Big Sync’s SXSW Download 2019
We’ve finally come down from our first ever SXSW high, after an intense week of music, brand and film exposure. We went along as part of the British Government’s official trade mission alongside other innovators in the creative and advertising industries. As Big Sync works across film, tech, interactive media, music and gaming it was an opportunity for us to meet others active in similar spaces.
It’s impossible to see everything on offer at SXSW but we had a pretty good go. Next year we’ll be diving in deeper with a much bigger presence and we hope, with more partners. This year, these are the five things that stood out for us:
1. The global nature of the event
Having our own international network it was useful for Big Sync to connect with other brands and agencies from all over the world. We enjoyed all the different embassy pop-ups across Austin, as well as their stands at the convention centre that all offered something a little different, showcasing their country’s own particular innovations. As a music agency we loved that there were artists being showcased from all around the globe, many of whom had never performed outside of their own country.
2. The gigs
So much music, not enough time to hear it all. Artists that stood out for us were:
Austin hip hop project, Blackillac - as yet unsigned but probably not for long.
Indie dance grooves from Chaz Bear and his band Toro y Moi’s latest album ‘Outer Peace’.
Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, and The Nightwatchman performing at the ACLU100 concert.
The psychedelic beats of Austin collective Golden Dawn Arkestra - their performance, enhanced with some truly cosmic stage costumes, was something to behold.
London singer songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Allen aka Puma Blue playing what have been described as ‘voicemail-ballads’. Have a listen to hear why.
Atlanta indie rock band, Deerhunter, playing from their 8th LP ‘Why hasn’t everything already disappeared?’
Jungle - They played the Capital One House and are brilliant live. They recently performed in London which we missed, so it was great to catch them at SXSW.
3. Talking to brands about the challenges and trends that affect them
Discussions we had included the following subjects:
- Voice technology - what it means for consumers, the advertising industry and music consumption
- How the music licensing process can be automated
- The considerable investment in, yet slow growth of, AI music start-ups
- Making the most out of music investment using talent, activation and amplification
- The growth of e-sports and the artists and celebrities that are investing
4. The technology
Many of the activations and product launches on display related to sound, audio, music and experience. These were our favourites:
5. The films
We watched Elisabeth Moss in discussion with Brandi Carlile about her upcoming punk rock film 'Her Smell' and recent music video collaboration.
But our pick of the week had to be:
‘Boy Howdy! The Story of Creem Magazine’ - an outstanding documentary about "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine”. One of the initial founders of SXSW was there to introduce the film, director and cast and afterwards there was a Q&A with the director Scott Crawford and the cast.
See you at SXSW next year!
