(Hypebot) — SXSW is under fire on at least three fronts from musicians and panelists who are unhappy with how the festival, now co-owned by Penske, the publisher of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, does business.
While their numbers are small compared to SXSW’s estimated 2000 artists and more than 300,000 attendees, they represent the most visible protests at the festival in recent memory.
Low Pay, Gaza & The Military Industrial Complex
Musicians and panelists protesting SXSW’s sponsorship deals with the U.S. Army and Collins Aerospace, a defense contractor RTX Corporation subsidiary, have withdrawn from official festival showcases and events.
Earlier this week, Squirrel Flower, Mamalarky, Shalom, and Irish rap trio Kneecap were among the musicians opting out of SXSW in protest of the United States and RTX’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza.
Also this week, United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) is hosting a “Fair Pay at SXSW” protest concert and rally demanding higher pay for showcasing musicians. The concert will be at Cheer Up Charlies on Wednesday, March 13, from 7 pm-1 am, and the rally will be outside the Austin Convention Center on Friday, March 15, at 2 pm.
After UMAW’s initial protests in 2023, the festival gave artists their first pay raises in over a decade, increasing compensation from $250 to $350 for bands, and from $100 to $150 for solo artists. SXSW also raised the rates at the inaugural SXSW Sydney from $0 to $350AUD for bands and $150AUD for solo artists. The UMAW called these raises “insulting after years of stagnant compensation.”
Texas Governor Abbott & SXSW Respond
Texas Governor Greg Abbott took to X to tell the protesters, “Bye. Don’t come back… If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”
SXSW festival organizers took a more conciliatory tone.
SXSW “does not agree” with the Governor, festival organizers said in a series of posts on X. “We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech.”
“The defense industry has historically been a proving ground for many of the systems we rely on today,” SXSW responded to the Army-related protests. “These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies, and we believe it’s better to understand how their approach will impact our lives. The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world.”
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.
