AUSTIN, TEXAS — Silicon Valley and Hollywood converge in Austin this week at the annual South By Southwest (SXSW)gathering. Traditionally a music festival for indie artists to gain greater fandom and label exposure, SXSW has increasingly become the playground for actors and tech icons alike. Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Jack Black are making appearances in the Texas capital, along with technology innovators such as America Online co-founder Steve Case and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.
The festival, launched in 1989 to draw attention to this city’s vibrant college music scene, has morphed into a magnet for Californians looking for fun and a chance to sell their wares to the college set. SXSW Interactive runs through Tuesday, giving way to the music and film festivals that run through Sunday; SXSW’s film portion ends Saturday.
But Austin might be losing some of its college/indie street cred with guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Norah Jones, Lionel Richie and a host of lesser names already receiving massive radio airtime in major markets. Add tens of thousands of techies, filmmakers, actors to the mix, all angling to discover — the next breakthrough hit in technology, film or music – and SXSW suddenly becomes an event that celebrates the mainstrea, an event that could act to ignore true creative innovation.
More than 50,000 are expected to attend SXSW over the 10-day festival period.