Seek and destroy with your mind…. Focus… manafest it…. make it happen etc….

But that’s not half as fun to look forward to for 6 months, is it? :)

The tips are great for bands who have the money to travel to Austin. But then again, even if they do – the are competing with the 1500+ bands that are down there. No to mention the week-long non-musical showcases. If a small band is already touring, and Austin is doable during SXSW – why not try to set something up! But if you’re not touring on the way to/from SXSW, the idea is bunk, financially speaking. Plus going down and promoting the hell out of it isn’t enough – every band is promoting – that’s the whole reason for being there.

The idea isn’t bad, I’m just saying it’s not the best thing for everyone.

A creative idea at this point in time is to stay away and capture the audience who isn’t there watching those 1500 bands while those 1500 bands are in Austin.

National media watches SXSW closely, but local media (anywhere outside Austin) doesn’t pay it nearly as much attention. Why not do something cool like get together with 10 other local bands and host an ANTISXSW festival or try to play as many (presumably) free clubs in your city while other bands are focusing on SXSW, or join as many pre-existing bills as you can. Play for FREE, give away FREE CDs, promote your ass off, do all the same stuff locally that you’re suggesting they do at SXSW. There are a ton of ways to make a huge splash locally during this time – why not try that before investing in an already oversaturated market?