Has anyone ever been put on "standby" for SXSW or NXNE?

[nrandall85]

My band got a message from NXNE today stating that we would be on the standby list, which means we could get called in to play the festival at any time if any number of other acts back out, from what I understand.

Does anyone know more about what this means exactly?

In other words, how excited should we all be on a scale of one to ten? Do they send this message out to everybody?

[nrandall85]

Bump for the daytime crowd.

Also, any advice for getting over the border for something like this is greatly appreciated.

[emdub123]

I don't have anything to add other than to say congratulations, it's an accomplishment no matter what happens.

[nrandall85]

Originally Posted by emdub123

I don't have anything to add other than to say congratulations, it's an accomplishment no matter what happens.

Thanks! I've got my fingers crossed (and it's about time I figured out how to cross the border with a band.)

We'll see how it turns out I guess.

[bartmcartman]

One of the highlights of my music career was playing SXSW. It's a great opportunity and helped open some doors. Congrats on being in the hunt! Our van was broken into while we were seeing a show but it still didn't take away from the experience. Now if my Tele or PRS would have been stolen I might feel different... Hope you get the call!!!

[Jazzydave]

I performed Fri night of SXSW last month and while it was a great experience and I'm glad I have it under my belt, I won't be back next year. I'll most likely take that week and head to the east or west coast for a mini-tour and to catch up with the radio stations spinning my album.

If you're just wanting the experience and have some fun, come on down and do that. If you're hoping to get signed or gain new fans, I believe there are more affective ways to spend that time and money. Even if you're on standby, you're going to spend several hundred bucks (if not $thousands) in hotel costs, food, travel, and time. Even the cheap hotels that are 40 mins away from Austin avg. $200+/night - that's for their smallest rooms.

Keep this in mind - there are 300+ (I'm being conservative here) artists/bands playing downtown every day. That's only downtown. Nearly every venue in Austin has music from sun up to sun down that week. It has also become a spring break location and I was told by an industry pro I know that this last year's SX was the craziest he's seen it and he's been coming since it started. People were rude, food and trash were thrown all over the streets, people out of their minds falling all over the place...it was a mess.

And...if that weren't enough, the music industry's not like it used to be. I was fortunate to be put on one of the "must see" lists which resulted in me being down there 8+ hrs/day having meetings with various producers, record labels, etc. If you're not already connected with the "other side of the curtain," the chances of you being noticed or approached are slim to none. As I was told, very few A&R folks are actually out scouting on the streets. Most industry people are there to meet with one another these days. It's the one time of the year they can all get together and discuss business. You'll find those cats in the lobbies of the Hilton and the Driskell Hotel...

Don't get me wrong, obviously they are there to find new artists but again, unless you're already in the know, your 45 min set at X club at 11AM on a Thurs morning probably isn't going to garner much attention. There are so many posters, fliers, and CDs crushed, crumpled, and blowing around that it's difficult to know who's where and when.

I'm sure this all sounds pretty negative but I've just seen so many artists get their hopes up, drive all the way down here, spend loads of cash they don't have, and be severely disappointed when they play their set, people cheer, and then they drive back home. I can't stress this enough - if it's for FUN and you're not putting too much weight into it, you'll have a better time.

IMHO, you're going to progress further with your band by using that money to produce a great album, get some radio time, etc.

Want to know how I got so much attention there? I spent my money on making an album, getting it on radio...