SXSW 2026 music fest artist applications open, pay sees no change for the 1st time since 2023
AUSTIN (KXAN) — South by Southwest 2025 wrapped up just over three months ago, but planning is already underway for next year’s conferences and festivals.
SXSW Music Festival applications for artists are officially open, and this is the first time since 2023 that compensation for showcasing artists has not increased year-over-year.
According to the music festival showcase application page on the SXSW website, “showcasing artists will receive a SXSW credential package, consisting of SXSW credentials for each band member and one manager,” or, “domestic (U.S.) acts can choose to receive monetary compensation ($400 total for full bands consisting of three or more performers or $175 total for a solo/duo act) in lieu of the SXSW credential package.”
The same was offered for SXSW 2025 showcasing artists.
Artist pay/compensation at SXSW has been a topic of contention among local musicians for years, with many music industry workers saying they’re underpaid by the festival for the work they put into it.
A multi-part investigation looked into SXSW’s financial effect on the community and the paychecks of those who help make it happen.
Pay has been incrementally increasing for SXSW showcasing artists over the last few years; something the ousted former president of the organization said they wanted to continue.
“I think that, fundamentally, you know, our mission statement is South by Southwest helps creative people to achieve their goals. We want to, long term, be able to get more compensation for these artists that are the lifeblood of South by Southwest. We maybe can’t get there as quickly as they would like us to get there, but we will get there eventually,” former SXSW President Hugh Forrest said in early April, weeks before he no longer worked at the company.
In 2023, SXSW agreed to raise pay rates for eligible bands from $250 to $350 for the 2024 festival, and raised solo artist rates from $100 to $150. That came after a national musicians’ union – United Musicians and Allied Workers, or UMAW – launched a “Fair Pay at SXSW” campaign.
SXSW again raised rates in 2024 for the 2025 fest. Bands’ pay went from $350 to $400, and solo/duo artists’ from $150 to $175.
Still, local music industry workers say SXSW is one of the periods that hits hardest when it comes to affordability within the industry in Austin, which over the last decade or so has seen a significant portion of its workers move further away from the entertainment district in Austin due to rising costs, according to the 2022 Greater Austin Music Census.
KXAN has reached out to new leadership at SXSW several times to ask if the goal of continually increasing artist pay remains, but we have not received a response.
It’s worth noting that within about a month of SXSW 2025 wrapping, several long-term SXSW leadership staff members had departed. Along with Forrest, Music Festival VP James Minor and VP of Communications Lillian Park are no longer with SXSW.
Brian Hobbs, previously Director of Music Programming, is taking on the role of Music Festival VP after working with the music programming team since 2012.
A news release from Hobbs on Wednesday detailed the artist application process, including application fees.
Early application fees are $35 until August 12. Beginning August 13, the application fee will be $75. Artists who apply to perform at SXSW 2026 will be notified on or before Dec. 16 if they’re chosen for a showcase, according to the SXSW website.
Next year’s SXSW Music Festival will run concurrently with the SXSW Innovation Conference and Film & TV Festival for the first time ever. The music fest portion will include one more night than previous years, but it will not see a secondary weekend, like it has in the past.
