How the West Was Sung: ASCAP’s 2024 SXSW Wrap-Up
By Erik Philbrook, Editor in Chief • March 22, 2024
The annual SXSW Conference & Festival bloomed yet again in Austin, Texas in March, drawing tens of thousands of creatives, attendees and reps from the tech, film and music industries from all corners of the globe. Over 10 eventful days, this pop-up international community experienced the cutting-edge spirit that has always defined SXSW from the start - not to mention a seemingly endless supply of tacos and tequila.
In partnership with the SXSW Music Festival, the ASCAP Urban team presented a Happy Hour at the rooftop lounge Rules & Regs on Thursday, March 14, hosting hundreds of guests who networked and enjoyed a performance by ASCAP member Zayda and her band as well as dance music spun by ASCAP member DJ Malski.
The music festival consistently draws more than 2,000 performing international artists, and ASCAP’s mission has always been to focus on music discovery and where music begins: with the songwriters and composers at its heart. For the fifth year, ASCAP helped produce SXSW Songs, an international songwriting camp held during the festival for established songwriters, producers and artists with commercial co-writing credits. This year’s camp ran from March 11th through March 13th at Austin’s legendary Arlyn Studios. The camp wrapped with an official SXSW Listening Party at the Palm Door on Sixth Street.
The 2024 SXSW Songs featured 25 participants representing 14 countries, including the US, Belgium, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Argentina, Australia, the Netherlands and more. Together, the “campers” created over 20 songs, four of which were Spanish language songs. Highlights included a first-time Latin track featuring Juno Award-winning, Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-nominated production duo Banx & Ranx, as well as Brazilian artist/songwriter Nonô. A strong AAPI contingent is another first for the camp with the participation of producer Jondren (Hwang), and new 88rising signing Fussy. And Australia’s Alice Ivy took part in keeping with SXSW Songs' commitment to women producers. Other camp sponsors include The Orchard, Sound Royalties and TRO Essex Music.
ASCAP reps also took part in important discussions during the conference. ASCAP Associate Director of Pop/Rock Membership Brian Reyes participated on the SXSW “Know Your Rights: Managing Your Music Licensing Portfolio” panel. The panel emphasized the importance of joining ASCAP and other entities and accurate title registration for proper earnings allocation. In addition, ASCAP Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer Clara Kim spoke on the panel called “From Algorithms to Audiences: Navigating the AI-driven Evolution of Entertainment.” The panel, hosted by law firm Sheppard Mullin, focused on the profound disruptions caused by AI in the entertainment landscape and dove into the transformative impacts on the status quo, explored emerging models and analyzed the unique legal and operational challenges faced by key stakeholders across the value chain.
In its second year after emerging from the pandemic, SXSW seemed back to its behemoth status. Music showcases and films drew lengthy lines. Emerging and buzz-riding artists performed all across the city, at day parties, in parking lot and on official venue stages. The conference also continues to draw the biggest names in the industry. ASCAP members Janelle Monáe and Questlove delivered headlining DJ sets at an event sponsored by Poo Pourri. ASCAP member Selena Gomez spoke and her Wondermind co-founder Mandy Teefey spoke on a panel entitled Mindfulness Over Perfection: Getting Real on Mental Health. And in the film portion of the festival, a world premiere of Diane Warren: Relentless gave the SXSW audience a rare glimpse into the life and work of the legendary ASCAP songwriter.
Austin remains the “Live Music Capital of the World” and during SXSW, it more than lives up to its name. The city serves as the perfect canvas for SXSW’s vibrant energy and continues to thrive on its unique blend of Southern hospitality, a fiercely independent spirit and its wholehearted embrace of technology and the future. ASCAP is proud to have been supporting the event’s core mission of creative discovery and development for much of its 37-year history.