Catch J Noa on A rolling stonePresenting the Future of Music on Wednesday (Photo by Laurent Leger Adame)
After the pandemic wiped out a number of previous activations in the two-year festival hiatus, South by Southwest — with music-focused dates stretching from March 11 to 16 — has developed some new concert events. Along with the return of events from Audible, Billboard, Porsche and more, second annual mini-festivals from A rolling stone and Jaded offer particularly notable free, open-to-the-public lineups.
The Chronicle spoke to the organizers behind the two about their sophomore year at the festival.
Dylan Gossett (Photo by William Basnett)
A rolling stoneThe future of music
After demonstrating in past years, A rolling stone upped the ante last year with the launch of their multi-day Future of Music concept at ACL Live at the Moody Theatre. The upcoming edition, March 12-15, features daily headliners Teezo Touchdown, Peso Pluma, Flo Milli and Faye Webster, as well as Austinites Dylan Gossett and Jackie Venson on March 15. The showcase is open to SXSW badges, and those without festival credentials may qualify on a first-come, first-served basis.
From the early festival talks, A rolling stone CEO Gus Wenner says, “We were developing this new editorial franchise at the same time, and it was really natural to bring that to life at SXSW.”
While some artists are taking the stage in Austin, digitally A rolling stone covers will debut behind them on screen before the now annual issue of Future of Music hits the stands in April. As for what exactly an “editorial franchise” is, Wenner points to the magazine’s concept of Musicians Interviewing Musicians, which is distributed in print, video, podcasts and at events.
In 2017, Wenner led the sale of A rolling stone of Penske Media Corporation, which acquired a 50% stake in SXSW in 2021 as the festival faced pandemic-induced financial struggles. ( Chronicleco-founder and owner Nick Barbaro also co-founded SXSW.) Wenner, the son of A rolling stone co-founder Jann Wenner says the companies’ shared ownership has “definitely” helped shape the future of music. “Our incentives are aligned creatively, and being somewhat under one umbrella makes it really easy to have that conversation and work together,” he says.
At SXSW, A rolling stone also partnered with the company behind Poo~Pourri for an activation featuring live music and an inflatable 30-foot poop. After a challenging year for music and culture journalism outlets, Wenner says connecting personally with readers is critical. “Our whole goal is to think like a multimedia company. Our driving force and our soul is journalism and our perspective on the world, music or otherwise – but from there we have to be super multimedia, and events are really important,” he says.
“I’m not saying that should be every media company’s strategy, but it’s certainly where we’re focusing — especially at a time when you look around and it can look pretty bleak on the outside.”
Audrey Noone (Photo by Mia Andre)
Jaded’s FRIENDS: FOREVER
In a serious brand alignment with alternative K-pop group Balming Tiger and pain reliever Tiger Balm, brand new entertainment company Jaded debuted Cheer Up Charlies last year. The showcase, dubbed the Tiger Den, was billed as the first all-day event in the festival’s history to feature exclusively Asian artists. Unlike mainstream showcases like Japan Nite and Taiwan Beats, Jaded co-founders Jing Wang and Cathleen Cher, both veteran SX-goers, aim to connect both Asian American and international artists.
“Our approach has always been a little different because we firmly believe that demand should come from the desire to see art, not from the desire to support the country,” said Wang, who previously held positions at Apple and Sony Music . “It’s true fandom in terms of loving something about music instead of wanting to support Korea or Japan.”
For their second year, Jaded expand to two days at the Empire Control Room & Garage for a new showcase FRIENDS: FOREVER. The lineup, which will be free and open to the public before 7 p.m., includes artists such as Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna, Alice Longyu Gao, Reality Club, mui zyu and TENGGER. Co-founder Cher highlights headliner SE SO NEON as a Korean indie rock band largely unknown to American audiences.
“They don’t do K-pop, and that’s very intentional on our part because we want to be able to showcase artists who are breaking down barriers,” says Cher, whose former creative agency worked with Frank Ocean and Megan T. Stallion. “Like, you know, being able to showcase music that’s just good.”
Some artists on the lineup would eventually land on Jaded’s roster as a label services company, an increasingly popular alternative to traditional record labels focused on marketing and other a la carte offerings.
Wang is unfazed by Jaded’s aspirations to eventually launch its own ticketed music festival, which, like FRIENDS: FOREVER, won’t have “Asian” in the title.
“We’re deeply, almost obsessively, about not emphasizing that ‘all-Asian,'” says Wang. “The whole idea is that it’s an extremely thoughtful, carefully curated line-up that aims to showcase just great music across genres, and the fact that they’re all Asian is something, but it’s not the main thing.”
Looking beyond the big names? Stay tuned for Chronicle the music team’s picks for 30 Breakout Acts to See at SXSW Music in next week’s issue and online soon.
