SXSW

The South by Southwest Music Festival is March 14-18. Last week they announced their preliminary lineup of over 1300 acts. Here's their pitch:

Each March SXSW Music presents new opportunities to make your vision reality. Musicians and the companies they work with have used SXSW as a cost-effective way to promote themselves since 1987. They come back year after year because SXSW works! It's a potent method to connect with press, radio, and other music industry players.

By day, the music industry's most accomplished and creative personalities collaborated, argued, and shared their experiences in dozens of panels, workshops, interviews, and meetings. Over 1400 acts showcased last year before more than 8000 registrants from all over the world. Pop, jazz, country, blues, reggae, hip hop, electronica - every imaginable style of music, from nearly every continent - is represented each night at over 50 of Austin's premier stages, many within walking distance of one another.

They have a new blog about the record industry, too, called Idiots Unite. Check it out.