SXSW the brand is very powerful - if you are an artist, being able to say that you performed at SXSW means that you'll be able to book better/larger venues, and perhaps get a better deal with a record company.
As a result, there are several artists who show up each year and stage ad-hoc performances like the ones who played while being driven around on a trailer. They don't pay venue fees (a source of revenue for Austin), and are now say "We're cool - we played at SXSW". In other words, glomming onto the brand that SXSW has worked to create.
Austin PD will shut down unauthorized performances for this reason, as well as general crowd control & liability reasons. It's not because SXSW has become this big evil corporation - they're good people. But now that they're the size they are, they have to do certain things.
You'll see the same things happen at Fun Fun Fun Fest this fall, and for the same reasons.
OK, back to early-stage entrepreneurs. I got to (over)hear about a dozen elevator pitches, and it's still very much a happening scene. Compared to last year, I didn't hear the word "coupon" nearly as much. :)
I saw literally dozens of street performers and buskers around town that week, and I never saw any of them hassled. I think this had more to do with a product promotion in a SXSW venue, not the singers themselves.
Controlling who associates themselves with their brand is an entirely different issue and should be treated separately. Here it results in (at least in my mind) a devaluation of the SxSW brand because this is the opposite of what I thought it was supposed to represent.
Also, venue fees? Really? In a Hilton Lobby?
Edit: Actually the above is a largely moot point. Hilton called the police, which I would think has nothing to do with SxSW
Try going to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and pulling off that stunt there - you'll get more than just an earful from management.
SXSW is a big event. Whether or not it makes sense for startups has a lot to do with the people who attend and how you plan to get their attention, more than whether the conference organizers care to cater to the less well-funded.
The Austin Chronicle is a little out of place in that list of huge corporations.
In regards to stopping the impromptu musical performance: Could you imagine the chaos if every musician that wanted to could bust out on whatever street or hotel lobby they wanted during SXSW?
SXSW is a great place to launch -- if you have the right product. It doesn't have to cut through all of the buzz, just pique the interest of the right people. Now if you are talking about throwing a lot of money into a launch party or something like that, yeah, probably not the right place. You'll never spend enough money or come up with a gimmick that is going to garner more than a raised eyebrow.
But beyond that SXSW is a great place to get together with like minded people in a time and place that everyone has marked off as social time. The re-invigoration factor alone is worth the price of admission, IMHO.
Holy wow, overreact much? Sorry that your stunt didn't go over well, but this hyperbole is really unnecessary. True, South By has become more corporate, but it's still an epicenter of entrepreneurship, startups, networking, and discovery.
It is an absolute blast and a great time, but the OP is right on two points:
- Don't worry about FOMO. There is always something else going on, some better, some worse.. Don't worry about it and enjoy where you are and who you're with. The fastest way to piss off people is to ignore them and stare at your phone.
- Always begin with a plan. Make a list of people you want to meet and reach out to them in advance, check out the schedules and see if there are unofficial events you want to attend, and work really hard to get a hotel downtown.
But the other thing is always be willing to adjust.. don't schedule everything down to the minute. If you're in an interesting conversation, continue with it. If you meet someone you want to chat with and they're leaving, ask to walk them to the next location, etc.
SXSW is still great for meeting people serendipitously and getting a chance to meet with people from all over that would take weeks of travel otherwise.
I didn't have a badge the past 2 years and was able to attend anything that was actually worthwhile to attend.
Really, its pretty reasonable. With 40,000 undergrad students flooding into the city every fall, you have to keep crazy kids from playing impromptu shows on the street... even more so during SXSW since those are the same kids that want to be 'discovered' by record labels...
... or was that last decade when that mattered?
This year, I had Name Your Price popsicles, wore a decorated box, and stood on top of a cooler shouting for 7 hours a day. It was monumentally beneficial for networking and self-promotion. Everyday, I was shut down by the police for not having a permit, but I had an awesome experience nonetheless.
