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• 2014 SXSW PanelPicker tip: your video is important
• Be part of the SXSW V2V Mentor Program
• SXSW Eco programming announced June 20

We knew sparks were gonna fly at this one.

Using David Lowery's explosive blog response on the current state of artists' rights in the digital age last summer as a jumping off point, Daryl Friedman VP of Advocacy, The Recording Academy organized a panel of musicians to speak directly to those points, specifically aiming to hear directly from working musicians.

• Slim Whitman dies
  Obituary from AP via Miami Herald.
• Google might be experimenting with music playback in search results
  Post from Music Industry Blog.
• Bravado takes on Beatles merch rights
  Story from Variety.
• Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' draws criticism
  Story from The Hollywood Reporter.
• M.I.A. talks about label problems
  Story from The Guardian.
• Low's Sparhawk defends droning festival set
  Story from Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
• Black Sabbath earns first #1 album
  Chart watch from Billboard.

Registration for the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival opens on Thursday, August 1. Early-bird cost to register for the event will be at least $695. But, why spend your hard-earned cash when you can obtain a badge at no charge? That's right, you can win a FREE FREE FREE registration for the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival in March in Austin by taking part in this simple social media campaign.

To be eligible to win, create a tweet that describes what innovation means to you. The tweet must include the hashtag #sxswv2v (and we all recommend also using the hashtag #innovation). Our staff will pick one tweet from all that use this #sxswv2v hashtag -- and the person who created this tweet will get a comp badge. To be eligible to win, tweets for this campaign must describe your concept of innovation and must be posted by 11:59 pm central time on Wednesday, June 19.

Only two weeks until Monday, July 1, when we begin accepting speaking proposals for the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival.

We expect to receive more than 3000 total entries via this year's interface, so the competition for speaking slots will be fierce. How can you ensure your proposal will get high marks via public voting, as well as in Advisory Board and staff feedback? One of the most basic keys for success is proofread proofread proofread!

To this end, we are often amazed at the number of PanelPicker proposals we receive that include misspellings, poor punctuation, incomplete sentences, bad grammar and an assortment of other typographical problems. These kinds of errors are always serve as a red flag -- if you don't have enough attention to detail to catch these mistakes in your speaking application in July, then it is not likely you will have enough attention to detail to pull off a successful speaking slot in March.

2013 Showcasing Band Parquet Courts. Photo by Maggie Boyd

Apply to be considered as a performer for SXSW Music Festival 2014 earlier than ever!

In an effort to ensure thoroughly reviewed submissions and inform applicants of their status sooner, the official Sonicbids application platform will open a month earlier this year, on July 9 for only $33. After September 7, the application fee will be raised to $45.

Please take note- the final submission deadline is also earlier (October 11), so don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of the SXSW 2014 lineup.

Check Sonicbids on July 9 to submit.

Brandon Kinder of The Rocketboys
at SXSW 2010
(Photo by Rita Quinn)

Written by Dempsey Jones

Austin-based indie rock band The Rocketboys released their third full-length album, Build Anyway, in June of 2012. After their first two full-length albums, and a complete band split, The Rocketboys continued with more heart and inspiration than before.

As a young high schooler in Abilene, Texas, I remember seeing The Rocketboys when they were Homer Hiccolm and the Rocketboys playing at local coffee shops in town. I loved them and all they represented for a small town like Abilene. As their talents strengthened and their dreams developed, The Rocketboys took themselves to Austin to pursue more opportunities.

• Lil Wayne steps on flag during video shoot, criticism ensues
  Story from NY Daily News
• MTV wants to be wanted
  Story from NY Times.
• Pink Floyd put catalog on Spotify after fan challenge
  Story from The Guardian.
• Andrew WK to attempt world drumming record
  Item from NME.

Quick access to your need-to-know SXSW information!

• SXSW V2V Meet Up tonight in Los Angeles
• PanelPicker entry process opens Monday July 1
• T-Shirts & More: Buy cool SXSW merchandise

The inaugural SXSW V2V conference in Las Vegas begins in just over 50 days-- have you purchased your registration yet? Scheduled August 11-14 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, this exciting event brings together startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and digital creatives for four days of learning, sharing, networking and career-enhancing connections.

Speakers at SXSW V2V 2013 include Micah Baldwin (Graphic.ly), Scott Belsky (Behance), Stephanie Burns (Chic), Amber Case (Esri R&D Center), Steve Case (Revolution), Jake Colvin (National Foreign Trade Council), Dustin Curtis (Svbtle), Aziz Gilani (Mercury Fund), Frank Gruber (Tech Cocktail), Christine Herron (Intel Capital), Tony Hsieh (the Downtown Project), Peter Kazanjy (TalentBin), Natalia Oberti Nogurea, Tim League (Alamo Draft House) and many many others.

The inaugural SXSW V2V conference in Las Vegas begins in just over 50 days-- have you purchased your registration yet? Scheduled August 11-14 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, this exciting event brings together startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and digital creatives for four days of learning, sharing, networking and career-enhancing connections.

Speakers at SXSW V2V 2013 include Micah Baldwin (Graphic.ly), Scott Belsky (Behance), Stephanie Burns (Chic), Amber Case (Esri R&D Center), Steve Case (Revolution), Jake Colvin (National Foreign Trade Council), Dustin Curtis (Svbtle), Aziz Gilani (Mercury Fund), Frank Gruber (Tech Cocktail), Christine Herron (Intel Capital), Tony Hsieh (the Downtown Project), Peter Kazanjy (TalentBin), Natalia Oberti Nogurea, Tim League (Alamo Draft House) and many many others.

The inaugural SXSW V2V conference in Las Vegas begins in just over 50 days-- have you purchased your registration yet? Scheduled August 11-14 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, this exciting event brings together startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and digital creatives for four days of learning, sharing, networking and career-enhancing connections.

Speakers at SXSW V2V 2013 include Micah Baldwin (Graphic.ly), Scott Belsky (Behance), Stephanie Burns (Chic), Amber Case (Esri R&D Center), Steve Case (Revolution), Jake Colvin (National Foreign Trade Council), Dustin Curtis (Svbtle), Aziz Gilani (Mercury Fund), Frank Gruber (Tech Cocktail), Christine Herron (Intel Capital), Tony Hsieh (the Downtown Project), Peter Kazanjy (TalentBin), Natalia Oberti Nogurea, Tim League (Alamo Draft House) and many many others.

Space exploration proved to be one of the dominant themes at the 2013 SXSW Interactive Festival. An incredible keynote from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk led off this quest for galactic glory. Austin's own Richard Garriott eloquently explained "The New Golden Age of Human Spaceflight.", and registrants enjoyed touring the James Webb telescope on the lawn of the Long Center.

Jim Dickinson was a badass.

From his production work with legendary Memphis musicians to his impressive 1970 solo debut with Bob Dylan, Carl Perkins, and more, Jim's life was packed with incredible, often rowdy stories.

photo by Justin Burnham

Thanks to all the gaming enthusiasts who turned out for the WIGI (Women In Games International) S.T.E.A.M. Punk Party on Wednesday, June 12 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. SXSW Gaming proudly served as a co-host of this June 12 event and we enjoyed meeting many of the 3000+ E3 attendees who turned out en masse for this amazingly entertaining evening.

• Jay Z announces release of Magna Carta Holy Grail
  Item from The Guardian.
• Summing up Bonnaroo
  Post from The Tennessean.

photo courtesy of Case Foundation

The innovative approach to kids clothing taken by North Carolina textile company Lolly Wolly Doodle has begun to generate a fairly significant buzz. As noted in the Wall Street Journal, "At a time when major retailers grapple with the fallout from outsourcing apparel manufacturing to developing countries, a small, rapidly growing children’s apparel upstart is proving that clothing can be made locally and at scale, by leveraging technology such as Facebook and the concept of just-in-time manufacturing."

This buzz has led to a $20 million investment in Lolly Wolly Doodle from Revolution Growth, a fund led by Steve Case. Speaking to the WSJ, Case cited how impressed he was by the company's innovative business model: "The money they save by eliminating the inventory risk is pretty significant. This has the potential to be a billion-dollar company."

20 FEET FROM STARDOM
24 Beats per Second, 2013
Peeps are raving about the amazing ladies of 20 Feet From Stardom. This inside look at the world of the back-up singer gives these powerful voices center stage.
June 14

Hailing from the land of why-oh-why-Ohio, Cloud Nothings hearken back to the days of post-punk yore.

The brainchild of one Dylan Baldi, the band's infectious tunes and smashing sets have taken him from his parents' basement to multiple SXSW appearances.