SXSW 2024: Music, Film, Tech, and Exchange of Industry Knowledge — Here’s Our On-the-Ground Report

The following comes from Open On Sunday, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

We were on the ground in Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest (SXSW) 2024 — the place to be to share industry knowledge, ideas, and innovations.Thousands from around the world converged on the city for SXSW 2024. The week-long music, film, and tech conference showcases the most prominent names and stars in the industry — and provides opportunities to learn and network.

Many of this year’s panels focused on celebrating women’s successes and highlighting their incredible achievements in music, business, and entertainment.

Joi Brown, founder and CEO of Culture Creators — which Brown reveals ‘positions itself as a vital link between global cultural leaders and the generation of diverse creators’ — spoke to DMN at SXSW about lending encouragement and support to those striving for success.

Brown said, “I always hold true to what I believe God purposed me to do on this planet — which is to inspire and to provide opportunities for others to achieve their goals.”

The Creative Industries Expo, held at the Convention Center, is always a hit at SXSW.The expo showcases the latest technology, from electric vehicles and home assistant robotics to advances in audio speaker systems. The biggest takeaway from the expo in 2024: AI and VR continue to dominate the tech landscape.

Amy Web, CEO of Future Today Institute, told DMN, “Artificial Intelligence is the present, it’s here.”

Richard James Burgess, President and CEO of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), believes ‘it’s an interesting time for music,’ adding, “We’ve been in the streaming economy for a couple of decades now. We’ve been in the digital economy for a quarter of a century.”

“We’re at a sort of a turning point in the industry. There’s a lot of new interesting models being talked about — things that will ultimately make a big difference,” Burgess said.

Neeta Ragoowansi, President of the Music Managers Forum (MMF-US), spoke about the opportunities presented by SXSW 2024.We have all these artists’ managers coming in to mix and network, as well as labels, publishers, and DSPs. I see performing arts rights societies and sponsors and partners of all sorts coming in, so we’re really happy to be here,” Ragoowansi said.

With a focus on networking, learning, and unlocking opportunities, several other off-site events and day parties took place all over Austin during SXSW 2024 — providing the platform for up-and-coming artists and songwriters to showcase their music and make key connections in the industry.

SXSW 2024 took place on March 6-18.