{"id":17381,"date":"2017-03-13T11:37:43","date_gmt":"2017-03-13T16:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/?p=17381"},"modified":"2025-04-11T15:47:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T20:47:17","slug":"a-newbies-guide-to-sxsw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/a-newbies-guide-to-sxsw\/","title":{"rendered":"A Newbie&#8217;s Guide to SXSW"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"last-updated entry-meta\">Last updated on April 11, 2025<\/p><br><p><em>This is a guest post written by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sparkplug.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sparkplug<\/a>, the online marketplace where musicians rent instruments, gear, and space.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s that time of year again! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sxsw.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SXSW<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Music is this week! If this is your first year (or you&#8217;re returning but want to be more prepared this year), here are some tips to make sure you make the most of the conference and have a great time in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Plan in advance!<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t wait until you get to Austin to start planning your schedule. \u00a0Create a Google doc a couple weeks out and write out all the shows\/panels\/parties\/etc that you want to attend. Or download the SXSW app and customize your schedule in the app or <a href=\"http:\/\/schedule.sxsw.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a>.\u00a0You can synch your calendar or access your schedule or document on the go.\u00a0 Only using the official SXSW app\/scheduler is great for quickly adding panels and shows to your calendar, but it doesn&#8217;t let you add customized events (like interviews or meetings) and doesn&#8217;t include unofficial parties.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>How to make a (realistic) SXSW schedule:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Write down all events that you are interested in, even if they conflict<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u2013 You probably won\u2019t make half of them, but you don\u2019t want to base your schedule on making one event. \u00a0Plus, if you don\u2019t know the Austin area well, you may end up far away from the event you thought you\u2019d attend but close to another great one.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Include all necessary details<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u2013 You will most likely never look at the flyer\/invite again so write down everything you need to know now, including time\/date, location, name of party, and maybe a reminder if you\u2019ve rsvped already, who invited you, or if there will be free food\/drinks (never underestimate the importance of a free breakfast taco at SXSW).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Mix it up<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u2013 There to check out music and party? Look into panels that might interest you or the trade shows. \u00a0Only focused on networking and business development? Go to some parties that also include live music and free food\/drinks. \u00a0The point \u2013 don\u2019t only focus on one type of event. \u00a0SXSW has so much to offer; you may be surprised at what you find most valuable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Print it<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0(multiple times) \/ Email it \/ Save it to all devices. \u00a0Your phone will die, you will lose your first copy or give it to a friend, you won\u2019t have reception. \u00a0Make sure to print physical copies of the schedule and also keep a back up online somewhere and easily accessible on your mobile devices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How to find events:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Start with the <a href=\"http:\/\/schedule.sxsw.com\/?conference=music\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official SXSW<\/a> events.\u00a0\u2013 Know that if you don&#8217;t have a badge, you probably won&#8217;t be able to go to these.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Like the &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unofficialsxswguide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unofficial SXSW Guide<\/a>&#8216; on Facebook and check out the parties they list.\u00a0\u2013 Non-badge friendly!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Follow SXSW Party List on Twitter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re there for the music, check out your favorite artists\u2019 website or track Austin that week on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.songkick.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Songkick<\/a>.\u00a0Many shows aren\u2019t officially through the conference, so you can see tons of music that isn\u2019t listed on the official website.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask your friends\/bandmates\/colleagues for their schedule or if they recommend any bands, events, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Be realistic about your schedule: You will not follow it.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So you\u2019ve made a detailed schedule and mapped out what you\u2019ll be doing every minute from 9 am to 2 am every day of the festival? Perfect! \u00a0Now, you\u2019re not going to follow it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Use your schedule as a reference.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t get too caught up in following your schedule perfectly. \u00a0Start each day with 2 \u2013 3 events that you definitely want to attend and set out as if you will actually make it there. \u00a0See where your other listed events logically fit in between as the day continues. \u00a0Location, scheduling, and who you run into at events will affect the rest of your day. \u00a0Don\u2019t be afraid to veer off your plan and head with a friend to something they have scheduled. \u00a0That\u2019s the best way to discover great new music, food, people, and networking. \u00a0If you have a buddy with you, make sure you take time to do your own thing if you want to see something different than them. \u00a0Flying solo is one of the best ways to meet people in general. \u00a0If at the end of the day, you only made your first \u2018planned\u2019 event, don\u2019t be upset with yourself. \u00a0There\u2019s always tomorrow to catch that informative panel or take advantage of free BBQ. \u00a0Plus, you probably had a better day by being spontaneous and not forcing yourself to attend things that didn\u2019t make sense in the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h2>Playing a show?<\/h2>\n<h3>Spread the word!<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are thousands of showcasing artists at SXSW. How do you get people to come to your show? Free tacos and beer don\u2019t hurt when you\u2019re trying to bring in crowds but don\u2019t forget to promote it via your email list, website, and social media, like you would a regular show. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Be understanding if not everyone makes it.<\/h3>\n<p>I<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t\u2019s very likely that some people that swore they would check out your showcase don\u2019t end up making an appearance. It\u2019s busy in Texas. Things run behind, new meetings and events pop up or cause a change of plans. Don\u2019t have any hard feelings if someone doesn\u2019t end up making your show.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Book your backline.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Venues may not provide the backline that you need. Make sure you get your rider to the showcase production managers or coordinators as far in advance as possible to see what they have. If you need to rent something, search <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sparkplug.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sparkplug<\/a> for affordable rentals from local musicians and companies or book via the <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/sparkplug-rental-marketplace\/id1200348965\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sparkplug iPhone app<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h2>Listen to your body.<\/h2>\n<h3>SXSW is exhausting!<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That fact will never change but don\u2019t kill yourself or change who you are. \u00a0If you\u2019ve never been a morning person, this isn\u2019t the time to assume you\u2019ll be making an 8:30 am panel or coffee meeting. \u00a0If you like a lot of sleep (like me), don\u2019t spend the first couple nights at shows until 2 am. \u00a0I was so proud of myself that last year I was in bed by midnight for the first two nights. \u00a0I felt refreshed during the next days and wasn\u2019t completely burnt out by the weekend. \u00a0Make sure to <\/span><b>eat properly and regularly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0(free breakfast tacos are awesome only if they\u2019re not your only meal of the day),\u00a0<\/span><b>drink lots of water<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0(watery beer does not count),\u00a0<\/span><b>wear sunscreen<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>take naps\/downtime<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0when you find a lull in the action.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>And a word on packing&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This may seem obvious, but <\/span><b>don\u2019t overpack or bring things you will never wear.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0If you\u2019re a gym-rat, assume you will go once on the first day you arrive and never again. \u00a0<\/span><b>Check the weather before you leave.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0You may be expecting sunshine, shorts, and tank tops, but there have been years where jeans, coats, and boots were more appropriate.\u00a0 Even if you have meetings or a formal dinner,\u00a0<\/span><b>you will not wear a suit or anything formal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0at SXSW. \u00a0<\/span><b>Don\u2019t forget sunglasses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0(or a cute hat if you\u2019re a hat-person). \u00a0The sun gets brutal.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Schedule commitments strategically.<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don&#8217;t need to keep business and pleasure completely separate. Feel free to mix business and your scheduled events. \u00a0If there\u2019s a friendly contact that you want to reconnect with at SXSW but don\u2019t necessarily need a formal \u2018meeting\u2019 environment, suggest that you attend a showcase or party together. \u00a0That way, you won\u2019t have to miss checking out the great band you wanted to see or supporting a colleague\u2019s showcase, and you can also have some hang time with your contact. \u00a0People go to SXSW to network, so your contact will appreciate you introducing them to whoever you came to see at the event.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&#8217;t forget to check your schedule before you set up meetings. \u00a0Some events may be ones you won&#8217;t want to miss, and it can be tough to get in touch with people to change plans in the moment.\u00a0Instead, look at where you&#8217;ll most likely be and plan meetings around those times\/locations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you can, get mobile phone numbers from folks you&#8217;re meeting up with and make sure they have yours. People aren&#8217;t on email as much while in Austin, so it&#8217;s best to have a number to text in case things don&#8217;t go as planned.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Bring a phone charger wherever you go.<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will need it. \u00a0And you will meet more people through it. \u00a0The phone charger is a great networking ice-breaker. \u00a0Someone may ask to borrow it and then they\u2019re bound to talk to you or at least buy you a drink. Power outlets also end up being a good social hang out area (especially if you\u2019re flying solo and awkward) where you are forced to talk to other people because you can\u2019t distract yourself with a mobile device.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Take a minute to listen to the music.<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, SXSW has become overrun with people who come to Austin just to party but don\u2019t over-focus on the business side. \u00a0We&#8217;re musicians and work in music because we love it. \u00a0<\/span><b>Use SXSW as an opportunity to reconnect with your love of music.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Discover new things. \u00a0Don\u2019t just talk at a party or play Words with Friends on your phone while waiting for your set to start \u2013 listen to the band playing. \u00a0You never know who will be your next great collaborator or inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Follow Up.<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s Monday morning after SXSW. \u00a0You\u2019re exhausted, dehydrated, sunburnt, and have 300 unread emails in your inbox\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, drink some water, sleep, respond to urgent matters, and call your mom so she knows you survived.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, make a pile of all of the business cards and postcards you collected at SXSW. \u00a0Divide this into 2-3 sub-piles: (1) the people you met and actually had a conversation with that are ideal collaborators, business partners, opportunities, friends, etc., (2) the people you met but didn\u2019t really speak to long but seemed like they could be a good person to keep in touch with and know in the future, and (3) people that gave you their card when you didn\u2019t want it or did something to offend you during the course of your conversation with them. A couple tricks to remembering people: Take notes in your phone or write on the back of their business card to trigger your memory.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>During the first couple of days after SXSW &#8211;<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write everyone in pile 1 a personal email. \u00a0Subtly remind them how you met and ways that you might be able to work together. \u00a0Be specific and follow up on your conversation. \u00a0If you had told them about a great restaurant in Brooklyn, send them the info. \u00a0If you suggested that they would find an industry organization valuable, remind them of the details and invite them to join you at an event. \u00a0If you&#8217;re in the same city, suggest that you get coffee or lunch once the post-SXSW craziness has died down. \u00a0Then, actually get coffee or lunch once the post-SXSW craziness has died down.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Within 2 weeks after SXSW &#8211;<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send a brief note to everyone in pile two. \u00a0Yes, you can write the type of detailed email that you send to the Pile 1-ers, but you may be swamped with work and not have enough time post-SXSW to do it. \u00a0In this brief note, remind them of who you are and where you met (if you remember). \u00a0 Remind them of what you do and how you might be able to work together, complement what they do. \u00a0Give them your contact info.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Throw away the business cards in Pile 3.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or, if you\u2019re an office-hoarder, put them in a drawer and never look at them again. \u00a0Trust your instincts \u2013 if you didn\u2019t love meeting someone the first time, you probably won\u2019t want to connect with them again. \u00a0If they email you first, of course respond, but protect yourself and move forward in the relationship cautiously if you felt that they were creepy\/unprofessional (it happens).<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Listen to all the great new music you discovered!<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Join GigSalad and make money doing what you love.<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href='https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/join\/member-benefits' onclick='' class='wpi_designer_button   wpi_shadow wpi_shadow_no wpi_text_shadow_no wpi_texture_no wpi_border_all wpi_padding_20px wpi_rounded wpi_designer_button_14503 wpi_icon wpi_icon_no wpi_icon_left  ' target='' rel=''><i class=''><\/i><span class='wpi_text'>Sign me up!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last updated on April 11, 2025This is a guest post written by Sparkplug, the online marketplace where musicians rent instruments, gear, and space.\u00a0 It\u2019s that time of year again! SXSW\u00a0Music is this week! If this is your first year (or you&#8217;re returning but want to be more prepared this year), here are some tips to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5305,"featured_media":17407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[3165,1463,84,3164],"class_list":["post-17381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gig-business","tag-festivals","tag-gear-rental","tag-musicians","tag-sxsw"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Newbie&#039;s Guide to SXSW - The GigSalad Community<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"First time to SXSW? 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There are now even more\u2026","rel":"","context":"By: GigSalad \u2014 Updated: April 15, 2025","block_context":{"text":"Gig Business","link":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/category\/gig-business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bandzoogle's free eBook \"23 Ways Musicians Can Make Money\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/eBook_23-Ways-Musicians-Can-Make-Money_Bandzoogle-e1471987646618.jpg?fit=976%2C896&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/eBook_23-Ways-Musicians-Can-Make-Money_Bandzoogle-e1471987646618.jpg?fit=976%2C896&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/eBook_23-Ways-Musicians-Can-Make-Money_Bandzoogle-e1471987646618.jpg?fit=976%2C896&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/eBook_23-Ways-Musicians-Can-Make-Money_Bandzoogle-e1471987646618.jpg?fit=976%2C896&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17381"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39765,"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17381\/revisions\/39765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}