The State of SXSW Music Fest + The Military’s Involvement In The Arts

We’re taking a look at the way SXSW is or isn’t living up to its reputation as a place for music discovery. And dive deep into the reaction to the military’s involvement in SXSW music fesival.

 

Prior to SXSW taking place, several musicians and panelists pulled out of the festival due to the US Military’s involvement as a “super sponsor.”. Some artists dropped their official showcases but remained performing at unofficial shows, while other artists dropped from the festival completely and did not make the trip to Austin, Texas. We look at the decisions of the artists, the conversations that happened on the ground at the fest, and why the military would be involved in SXSW in the first place. We also look at other arts and entertainment moments that the military was involved in and why, at the end of the day, art and war will always be at odds with one another.

 

 

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Want to talk more? Find us: @name3songs | @sara_feigin | @jenna_million

 

Sources for The State of SXSW Music Fest + The Military’s Involvement In The Arts

 

SXSW Addresses U.S. Army Sponsorship as Artists Protest 2024 Festival in Support of Palestine (Pitchfork, Matthew Strauss, March 12th, 2024)

 

Irish artists pull out of SXSW in solidarity with Palestine and protest of festival military sponsorship (Nialler, Cathal Ryan, March 11th, 2024)

 

U.S. Army Planned to Pay Streamers Millions to Reach Gen-Z Through Call of Duty (Vice, Joseph Cox, December 2022)

 

Katy Perry and the military-pop-cultural complex (The Guardian, Naomi Wolf, April 2012)

 

Netflix’s smash-hit romance Purple Hearts is a political hate-watch (Vox, Aja Romano, August 2022)