SXSW has long been a critical exporting platform for Australian artists, with 490 Australian acts having showcased at the premier music festival in Austin since Sounds Australia’s inception in 2009 and many of those multiple times.
As a result of showcasing at SXSW, Australian acts have secured countless deals, instigated key partnerships, garnered global media attention, won over legions of new fans and kick started their international careers.
The momentous announcement made today by the NSW Government, committing to the delivery of SXSW Sydney, is a gamechanger and the opportunities an event of this magnitude can garner for the Australian music industry are enormous.
SXSW Sydney is a much welcome antidote to the COVID shut down our live industry has suffered over the past two years, with an event of this scale promising significant economic benefits, along with the capacity to change the cultural landscape of a city that is primed to rise.
The opportunity for Australian artists and industry to commence or build upon their global networks and advance their international pathways on home soil honestly couldn’t come at a more needed or important time. International touring has never been harder, with the combined impacts of COVID-19, inflation, gas prices, supply chain shortages, climate change, US Visa processes, currency fluctuations and the current and potential unrest and conflicts.
Thrilled to see its inclusion on the international music events calendar, SXSW Sydney brings a globally-renowned premier event to our doorstep and an enviable stage for us to shine the spotlight on our world-class pipeline of talent, at a fraction of the exporting costs.
Opportunities like this don’t come around very often and for Sydney to have secured the first SXSW outside of Texas in over 35 years is a significant coup for Destination NSW and one Sounds Australia is keen to embrace.