What music lovers can expect at SXSW 2025

Every year, artists, musicians, filmmakers and titans of industry flock to the Texas Capitol City for one of the biggest festivals in the world.

First started up back in the late 1980s, South by Southwest was known as a place for creatives of all types to connect, share their work and hopefully break through. Over the years, the festival has gained a reputation as a place for entertainment and intrigue – and late last week, it officially kicked off.

Assistant Program Director and Live Music Booker for KUTX, Deidre Gott, joined the Standard for a music preview. She also gave listeners some recommendations for free live shows. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Texas Standard: Five years ago, one of the big things that marked the start of the coronavirus pandemic in a lot of people’s minds was the cancellation of SXSW, which was also a huge setback for live events in Austin. I want to ask, do you think we’ve fully recovered from that?

Deidre Gott: Have any of us really recovered? I mean, in all sense of the event, it’s back totally in person and there’s no like virtual sessions like they were doing. But yeah, I feel like it’s back in action for sure.

So you’ve been involved with booking and live music here in Austin for around 20 years. How would you say SXSW has changed over that time?

You know, it feels like it’s kind of gone back to its roots. There are no more giant inflatable stages with Lady Gaga playing. The brands that used to be able to pay these big artists to come in and then they would also play South By… that seems to be kind of going away. Lots of people are tightening their budgets.

But it’s really awesome because, you know, it’s more back to the discovery – bringing artists from all over the world and getting to see the next big thing. So that part’s been really cool.

And it’s kind of smaller and feels like a smaller gathering. So there’s not really any more giant long lines to things and you can get in things easier.

» RELATED: No SXSW badge? No problem. Check out these free or low-cost pop-ups during the festival

Oh my gosh, that’s amazing to hear. I think lines is what I’ve associated with South By for a while, so maybe I need to check it out again.

So are there particular shows or events that you’re looking forward to this year?

There’s lots of stuff. Of course, I’m looking forward to our morning broadcast that we do at Scholz Garten.

But in terms of official South By things, I think the coolest thing that has happened and still does have some big names is the Rolling Stone Future of Music showcase that they do for four days, Wednesday through Saturday, at ACL Live. And it does have badge and wristband priority. But pretty much anybody can get in if you get there in time.

So it’s kind of a mix of big names that you might know and some big up-and-coming artists on that one. 

Well, you mentioned KUTX, our music station in Austin, is putting on some live shows this year. What can people expect from that showcase? 

So that is Wednesday through Saturday. Each morning we’ve got four South By artists that play 30-minute sets. We broadcast it on KUTX and you can stream it online and you can show up in person.

It will be at the historic Scholz Garten, which is a couple of blocks from the Capitol. And it’s a benefit for the Central Texas Food Bank. So it’s a party for a good cause. 

» GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE: Sign up for Texas Standard’s weekly newsletters

So that one you do make a donation to get in. But we also promised up top some free shows. Do you have any recommendations for our audience? Maybe people who aren’t badge-holders and really just want to take advantage of the free goodies out there? 

Yeah, South By really expanded their free offerings this year.

The Radio Day stage, which used to be in the convention center, has moved out to Brush Square Park and that goes through Saturday. There’s a show every day from noon to 5 p.m., and then in the evenings they have the International Day stage on that same stage at Brush Square Park.

And then there’s also the South By Community Showcases, which is a lot of Austin-centric bands. But like at Lefty’s Brick Bar, which is just downtown at Sixth Street, all of their evening showcases are going to be free. And The Breaks, which is a KUTX hip-hop show, they have a curated lineup that’s happening Wednesday night at Lefty’s Brick Bar.

And then there’s like a Latin night one night, world night. So lots of really cool things that you can see there and support the Austin music community.

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.