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S X S W
South by Southwest ( SXSW ) is a set of film , interactive , and music festivals and confereces that take place every spring ( usually in March ) in Austin , Texas , United States .
SXSW began in 1987 , and has continued to grow in size every year . In 2011 , the conference lasted for 10 days , with SXSW Interactive lasting for five , Music for six , and film running concurrently for nine days .
South by Southwest is run by a company , called SXSW Inc . , that plans and executes conferences , trade shows , festivals and other events . In addition to the three main South by Southwest festivals , the company runs two other conferences , both also in Austin : SXSWedu , a conference on educational innovation , since 2011 , and SXSW Eco , an environmental conference , also since 2011 .
SXSW Music is the lagest music festival of its kind in the world , with more than 2,500 "official" performers / bands playing in more than 100 venues SXSW Music offers artist-provided music and video samples of featured artists at each festival via their official Youtube channel .
SXSW Film is a film festival , focusing on new directing talent .
SXSW Interactive is focused on emerging technology , a focus which has earned the festival a reputation as a breeding ground for new ideas and creative technology . According to a festival organizer Louis Black , SXSW Interactive "has probably been the biggest of its kind in the world" since 2007 .
The music event has grown from 700 registrants in 1987 to nearly 12,000 registrants . SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive events have grown every year , most recently bringing around 15,000-20,000 registrants to Austin every March .
Collectively , SXSW is the highest revenue-producing event for the Austin economy , with an estimated economic impact of $167million in 2011 .
Slow Magic / Covervette Cassette - SXSW 2013 Showcasing Artist
