South By South What?

Have you heard of SXSW (South By Southwest)? When I first heard about it I thought it was just another typical music festival, but I was wrong. I just recently found out what it's all about, and I think I'm still wrapping my head around it all. Check out a quote I found, it explains it all:

"Every March, thousands of young, jeans-wearing techies, filmmakers and musicians descend uptown Austin, Texas, harboring dreams of getting noticed and hitting it big. They come not just for the balmy weather or the Tex-Mex food but for South By Southwest, a collection of conferences and festivals that's considered one of the most influential happenings on that annual cultural calendar." - CNN

The Art of Planning

This month I have been taking a class called Project and Team Management. I've learned a lot so far about teams, planning, and budgeting and have tried to relate that to the music industry. As a fan of music/musicians I never really thought about what all goes into a show or an album, I just simply enjoyed the final product. I think I have seen only the beginning of the business side to music, and I’m excited to learn more! I asked my friends Amanda and Audrey, who play together as Bridge 19, to tell me a little bit about what they’ve experienced as a duo in relation to planning, budgeting, and teams. This is what they said:

“As an independent artist, budgeting/planning is imperative. You're responsible for recording/paying musicians/ CD replication/merchandise/website/gas/lodging etc. It's important to play enough shows to cover your expenses, which is where planning/budgeting come into play. Communication is an important part of the team because any money that one person spends directly affects the other. We compared it to managing a family’s budget.”