interactive and music sittin' in a tree

The lore is true. There was a time when SXSW Music was a dating game for bands and labels. Now, it's a lot of signed bands (mostly, but not completely!!!) and earning a reputation as "spring break for the music industry." I'm not knockin' SXSW Music as it is now; i hope more and more bands get smart deals, new fans, a lot of gigs, and new relationships out of all their SXSW 2008 endeavors. I'll be there. ....at the Rotary Downs show.

i digress.

Flash forward. To now.

Welcome to South By Southwest 2008, where as far as the dating game is concerned, the fabulousness of new signings shifted over to SXSW Interactive. Expect lots of product and application launches at SXSW 2008 hoping to be this year's storybook twitter in the sky. Will they get signed on the spot? who can say (that's Mike Arrington's gig). The record industry pushes out "units" and downloads, technology builds products, all within the frame of a hopefully_sustainable business.

but conceptually, like every other sociological phenomena, it's all the same. Products and their passionate participants, bands and their fans who love them..who are now building products for the bands that they love.

Happy New Year!