The festival's cancellation is reportedly not covered by insurance, and there's no telling what the ramifications will be for the restaurants, hotels, and other businesses that look to the event—and the thousands of people it brings to Austin each year—as a major revenue source. (Not to mention the potential loss of an income stream for thousands of workers throughout the city.)
The cancellation is also going to have a sizable impact on the creatives from around the world who were looking to spread the word about their work at SXSW, including the five Portland-based artists booked for the music festival portion of this year's event: the Shivas, Casey Neill and the Norway Rats, Karma Rivera, as well as experimental Tuvan throat singer Soriah, and world music group Nahko and Medicine for the People. I reached out to each of them for comment, asking how the cancellation is impacting them. (Soriah and Nahko and Medicine for the People have not responded to the Mercury's request for comment.)
Rock 'n' roll band the Shivas are still planning on making the trip to Austin. "It's unfortunate how many people are going to lose money because this festival was cancelled," they say in a statement.
"For a lot of folks, SXSW is (at least) a week of solid work, and for some it's their bread and butter. For us it was a chance to go see a lot of people, play for them and hopefully cover the costs of getting there and being there by selling a handful of records at each of the dozen or so appearances we would make throughout the week. As of right now we are still going, and from everything I've heard, unofficial SXSW is in full effect. The big names are pulling out but the masses of show promoters and artists both official and unofficial are digging in their heels and trying to keep as many unofficial shows together as possible. SXSW only allows one official showcase this year, and almost everybody plays a number of unofficial shows around that. So in some sense the festival being cancelled for us just means we have 11 shows instead of 12. That 12th one was gonna be a doozy though."
Rapper Karma Rivera says "It’s a bummer for sure. I was definitely looking forward to performing and being a part of a major music festival like SXSW. I had plans to utilize SXSW to connect with bookers, agents, producers, or just music industry people in general. It is what it is though."
Folk-punk outfit Casey Neill (of Casey Neill and the Norway Rats) says "We are still processing the fallout from the cancellation but are certainly sad about it. I've been to SXSW a few times performing at day parties and other events but this was the first year my band was accepted to play the festival proper. That said, it's far better to know in advance as opposed to getting to Texas to find a diminished festival. SXSW operates in tandem with Austin so I fully respect the decision to protect the health of the community there. Most years, I play all over the US and in Japan and Europe... the broader implications for touring musicians are deeply concerning. I've already looked into booking more work closer to home. We have a big show ahead on March 12 at Mississippi Studios we are really looking forward to."
