Thousands of people are in Austin this week for SXSW, aka South by Southwest, and hundreds of bands are vying for their attention. This week’s podcast assesses the value of attending these sorts of events.

Making Connections, Raising Michigan’s Musical Profile: SXSW is attracting thousands to Austin this week and that’s part of the RSVP Music Chat. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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The music portion of the much-hyped South by Southwest international festival and conference in Austin, Texas, officially kicks off today.
Literally, several hundred bands – including many from Michigan – are making the rounds, trying to make an impression, aiming to network with industry professionals, rubbing elbows with other artists.
A few weeks ago, artists from across the country gathered not in Texas, but in Kansas City, for the Folk Alliance International conference, looking to make a lot of the same kinds of connections.
But is it worthwhile for a band from say, West Michigan, to invest the dollars, time, resources and gasoline to attend these sorts of events when hundreds of other acts are competing for attention from many of the same industry representatives, labels, booking agents, promoters and media outlets?
In the latest edition of RSVP Music Chat, aka Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast, the answer seemed to be “Yes,” with some caveats.
Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles and Local Spins publisher John Sinkevics have participated in SXSW and Folk Alliance events; their observations and impressions of these conferences/festivals formed the centerpiece of the latest RSVP Music Chat discussion.
You can read more about why some West Michigan artists — including The Accidentals and Seth Bernard — have traveled to SXSW this week to spread word about the state’s music here: A ‘powerful music scene’ on the rise: Michigan bands ready to shine at SXSW in Austin
Listen to the full RVSP podcast here and follow Local Spins coverage of Michigan bands at SXSW in Austin all week at Local Spins. And if you have a comment on this episode of RSVP Music Chat or a suggestion for a future podcast, leave your remarks by clicking on the SpeakPipe voice message system below. You could be part of the next chat.
RSVP Music Chat No. 13
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Check out previous RSVP Music Chat podcasts here and sign up for Local Spins podcasts via iTunes and never miss an episode. Email john@localspins.com to sponsor RSVP Music Chats.
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