Re: Sxsw
Congrats man, that's awesome! I've been to SXSW once, my band was playing in the RedGorilla Music Festival which happens in Austin at the same time as SXSW but was never officially playing in SXSW.
Here's what I'll say about getting the most out of the experience. First, when the line-ups are announced, see if there are any bands that have a similar sound to yours that are playing in the days before your slot and hit those shows to meet those bands and market your band/upcoming show. Anyone that actually works for SXSW would be a good networking contact, if you can make friends with someone on the promotion team that's a golden opportunity. Also, check CMJ or the SXSW subreddit to see if there's any after parties or get-togethers for people in college radio that are happening at SXSW, and if so try to get there and shower everyone there with CD's. If you don't have give-away CD's, set up a free download link or a QR code to a free song posted on SoundCloud that you can pass out on business cards. I would say don't waste your money on stickers or other merch to give away, because all of the attendees get flooded with free picks, stickers, posters, and all sorts of stuff and if you're paying to produce your own merch you could bankrupt yourself and not see any results. You're better off creating a way for people to easily listen to your band and getting that to people that will most likely become fans.
Your first time at SXSW, it's very hard to get people to come to your show. Your main goal should be getting your music out there, securing some networking contacts and trying to secure a spot to come back next year.
"Guys, if you wanted Superman for this gig, you should have hired Superman. Instead, you got Batman." - Donny Gruendler
"You always think you have more problems than you actually have." - Dave Elitch
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