IS THE PARTY OVER? SXSW Instagram Feed “…the South by Southwest music festival is all but going away. And I say ‘all but going away’ because technically it still exists but starting next year organizers are cutting it so much that I think it’s safe to say that it’ll kind of just be a shell of itself and what it used to be.” Stephen Thompson, NPR . DUELING HEADLINES When SXSW announced it was cutting music’s weekend in the spotlight, NPR all but wrote an obituary. Variety , The Hollywood Reporter , and Rolling Stone all begged to differ. It’s important to note that all three of those publications are owned by Penske Media Corporation, which also owns a controlling interest in SXSW. So the coverage provides a fairly clear picture of at least the immediate future: the money’s going to come from tech, the media coverage and promotion from the interconnected Penske empire, and the bands that do come likely will be better compensated in sponsored showcases. You could see this coming last year , and in many ways the shift simply represents where we stand in the here and now. Longtime Austin music journalist Andy Langer penned the best analysis I’ve seen in dissecting the pivot for Texas Monthly. excerpted from Texas Monthly, March 18, 2025. By introducing SXSW Sydney two years ago and SXSW London this year the fest is building out a global footprint, one that’s decidedly tech-centric. Screenshots from a SXSW marketing email. Again, on some level this makes sense simply because tech now drives entertainment — the old line studios supplanted by Apple and Amazon, record labels upended by streaming, AI transforming what it means to create. SXSW always has migrated to where the culture’s headed. At the moment and maybe forever it’s towards a world that candidly, feels a little more like broccoli and a little less like steak. I’ll miss the sizzle. THE STATE OF AUSTIN MUSIC Music redefined Austin and elevated our culture but the city’s exponential growth carries the risk of turning us, as Austin City Limits producer Terry Likona noted, into “a different place, a place that we don't want to be a part of.” The comment was part of a broader discussion at the LBJ Library on the state of Austin music, moderated by Andy Langer. Langer and Likona were joined by Will Bridges, co-ower of Antone’s and Arlyn Studios, musician Carrie Rodriguez and veteran booking agent Graham Williams. photo courtesy of the LBJ Library. Antone’s is celebrating 50 years, so is Austin City Limits. The Cactus Cafe, 45 years…and the Armadillo World Headquarters is back, at least as a brand. Do we spend too much time looking back, or are these institutions the reason people came here in the first place? Who knows? But the fact is that there are still musicians and artists who make it their goal, their passion, to play at those venues. The one thing that’s really amazed me and makes me hopeful is how the city is supporting its artists right now. The grant money is significant and it’s making a big difference. I mean, they’re putting money into musicians who want to make records.They’re putting money into these arts non-profits, and there’s also a lot of collaboration between non-profits. It’s really helping us all figure out how to keep going. LANGER: All those things could dry up and go away. We’ve seen the city be interested, and then not be interested. That’s why I’m always cautiously optimistic about it because it could change, and I don’t want to see that happen but it’s like we’ve all been getting by. I used to complain that I didn’t want anything from the city. We didn’t want funding. We weren’t asking for that. We would simply ask….get out of our way. Let us be businesses. There were so many regulations and so many things that would come into play for owning a venue that made it really hard for this thing that makes almost no money. And now I feel like it’s almost come full circle. I like to say music doesn’t mind a hookup but it doesn’t like a handout. There’s pride in being able to run these businesses in a viable way, because that means our accountability or our integrity isn’t being swayed by outside interests. LIKONA: I think it’s kinda unrealistic to try be self-sustaining in today’s world. You need those kinds of partnerships. I mean, the City of Austin is our largest and longest term underwriter. Other businesses, like Cirrus Logic, have stepped in. Dell has been an underwriter for decades. So it takes that kind of partnership. But the community of Austin, the people of Austin, just don’t get as much credit as they deserve. Austin City Limits would probably never have begun or certainly wouldn’t exist after 50 years if it were anywhere else. There’s just something about the spirit and heart and soul of Austin. LANGER: It’s never really been a music business town. And that’s the blessing and the curse. WILLIAMS: Yeah I feel like we’re still catching up there, it’s more of a music hobby town. Most people I know playing in bands do it on the side. I don’t even think I know that many musicians who actually have it as a side hustle. Like it’s enough to pay for the rehearsal space, some studio time, and it’s their passion. LIKONA: Austin has always been considered more of an incubator than it is a hub for the business side of the music. And that’s probably a good thing because that gives musicians a chance to just try things out , get together. You can play a gig with a band, with a friend or just by yourself, and not be so concerned about if it’s going to impact your career long term. But it does help if you have a day job. BRIDGES: While Austin has become a harder place to call home for local musicians, it’s become a better place to tour for outside musicians. So we’ve become more of an import city than an export city. We’re a club town. We don’t really have any record labels, we don’t really have any publishing. Had those become the center of attention we would certainly have become a different type of music city. And it’s kind of poetic to realize now that in Austin we have what everyone else covets, which is an actual scene. That’s a real magic word, “scene”, because that’s the raw from-the-source stuff. THE “RAW FROM THE SOURCE STUFF” THAT’S COMING UP AUSTIN BLUES FESTIVAL This year Antone’s, the venerable night club behind the festival, celebrates its 50th, and the two-day shindig at Waterloo Park features a stacked line-up — ranging from Mavis Staples to Jackie Venson. Tickets and information here. CELEBRATING THE DICKS, PRESENT AND PAST Such a funny word — Dick — one that makes people squirm, which is exactly what Dicks front man Gary Floyd wanted to happen. Through his art — the music and the drawings — he angrily confronted ideologues as a 300-pound cross-dressing gay communist, screaming about American interventionism in Central America, Christian nationalism, and the hypocritical suburban dad trying to avoid eye contact in the Westlake Randalls after each recognized the other from the glory hole at the 29th street porno shop. ‘“f you don’t like me because I’m gay, fuck you” Gary Floyd and the Dicks at the Ritz, 1982. Photograph by Bill Daniel. Gary Floyd committed to living his truth and confronting those who would label his lifestyle a sin. He passed last April . The City of Austin awarded Prizer Arts & Letters a modest grant to celebrate Floyd’s life, and Armadillo World also agreed to help underwrite a free exhibit and concert May 10th at The Pershing. Details to come — along with a cool poster and some exciting collabs — so mark the calendar. CACTUS CAFE 45TH ANNIVERSARY The beloved Cactus Cafe on UT Austin’s campus continues celebrating 45 years with songwriters’ open mics presented by Armadillo World Headquarters on April 8th and April 15th . SOUL SUNDAY Norwegian photographer Per Ole Hagen’s been covering SXSW for more than a quarter century, and we were honored when he volunteered to lend his eye to Soul Sunday. Below, a few moments from a wonderful day. Alexis Jones & The Jones Family Singers. Fred Jones Jr. Extreme Heat celebrates 50 years as a band. Soul Sunday host Leeann Atherton. Uncle Roy & Spice. (L-R) Leeann Atherton, Alan Berg, Leea Mechling, Kristin Johansen-Berg. All photos by Per Ole Hagen , Soul Sunday 2025. Go see something, tell us about it, we’ll share more stories next week. Let’s build something together. We’d be forever grateful for your help, and an easy way to do so is by subscribing to the Happy Heat Substack. What comes in goes right back out in artist commissions and live shows. To which you’ll get to come! Alan Berg, Publisher.