Recording - June 2015 - 13

Rules of engagement
Well, not hard and fast rules, but a few pieces of
advice:
1. Don't bury your face in your phone. I am guilty of that
myself, especially because I am constantly referencing the
guide to see what to do next, but I am very aware that every
time I look down at the phone, I am missing out on an opportunity to talk to a real person and make a new connection.
2. Look at the color of the badges around people's necks.
This year (and most years) Music badges were green, Film
were blue, and Interactive were red. Then there are Gold and
Platinum badges. So if you are only into music and you are
trying to find, say, a distributor for your album, you might not
want to approach a blue-badged Film attendee. But then
again, remember #convergence! These days connections can
be made everywhere!
3. Try to read people's badges. Do it when you're crossing paths with them in the street or in the convention center's
hallways. If you have heard of them or what they do, let

Panels
Like every year, SXSW offers a vast wealth of information via the
panels, all of which were very well attended. So well attended, in fact,
that now panels are also happening at the nearby hotels and not just
in the convention center any more. I couldn't get into a few of them
because they were full when I got there!
Panels are very interesting for the most part, and while they can
sometimes be repetitive, you will almost always learn at least one new
thing. They are an absolute must if you go to SXSW. There is so much
information being divulged for free! As an independent recording musician, you have the chance to ask questions directly to the movers and
shakers of the industry, either at the Q&A of the panels or in one of the
one-on-one mentoring sessions that are also available. There even are
CLE (Continuing Legal Education) panels.
It seemed to me (and I could be wrong) that this year there were
slightly fewer panels. As much as I appreciate the opportunity to take
a lunch break without missing out on an interesting panel, I sure hope
this is not the start of a trend. Panels are one of the best things at SXSW
and are really the essence of your day before the evening takes off!

If there is one (unpleasant) takeaway I got from the panels this year, it is
that the streaming companies who have devalued music consumption in the
last few years, the ones who used to lie and claim that the rates they pay
artists would go up in the future, have changed their tune. They are now finally telling everyone there is no money to be had (except for them) and that
artists should look to different avenues for revenue! Sad!
Oh, yes, and watch as live concert subscription companies like Jukley
take off. Will this be a good thing for concert attendance, as Jukely loves
to claim? Or will it be the beginning of the devaluation of live concerts
as well? We shall wait and see... the jury is still out on that one!
them know (but don't do that if the badge says "Google" or
"Yahoo"). Oftentimes, if you are able to quickly glance at
their name and maybe at what company they work for or
what they do, you might be able to figure out if talking to
them will be an awkward waste of their time or if you could
actually be useful to them. Find a way to break the ice: it's
like dating, except in this bar everyone has your same interests so it's much more effective! Don't be afraid of rejection-you have nothing to lose!
4. Age rules! There are a ton of young people at SXSW,
and unfortunately some of them are drunken spring breakers out to get wasted-those you can avoid for sure!
However, when you see somebody that is twice your age,
you should consider the fact that they probably have twice
your experience. If they are able to survive in the music
industry at their age and in this day and age, it probably
means they are good at what they do, and they might be
a great connection!
5. Try to remember faces. Some people are good at
that, others less so. I am better with faces than I am with
names, for example. There are thousands of people at
South By, but if you are dedicated, chances are you will
keep running into the other dedicated attendees over and
over again. If you see them once and you meet them
again, strike up a conversation, mentioning you saw them
at such-and-such a show or panel. If you were in the same
place, chances are you have similar tastes or interests.

High points
I was unable to attend this year's keynote speech by Snoop Dogg (I'm
not sure how much of a loss that was to me personally), but it wouldn't
be a SXSW report without my personal list of high points.
Unlocking The Truth, a Brooklyn-based trio of African-American 13year-olds playing death metal; Japanese electronic-world music producer Haioka; Canadian female-fronted drum major sextet The Wet Secrets;
Malian refugee rock/world quartet Songhoy Blues with Garba Touré on
guitar. Touré performed in the SXSW Film Festival premiered documentary movie They Will Have To Kill Us First, about them and other West
African bands being driven out of Mali by extremist jihadists who
declared war on music.
Then there was Japan Night (and now there is a K-Pop night!) at Elysium;
London indie-folk-rockers Dry The River, who offered an impromptu acoustic
performance standing on top of some tables after their digital sound console broke down beyond repair; the Italy@SXSW showcase organized by
MG Limited, featuring artists Levante and Don Pasta Food Sound System
(an italian DJ who cooks delicious pasta while he spins records) and Spoon
(who also won the SXSW-created 2015 Grulke Prize).
Except for the bad weather that plagued SXSW 2015 (there were several concert cancellations due to rain), this SXSW was just as good-and
useful-as any other SXSW I've attended. All I can say is: next year will
be SXSW's 30th edition. It's gonna be a big one, so don't miss out!
Marc Urselli (urselli@recordingmag.com) is a Grammy-winning engineer and producer based in New York City, who reports on the SXSW
Festivals (almost) every year for this magazine. Learn more about his
current work at marcurselli.com.
RECORDING June 2015

http://www.marcurselli.com

Recording - June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - June 2015