AUSTIN, Texas, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The 27th annual South By Southwest Music Conference and Festival commences Tuesday, March 12 and runs through Sunday, March 17. In what has become an annual milestone for the music world, an estimated 20,000 convention attendees and thousands of performing musicians will journey to Austin, Texas, to immerse themselves in every aspect of music and its attendant business. The activities in the Austin Convention Center, which begin on Tuesday March 12th are a valuable resource that cater to music industry professionals. By day, the 190 conference sessions will include rare glimpses into the business acumen of notable industry professionals who have successfully navigated the music world for many years.

The 2013 SXSW Music Conference is the core component of the event, and covers business and creative issues in music. Highlights this year will include: Dave Grohl's Keynote on Thursday, March 14 at 11:00 a.m.; SXSW Featured Speakers will include Clive Davis, Stevie Nicks, Jim James, Deadmau5 & Richie Hawtin, 50 Cent, Depeche Mode, Eric Burdon, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Zombies, Chuck D, Bootsy Collins, Jared Leto, and Omar Souleyman. Other panel participants will include Kenny Loggins, David Lowery and Talib Kweli.

Panel titles include Silicon Valley Isn't the Enemy Anymore; The Power of Lyrics in the Digital Age; Friends with Benefits: Converting Likes to Sales; UK 101: How to Break Your Band in the UK; When Music Startups Grow Up; Music Festivals Powered by Tech Innovation; Girls and Tech: Why Young Women Rule in Music; Jingle Is Not A Four-Letter Word; Activists, Rockstars & Startups: Building Movements; The Promise Land: Can Africa Save The Music Biz?; The Explosion of EDM in America; and Red Menace: Cuba's Heavy Metal Underground. In addition to these featured speakers and panels, SXSW will also host Demo Listening Sessions and the new Music Supervisor Pitch Sessions. For more information on this new session, please visit [http://sxsw.com/music/sessions/demo-listening-pitch-session].

Artist Central returns this year featuring programming specifically geared towards musician participants. Clinics offered include a Songwriter Session with Richard Thompson; Skunk Baxter's popular Guitar Clinic; Digital Marketing Bootcamp; and Kickstarter 101. Mentor Sessions offer registrants an opportunity to talk one on one to industry professionals.

New this year, all SXSW music credentials will be welcome to attend conference programming on Tuesday, March 12 with a special track of content focused on those pushing the boundaries. From the Deadmau5 and Richie Hawtin conversation to fresh data and analysis from Nielsen and much more, this unique convergence programming will take place on the 4th floor of the Austin Convention Center as well as the Long Center located across from Auditorium Shores.

Also taking place in the convention center are the Music Gear Expo [http://www.sxsw.com/trade-shows/music-gear-expo], The Radio Day Stage [http://www.sxsw.com/music/sessions/radio-day-stage], and The International Day Stage [http://www.sxsw.com/music/sessions/intl-day-stage] all running Wednesday, March 13 - Saturday, March 16. The Music Gear Expo will host exhibitors showcasing guitars, drums, amps, pedals, keyboards, apps and other equipment necessary for today's musicians in Exhibit Hall 5. Strait Music will be on hand to sell instruments by Expo exhibitors as well as useful accessories. A complete list of participants can be found at http://www.sxsw.com/trade-shows/gear-expo/exhibitors. The Radio Day Stage presented by ASCAP is a favorite place to enjoy performances from showcasing artists, grab a drink, connect to free wi-fi and relax. SXSW has partnered with some of the most innovative radio stations including Columbia's Radionica, KCRW, KCSN, KUTX, WFUV, WXPN, The Current, KXT as well as SXSW's own SXSWfm all of which played a major role in curating the shows. The newly minted International Day Stage located in Ballroom G will host some of SXSW's most diverse talents from across the globe. The line-ups consist of Norwegian Hip-Hop specialists Karpe Diem, Canadian electronic group Shout Out Out Out, Mali's own folk collective Terakaft & Tinariwen, and many many more.

Returning this year is the Music Startup Village [http://www.sxsw.com/music/startupvillage/about] bringing together the startups, entrepreneurs, investors and cutting-edge digital tastemakers within the SXSW Music Conference. This space will showcase the various startup events including SXSW Accelerator, panels, meet ups, lounges, pitch events and mentoring sessions related to this unique startup, entrepreneur and investor community. The events takes place on Wednesday, March 13 from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. in the Austin Convention Center.

For more information on every aspect of SXSW or to register for the conference, please access our website at http://sxsw.com/music.

SXSW Music 2013 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Sonicbids, Monster Energy, Esurance, IFC, Yahoo!, Doritos, Pepsi, freecreditscore.com, Chevrolet, American Airlines, AT&T and The Austin Chronicle.

For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Derczo, musicpress@sxsw.com, 512/467-7979 x 209

SOURCE SXSW Music Conference