It may be more than seven months away, but SXSW 2010 officially opened its doors for business this week, with organisers calling for bands, artists and industry bods thinking of attending to register their interest.
Almost 20 Irish acts played SXSW 2009 in March, joining the 1,900 acts who performed on 88 stages in front of 13,000 international delegates in Austin, Texas. The music leg of the biggest showcase festival on the planet will take place from March 17th to 21st, 2010.
Una Johnston, SXSW’s representative for UK and Irish parties, told The Ticket that she was hoping that a more diverse group of Irish acts, young and old, would consider applying.
“Everybody has the opportunity to make their mark at SXSW,” she said. “Heritage acts, unsigned bands, buzz bands. The opportunities are there for Irish bands of all genres, and at all stages in their career. I always say you only get one chance to make a first impression, so timing is very important with this festival. But if you have international goals, SXSW is the place where you could realise them.”
In the past, artists such as Cathy Davey, Lisa Hannigan, Oppenheimer and Snow Patrol have all enjoyed surges of international interest after their SXSW sets.
This year also marks the first time that all band applications go exclusively through the SonicBids website. The final deadline for submissions is November 6th. www.sxsw.com/music.
