SXSW is all over the place
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- čas přidán 28. 03. 2024
- After being too late to make the trip for the last few years I finally made it to SXSW in Austin, Texas. Let's talk messy apps, an upsetting creator track, bag checks, oh and the US Army being something called a Super Sponsor.
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My take as an Austin, TX native: SXSW has gotten too big and too corporate to be good anymore. Like most successful community-loved things tend to do over time (looking at you, Texas Renaissance Festival), it's strayed from it's original path and has been doing so for YEARS as popularity grew and more big-name sponsors started rolling in with conditions to accompany their money. TLDR: Greed and capitalism ruined another fun thing for us peasants lol.
i imagine like a lot of big events it also has a large carbon footprint, impedes local residents due to traffic, etc. and unfortunately probably increases human trafficking in the from of coercive seggswork
@@tlowery2074stop it, get some help 😂
@tlowery2074 as another austinite, I can definitely speak to the traffic situation. Our downtown is chaotic and not built for the volume of traffic it has. However, they will block off entire blocks of downtown near parking garages so that people can park there and get a bus ride to the event. I didn't really understand how bad it was until I started going to ACL, but I seriously think they need to have it somewhere that isn't Zilker park. It just isn't practical anymore.
Also an Austin native, I went with my dad and brothers in 2014 (I was 9), and it had some cool things, since VR/AR was coming into its nascency. We got some lights sticks, and some make it yourself slime putty. We walked past a few concert venues. But overall I don’t think it was that much better than what I’ve seen since passing by. I’d rather have Austin be on a tour schedule than see my favorite bands at a weird time of day, with terrible transportation options and pricing.
I went on a school trip in 2022 to listen to a couple of seminars to hear from student journalists. That was it tho.
Also an Austin native, and I wholeheartedly agree. The exact same problem is occurring with ACL because the city sees it increasing expansion every year as just another way to line the coffers, rather than considering the effect it has on the locals they're supposed to be prioritizing.
SXSW also has the US Army as a core sponsor - which is fucking weird for a media / arts based festival - respect to the artists who pulled out due to this
The blurb:
*US Army* Redefining Army innovation with technology and research to solve global challenges.
Tags: AI/ML, Next Stage, Robotics
"The world is changing rapidly, as is America’s Army. In close partnership with industry, the Army continues to innovate and invest in emerging technologies while testing and developing pathways in new areas, such as artificial intelligence, and contested domains, such as space, cyber and logistics. Our pursuit of continuous transformation provides the tools, resources, and agility to succeed on any front. Because tomorrow is worth protecting."
SXSW is Music, Film, & Interactive; U.S. Army was there for Interactive tech innovation part of SXSW. Like the article said U.S. Army Futures Command is headquartered in Austin
There’s literally a military base not even 45 mins away. One of the biggest in the world. It make sense logistically.
if the army is sponsoring something doesn't that make it.... publicly funded. if i pay taxes i should get to go
the military regularly colludes with production studios to turn movies like marvel bs into highkey war propaganda. it tracks pretty well.
SXSW is now just basically tech bros patting each other on the back and charging you $2k to the privilege of watching it
sxsw pays $100 for solo/duo artists, $250 for bands. that's enough to convince me to not support the fest
That did go up to 350 for groups and 150 for solo but that's still kinda ridiculous especially since you need to give up your payment to get a wristband into the festival, so the networking argument is completely mute
for that price they might as well just pay them in “exposure”
@@tlowery2074 except you can't even get into sxsw as a performer so no exposure even
They pay their interns $12/hr in a $25-$30/hr position (in a $20/hr living wage city), so knowing they underpay their artists too doesn't surprise me one bit.
So they don't get paid then. Travel and hauling gear costs more than that.
playing AI reels during a film fest .... a choice
Not the Ned Fulmer jumpscare 🤣
the way I'd run away too😂
I cackled at that, dunno why its funny to me but it is. Also why is he even at that event? Its not like it would end well for him if he tried being an influencer again
I didn't really get what she said. Was this person Ned? Or did they just mention him?
@@Summergchi believe she was trying to find this person to talk to, but when she saw them afterwards they were talking to ned, who was also there
@@seagem26 Oh, ok. Yeah, I feel like that makes sense. Thanks
Since that part happened so quickly i got lost with how it was phrased
Something to note about the military supersponsorship - I wouldn’t be surprised if the military was pretty involved and just asked not to have their sponsorship loudly advertised, because it’s not uncommon for that to be how it goes with military or government involvement in general with things like that. They probably just wanted more sway over what was happening internally with the festival, and quite frankly the military has enough funding that it can afford to put a lot of money towards something without a whole lot of payout.
The stuff about preventing dangerous gambling sounds cool but idk, the sports betting industry is suuuuper exploitative by nature and I doubt they’d implement preventative measures for gambling addicts on a wide scale since those people make their profits
yeah something tells me that tech will just target those problem gambling behaviors and play into that
Yeah I'd imagine they'd target those people, possibly pushing people further into addiction
yes they will do nothing for problem betters without regulation, it's just for show. other countries have already seen much of the same and have rolled out legislation to restrict the industry. the US may let this become the next big addiction epidemic if it doesn't start bringing down the hammer.
On the contrary, having long time gamblers is much better for business than making a quick buck
oh yeah 100%. they are in the business of exploiting people. its somethign that would never take off period.
It's kind of sad seeing SXSW straying away from it's initial purpose as a music and arts festival, my city hosts a festival that was created in 2012 specifically to give the artists going back to Portland and Seattle from SXSW another gig and I really hope they don't go down the same road.
The interactive portion has been part of SXSW for at least ten years. Yes, SXSW was originally Music & Film (i think music first) and should be the primary focus of SXSW. Austin has been some form of a tech hub for a long time
Whats the name of the PWN festival?
The acronym SXSW sounded like an adult industry festival to me at first. No doubt they had that track too.
Clicking on this video I totally thought that’s what it was going to be even though I saw the nappr video where she said the full title😅😅
When I was younger I thought it was one. The name made me think they were being subtle, until I learned what it actually meant
@@--Paws-- my mind immediately went to sex work, so not so subtle for me, but that term hasn’t been popular but for so long
I hate to say it but SXSW seems like an allegory for Austin in general. Used to be fun, thriving scene for artists and filmmakers (I guess tech too? I never knew about that aspect) but became corrupted by corporate greed.
As a native Austinite, THIS!!
You don't know what an allegory is.
Texan here, SXSW always takes place during spring break, especially for local colleges. It used to be FAR more accessible. I went to the gaming expo the last year it was FREE. Amazing for indi creators. I also was working with a production company so I went to the film festival part, even I couldn't get into a lot and I was WORKING. A great festival, but in recent years I don't hear much about it, especially locally, so it's lost a lot of charm.
Learning this was an arts festival and not a Southwest Airlines event is what confuses me the most
south by south mess
I feel like shortening SXSW from 2 weeks to 1 was the main start of the downfall. It was a lot more balanced when they had one week for entertainment and one for tech. The events were more specialized and spread out so an attendee could see more. Also, one thing casual attendees or observers might not see, is that there are a ton of private, invitation only events happening throughout the conference, and those are often the more fun/interesting events than the open events
Definitely agree. It was more organized as a two week event, less overlap more clear schedule. For a period of time, it kinda had a third week for education.
@@znewt99 It no longer has the education section?? That's insane. I remember going to SXSW edu for free in middle and high school on field trips sometimes. It was a really fun way to get involved with the city.
@@obviouspseudonym2407 im not sure I haven't looked at this year's schedule but i haven't heard anyone talk about it in a while
@@obviouspseudonym2407 just googled it, and it looks like SXSW EDU is still a thing
@@znewt99 well that's good to hear I guess lol, I'm glad the 2024 middle schoolers can have their field trips
I interned for SXSW this year before I knew the army's involvement. I got very lucky that the film maker I worked under (sister Sylvester from Institute of TIme) specifically stayed in the festival so she could spread awareness and information about war profiteering. our booth had a Palestinian flag and flyers for people to take to learn about the defense contractors present at SX.
Yea but you still paid for a booth so catch 22 perhaps?
@@anniebell6846 poopy poopoo perhaps peepee poopoo 22 mayhaps?
@@lotLT grow up
Having your city on there 😱😱 thats definitely not something that should be attatched to who you are
I legit froze in my tracks when you said Ned fulmer
the idea that the sports betting industry would voluntarily (or without legislation) use AI to detect problem gambling is very funny
It could be that some of the companies are starting become targets from regulators & politicians because of how much the industry has grown. And, they are trying to avoid regulation. Movie and video game ratings from the MPAA and the ESRB exist as a way for those industries to regulate themselves to avoid government regulations. Also, someone else mentioned in comments that the real goal could be to show targeted ads to people with gambling additions to get them to use their sports betting app
@@znewt99 yeah i agree with both of your points!
This place sounds like a nightmare tbh
i thought fantano's recent video on sxsw's recent failings on actually PAYING their artists and all their problematic military sponsorships was a great explainer on why it's going wrong
Wasn't that one of those festivals that doesn't pay their musicians and instead it's basically an MLM where the musicians have to pay them to perform for "exposure" and also having to sell their own tickets with their fans? I remember Benn Jordan doing a video about music industry scams and he put this festival in there.
Maybe, it could be ACL Music festival, the company that runs ACL is connected to livenation or was bought by livenation. SXSW did get into some controversy, thet didn't insured the event because they never thought they would have to cancel it, but 2020 happened and when the US took that stuff seriously was about the same time as SXSW; so they had to cancel last minute and they way it was handled was controversial. I might've missremember the details
From what I've head they just pay them but its a really low amount most lose money in the end
I was at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in the year, and they had to cut their AI panel about half way through because everyone there seemed to be there to just ridicule the speakers. Also, this year people kept complaining about how corporate Sundance felt this year, but in comparison to SXSW, Sundance comes off as a mom & pop.
At least from the outside (I've been to neither), Sundance does seem like they try to keep the spirit of an indy film festival despite getting huge. SXSW has *always* sounded like "what if we made a con but for rich people?"
the self promotion would make me be outright ornery in those panels. i already hate the term content creator because of how the arts are treated as product to be thoughtlessly consumed, shat out, and forgotten. i hate influencer culture. sxsw sounds like the worst shit pit
Amanda my ex husband had a gambling addiction and I really don't see how a virtual reality concept is going to recognise an addict when a real life person standing in front of you can't think along the lines of heroin addict xx
Ned fulmer jumpscare eep
If what the US government paid for is not visible we should be asking what things we aren't seeing they paid for
That's a giant list, btw
22:09 _hearing swell talk about a missed connection, assuming it's bc of bad timing and/or amanda feeling a bit awk_
22:19 sudden *yt nice/wifeguy AKA ned jumpscare* (w matching jumpcut LOL thanks william!!)
OMG time to run to the tryfam gc again 💀 there's a whole thing rn abt his rebranding attempt since he resurfaced last month
try guys tea aside tho XD hearing about the SXSW creator track is so interesting! as a consumer i've informally noticed things like the rise of microinfluencers but it's interesting to see how industry insiders are trying to describe these trends from a commercial POV. thanks for the swell review, and ah yes girl do what you need to do in order to stay safe amanda! as a survivor of stalking i truly feel heartbroken that ppl are so awful to women online :(( sending good energy during this stressful time 🫶 wishing for safe travels!!
As a Texan who hates this fucking festival all the "I'm still at sxsw videos" got me so excited for this
I'll be honest...as an Austin native, I completely forgot SXSW was happening until your last video.
austin native here: i had a friend fly in to sxsw and I hadn't gone to any events and stuff since 2020 but I was personally shocked and disappointment by how much was no longer just open to the public. How the gaming hall and awards ceremony was completely closed off and how little was in the exhibition hall and just overall the events and panels in the city. My parents never spent money buying tickets when we were kids so I know these elements were at one point free and open to the public but they're not. So much of sxsw is now just corporate and lifeless and the technology showcase was genuinely disappointing compared to what I know it can be. Overall I can't as a local recommend it to anyone
From what I saw, people pulling out was directly about the genocide in Palestine
Proud to say that ALL Irish artists due to perform at SXSW pulled out in support of Palestine! 🇵🇸
Andddd it had no affect 😂
I'm sorry, but "South by Southwest" sounds like an airline. A shitty one that only does domestic us flights.
Southwest Airlines exists and is indeed shitty.
SXSW is one of those events that's just grown beyond it's ability to function as the thing it was created for. I performed at small venues there just over 10 years ago, and it was insanity then. I'm not surprised it's gotten a wee bit out of control. At this point, you couldn't pay me enough to go there, and it's a huge factor in why I don't want to live in Austin, or in any of the surrounding cities. It used to be cool and artsy. Now, I'm not even sure what it is.
As someone who lives in Houston, in general it’s getting harder to find actual, still authentic events like SXSW used to be. Everything’s all gentrified and corporate now. :[
@@theproducers1967 New Austinite, here. I 100% agree. The closest I could find to a more "indie" film fest was Austin Film Festival and local events (if you search hard enough). Compared to SXSW, AFF was a breeze: cheap, accessible to your average person and was mostly focused on screenwriters and helping them out. It had much better energy compared to the corporate-feeling SXSW.
Ooh that does sound cool@@sydneyvawter1867 ! Thanks for the recommendation. I definitely know that local events exist as I live in an area that is prime for hosting them/putting up posters for them but they are not my thing (like hardcore punk/rap shows or Lord of the Rings-themed market). If I'm in Austin during AFF I'll check it out! Thanks :)
I am so sick of PETA trying to clean up their image.
As an Austin girly, this is how the entire area operates 💀
Glad u talked about the volunteers. I have so many friends that have done that and enjoyed it a lot. Also, some of them are school teachers or college professors so they do work at the school, it's not just students
the festival is 9 days and if you count the "preSXSW" events its more like 12. its a marathon y'all. Last year I went was 2017. I loved it, I miss it greatly. I only did 5 or 6 days and you run until you hit the wall literally. I was also a freelance event worker so that's in addition to your work shift.
To be fair you don’t have to buy a badge you can just go and experience so much stuff. Badge is just like a fast pass and for the panels but the music, food, lounges and events you can still get into nearly everything without. Most places have free food and drinks so if you play it smart you won’t pay for anything while you’re out. The whole week cost me $600 to do and I saw everything- music, movies, panels, event hall
I worked at SXSW as a guerilla marketer for Mazda one year. It was all over the place and communication was a nightmare.
regarding bands pulling out, I know a lot of them just couldn't due to financial reasons and travel already being booked. one of the bands who were at sxsw, vision video, made a statement condemning it but still chose to play their set and donate all the money they made to Palestinian organizations. they also made a speech during their set as a protest. they're really such an incredible band and I love how they handled it.
Nice to know Ned Fulmer jumpscares have also gone real world 😂
i was there with my university and actually met you in the flatstock area! as for artists who didn't pull out and decided to make statements, i saw Dry Cleaning and Faye Webster perform and they both spoke about the issue :)
"Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW® is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture." - SXSW®
Working in Austin off of Airport Blvd SWSW brings in unique customers and assholes. It's a coin toss when a customer walks in that isn't a regular.
I like the idea of SWSW but, it has changed over the years with who attends it...
I’ve genuinely been on the fence about a lot of these conferences I definitely appreciate what they present as opportunities and some of the things these festivals do for a community. I’d love to hear more from the ppl of Austin and how they feel now about the event. Thanks for your video gives me a lot to think about.
Me sitting here thinking the con was video game related...oops
Ah yes, that would be 'PAX West'
There was a PAX South in TX but it closed post lockdown :(
They have a video game track also I went to the gaming hall one year
“I’m fried” thought you meant something else lmao
Just sat down to eat my cereal and you saved me from endlessly scrolling trying to find something to watch. Yay Swell!!!
Who remembers watching the Real World Austin cast members make a documentary about hellogoodbye at SXSW??! Millenials rise from your walkers and educate the young ones on the Ballad of Danny and Melinda.
The one thing I absolutely love about your reviews is how deep you get into the logistics and such. Your critiques are professional, yet also still very personal and unique to you. Really incredible.
Would love to hear you talk about the sports gambling stuff you heard about. Considering what is going on in baseball, I'd like to hear your take on the subject. Many of us don't like how close the leagues and gambling sites have gotten.
oh god ned fuller jumpscare
Sxsw in 2014 was one of my favorite and life changing 10 days id ever experienced. Fall from grace /:
23:45 A person does not have to earn money to be a content creator. A grandma posting knitting videos for 2 subscribers is still a content creator. An influencer, yes, is somebody trying to influence somebody....usually into buying something but not necessarily.
was looking forward to this video all week! can’t wait to watch
I knew SXSW purely as a music festival that all the bands in the genres that I listen to didn't go to because it wasn't that kind of music festival. The fact that they did anything else there is news to me.
As an Austinite I am so nervous to watch this. Like, I complain about what SXSW has become, and a lot of other things that have changed in the past 20+ years, but an outsider giving anything less than a glowing review of my hometown may get my hackles up.
Ok, 12 minutes in and you have been WAY kinder than I am when talking about SXSW.
Glad to see that now Amanda is seeing cyber trucks in the wild
omg i totally agree with you on how draining the whole event was because after my volunteering shifts i just didnt feel like going to anything. besides the exhibit hall and like one other event i just left the convention center bc it was just so exhausting. nice meeting you at sxsw though!
thanks for the content! It was great to listen to the tea while I was working. (Also the red is a really pretty color on you!)
It was nice to meet you at SXSW! Later I said to my friend we should have told your our names but regardless haha I definitely felt similarly to you about the whole experience
I went to SXSW for the free prime event for the new fallout show. Honestly, it was sick af. So much detail and it was FREE. First and only time I’ve ever been to SXSW and I live in Austin🤣🤣
I used to love sxsw. It was a huge opportunity for college students to volunteer to earn a platinum badge and get into any shows and events they wanted. The entire city of Austin felt like one large festival and there were so many unofficial events. I went to a show with the PA system hosted in a bus in the back parking lot of the Wendy’s on 7th st. People from all around the world would come and play shows big and small and I’ve made friends for years because of it. It’s far too large for its own good now and somehow still not “profitable” - quoted from a friend who used to work for them. Its primary focus now is advertising space and web3 promo. So sad, it’s far too large, confusing, and difficult to attend. I live in Austin and still love the city but this festival used to be a fun cultural exchange and now it’s shifted so much. Glad you got the chance to attend, sorry it could have been better. 😩
always happy when swell posts! ✨
I live in Austin and sxsw is just too busy, I stay away from downtown those weeks
I volunteered at SX a few years ago. Volunteers get their choice of badge as "payment" if they work enough hours (I didn't but I still really enjoyed my time!) I agree, it's gotten almost too big now, I loved the gamer expo, that was my favorite.
Im happy to see you speak even briefly about palestine. I appreciate your strsightforward take on it and i hope you arent too barraged by people who dont like politics or dont think the events happening there are a tragedy.
Welcome to Austin! If you have time to take a quiet day away from SXSW, I'd really recommend Laguna Gloria: there's a huge sculpture garden and a hiking trail roamed by peacocks, both right on the shore of the river
I gotta say, I absolutely adore it when she mentally hits a ffw button for the closing spiel. 🤣
I didn’t go to SXSW but it’s very nice to know that it appears all conventions particularly with panel “experts” are all full of shit and don’t know what they’re talking about - had a similar situation happen at a tech conference I went to. Putting the question back on the asker just makes me want to 🤬
Yeah… I live in in Texas and all my friends are coming to SXSW… sometimes I wish I could go… but next time…
I appreciate your reviews of events. They are well balanced and fair. Nicely done.
Holy cow, those panels sound bizarre! I’m not sure why, but as someone who doesn’t take sponsorships, I feel oddly insulted by the implication that it’s impossible. It’s not fun for sure, and I may need to accept a sponsorship eventually if times get super rough, but I’ve managed this far by rotating between two other jobs. I’ve worked hard to be able to keep sponsorships out of my content, y’know? So I guess the suggestion that creators like me don’t exist makes me a bit cross
Sports betting relys on unhealthy addictions. Why do i feel like the sports betting tables shouldn't be involved with preventing sports betting.
I volunteered for SXSW back in 2014! Had a good time, learned a lot, met a ton of other enthusiastic volunteers. Sad to hear the rumors about the festival (and as Austin as a whole, as I no longer live there) are true. Not to sound like a hipster, but its unfortunate that such a forward place could become so... square.
I know this is silly...but when you said Ned Fulmer, I thought Ned Flanders, from The Simpsons.
And I was soooo confused! Lol, 'like he was talking to the VA of the character?' Took me a sec to remember who he was.
I was at the Brandy Mellvile screening, loved the doc.
I've been waiting for this 😂
I work in advertising and I think it happens in all industries hearing people talk about your industry that aren’t as informed as they should be before talking.
Thanks for this swell video Swell!
Omg ur in Austin! You should go to Austin Creative Reuse, it's a thrift craft store and has amazing cute things with really good deals I think you'd like it! It's a really chill place.
"leaders in emerging technologies" i wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that they get an absolutely bonkers amount of money. hmmmmm.
I used to just go SXSW for the free shows. They’re all over town! Just venue hopping and would see a town of artist before they blew up. This was around 2014-2017 though. Things are different now but I don’t pay for ish. The real fun part is exploring the city and seeing what venues are doing what since the whole town is venues. The tickets where always expensive and never made sense to me because it doesn’t necessarily encompass everything going on during the fest since it’s the whole city kind of doin g their own thing. It’s a mess even for locals tbh. If it weren’t for living in the area I wouldn’t go unless I’m getting paid too
Lmao I went to a free sx event and while headed there saw a cyber truck too😭 I don’t live exactly in Austin but you can always tell when you’ve arrived cause of all the teslas
Attended this year for a few days…. Way too all over the place.
For people that can’t afford a badge, there’s a lot of free events throughout the week that are really fun.
I don’t know anyone who lives in Austin that attends sxsw outside of maybe a few band’s shows. It has long since fallen out of favor with the locals, I had a two mile commute from downtown to my apartment that took literally over an hour because the influx of people put traffic at a complete standstill, the tourists don’t tip at sit-down restaurants, not to mention that one Peso Pluma show that had people waiting in line for 8 hours to get denied entry due to capacity anyways. Everyone who lives here dreads the second and third weeks of March lol.
I finally have time to draw!
come to sakura-con next year!! i've been going for a very long time and would love to see your experience there! ...for all the good and bad there is haha
7:04 a company doing the right thing by stopping people who are showing signs of a gambling problem?! im surprised
Every time you talk about bag checks at basic events, even cons, it's like "Confused canadian noises"
Same expect I live in the states. Never been anywhere that required bag checks. Besides flying and theme parks.
@@fosterkitteneosthat's wild to me bc I live in the Midwest of the US and my entire life, every place we went, from stadiums, to concerts, to amusement parks we've had bag checks. ANY large gathering of people has bag checks.
Amanda, it’s okay to take a break from conventions if you are feeling burned out!! I know at least I’ll still be here and will still watch your videos no matter what you’re doing 💖
The jump scare that I had when you said "Redacted" name I had to go back and make sure I heard that right lol
I heard ned f.. and I gagged. I CANNOT IMAGINE. Also you’re amazing.
Thank you so much for speaking and addressing what is happening in Palestine. So many creators are acting like they need a doctorate in international relations in order to just say “genocide is bad.” I have always enjoyed your content, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing on the right side of history. ❤
Would you be interested in checking out the first annual Rosegarden tattoo convention in California? I’ve been thinking about going myself but it’s a first annual and it’s really interesting because if I go it would also be my first ever tattoo convention. What do you think?
Dang I didn't realise you were in Austin!! I tend to avoid SXSW because of all the traffic it brings (and echoing others, because of how big and corporate it's gotten--as a musician I wish it had just remained as a music festival), but it would have been cool to meet you IRL.
Woah woah woah. Ned Fulmer was there?
The Ontario banner at 4:32 is something I have so many questions about, namely why are we there
Inexperienced panelists -- how am I not surprised? I'd probably look into how they decide who gets to be on panels, whether people sign up for them or if they were invited or if there is a specific call for certain types of panelists with an entire self-promotion spiel for qualifications and what type of compensation there is for panelists. I know there were some panels for Fanime that are just fanmade content (because that's just the type of convention it is), so it's a giant mixed bag for all of it with idk what type of screening they do in preparation. I don't even know if they check if they have a script or outline, or do knowledge/information checks with these people
That listing of city on the badge is a huge YIKES indeed. They really need an opt out for having cities listed. I can see where it'd be nice for when making connections as regular people, but it's also... yikes >