Lounge for the LOCKN’ festival, we said ‘absolutely’ - it’s right on-brand for us.”
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Eagleson has been delighted with Meyer Sound’s experience thus far: “Having sponsored the Roadie Lounge at the LOCKN’ Festival last year, we’re now partnering with Relix on five events this year, kicking off here at SXSW with the Roadie Lounge. This one has been particularly interesting because it has become a destination hang out for the production teams and the artists. There’s real sense of community, like a mini SXSW within SXSW. People relaxing, exchanging ideas and enjoying the music. We have met so many people from all walks of festival and touring life.” For the sponsors, it’s a great opportunity to get a sense of the issues that people on the road are facing, the things they’re interested in hearing about and what they’re looking for from their technical providers. “We like to talk to people when they’re relaxed and enjoying some down time,” says Eagleson. “We’ve got our UP-4 slim system here and we’re streaming the stage feed through that into the Roadie Lounge. A lot of the artists coming to SXSW are just starting out, and it’s a great opportunity for them to learn a bit more about who we are and what sets our sound systems apart. The
Relix, Brooklyn Bowl family has developed a fantastic programme and we’re really proud to be a part of it.” Meyer Sound also supported another SXSW event called the House of Scandinavia, organised by SAS Airlines with music curated by the Roskilde Festival. For anyone who works or runs a business in the creative industries, SXSW Festival should be a go-to event on the calendar. A marathon of ideas, sounds, colours, experiences and encounters, you will leave exhausted but also refreshed, inspired and excited for the future. It magnifies all that is good (and sometimes bad) about people and the communities they build. It encourages open debate about how we can all influence our individual and collective futures. SXSW celebrates creativity, invention, curiosity and perseverance. It urges free and critical thinking, entrepreneurship, risk-taking and design thinking. It celebrates the next generation’s potential and encourages them to think deeply about how they want to live, work and grow. It certainly left every 2019 attendee I met feeling excited, motivated and hopeful for the future. I