South by Southwest: Live the Music

Every March, a mixture of the world’s most beloved musical artists and talented unknowns looking for their big break, fills Austin’s numerous music halls, restaurant performance spaces, and outdoor venues as part of South by Southwest (SXSW), an affiliated set of film and music festivals. This year, well over 2,000 musicians are scheduled to perform over a six-day span that kicks off March 11 and ends March 16.  SXSW Music Festival is the largest event of its kind in the world, and this year’s event should be the biggest yet. So why should you attend? We have a few reasons…

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Big Names

SXSW draws music lovers and musicians of all types. Those who listen primarily to mainstream artists may be thrilled to hear performance greats such as Coldplay, Melissa Etheridge, Keith Urban, Imagine Dragons, Action Bronson, Zedd, Band of Skulls, and Pitbull. Check out the full SXSW 2014 lineup to see the list of fantastic bands taking the stage!

Budding Talent

There are plenty of big names at SXSW, but the emphasis of the music festival is arguably on the undiscovered, talented musicians. Attendees can leave with a list dozens of artists you haven’t previously heard of to add to your music collection. To help spectators sort through the dozens of performers playing at any given time, many of the festival’s events are broken down by musical genre or region from which included artists hail. SXSW Music is also a place where producers and record executives mingle and scout. Present-day household names scarcely known before their discovery at small SXSW shows include Dawn Richard, Hanson, James Blunt, John Mayer, and The Polyphonic Spree.

More than Music

SXSW is a world-renowned festival with music-based origins, but its scope extends beyond the celebration of sound art. In 1994, seven years after the inauguration of the festival, a film component was added. Before long other forms of multimedia were featured at the conference. Today, it is split into three components: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, and SXSW Interactive, a component that features video games, mobile apps, and other forms of multimedia.

Regardless of your reasons for attending SXSW, enjoying the festival is all about how you experience it. Being swept off your feet by your favorite band (or one you’ve never heard) and discovering a life-changing film, video game, or smartphone app are all possible at SXSW 2014.

Are you an Austinite or AMLI apartment resident who is traveling to Austin to live the music at SXSW 2014? Share with us who you are most excited to see perform by leaving a comment below!