The festival got a lot of flak for its partnerships last year from pro-Palestinian musicians who dropped out of the festival in protest.
Artists boycotted SXSW en masse in 2023 because of the festival's partnerships with the U.S. Army and another defense contractor.after learning the U.S. Army and defense contractor RTX, formerly Raytheon, were sponsors. Nearly 120 artists canceled their sets, arguing the festival shouldn't be associated with RTX specifically, as it has"After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model," the statement reads.
"We thought this victory was going to be a harder road. We thought it was going to take longer. We were actually gearing up a campaign for South by Southwest 2025," she said."But I want to say that we welcome this move from South by Southwest, and we realize that it may result in financial losses to them."
Artists also banded together last year to protest the festival's wages, which have historically been low. Austin percussionist and drummer Thor Harris has played SXSW Music for decades. Harris was one of hundreds of artists who called on the festival to raise wages which it eventually did —announcing a new pay structure last summer.
Harris said this and the festival's decision to waive application fees for local musicians on the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians were a testament to musicians' ability to flex their muscle as the"soft capital" that keeps the festival aloft.
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