Although still reeling from our 25th Anniversary, SXSW Music and Media Conference and Festival, one of the largest, most influential, and most anticipated music events of the year, is ready for 2012! At SXSW 2011, over 16,000 music industry professionals attended compelling panels, industry discussions, demo listening sessions, trade show exhibits, and our first year of an expanded six nights of music by just over 2,000 acts representing 57 different countries, performing at over 90 venues in downtown Austin, Texas. For 2012, SXSW plans on keeping with our tradition of continuously outdoing ourselves by bringing you even more of the absolute best mix of brand new, up-and-coming, international and legendary musical performances, planted all over Austin in bars, clubs, parks, churches and anywhere else we can think of. Once again we plan to make it a must not miss event.

To get an even better feel for SXSW Music Festival, check out this year's growing showcase schedule here.

Photo of 2011 Showcasing Band Cults by Amy Galena.

SXSW Music Festival Alumni Include: Against Me! • Lily Allen • Tori Amos • Austra • The B-52's • Erykah Badu • Band of Horses • Devendra Banhart • David Banner • Beach House • Beastie Boys • Beck • Ben Folds Five • Tony Bennett • Big Boi • Big K.R.I.T. • Big Star • Andrew Bird • Black Eyed Peas • The Black Keys • Black Rebel Motorcycle Club • James Blake • Blue Cheer • Blur • B.o.B • Bomba Estereo • Bon Iver • Billy Bragg • The Bravery • Bright Eyes • Broken Bells • Broken Social Scene • David Byrne • Hayes Carll • Neko Case • Johnny Cash • Cat Power • Cheap Trick • !!! • Choc Quib Town • Chromeo • The Church • Circle Jerks • Clinic • George Clinton • Clipse • Cold War Kids • The Cool Kids • The Crystal Method • Cypress Hill • Kimya Dawson • Dead Prez • Death Cab For Cutie • Death From Above 1979 • The Decemberists • Deer Tick • DEVO • Ani DiFranco • Dinosaur Jr. • Dirty Vegas • Dixie Chicks • The Dresden Dolls • The Drums • Duffy • Duran Duran • Steve Earle • Echo & The Bunnymen • Roky Erickson • Explosions in the Sky • Eyehategod • Perry Farrell • Flaming Lips • Fleet Foxes • Flogging Molly • Florence and the Machine • Flower Travellin' Band • Foster the People • Franz Ferdinand • Fucked Up • Fugees • Girls • Gomez • Grandaddy • David Gray • Grizzly Bear • Guided By Voices • Hanson • Emmylou Harris • Ben Harper • PJ Harvey • Mayer Hawthorne & The County • Richie Hawtin • High On Fire • The Hold Steady • Hole • Ice Cube • Interpol • Joe Jackson Band • Wanda Jackson • Jandek • Daniel Johnston • Norah Jones • Rickie Lee Jones • Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings • Jurassic 5 • Wiz Khalifa • The Killers • Kings of Leon • Kinky • Kris Kristofferson • La Gusana Ciega • Daniel Lanois • Little Richard • Local Natives • Lucero • Maldita Vecindad • Mastodon • Metallica • Metric • Mexican Institute of Sound • MGMT • Mission of Burma • Modest Mouse • Mogwai • Janelle Monáe • Morrissey • Motörhead • MSTRKRFT • Mumford and Sons • Muse • My Morning Jacket • N.E.R.D • Willie Nelson • Neon Indian • Neon Trees • New York Dolls • Randy Newman • Joanna Newsom • Noah and the Whale • NOFX • Okkervil River • Yoko Ono • Ozomatli • The Pains of Being Pure at Heart • Panic! At The Disco • Passion Pit • Carl Perkins • Katy Perry • Peter Bjorn and John • Iggy Pop • Ray Price • Psychic TV • Public Enemy • Queens of the Stone Age • Robert Randolph • The Rapture • Redman • R.E.M. • Smokey Robinson • Raphael Saadiq • Ximena Sariñana • SFDK • She & Him • The Shins • Silversun Pickups • Sleigh Bells • Elliott Smith • Patti Smith • Sonic Youth • The Sonics • Spoon • St. Vincent • Stone Temple Pilots • The Stooges • The Strokes • Sublime • Supergrass • Surfer Blood • System of a Down • Tech N9ne • Pete Townshend • tUnE-yArDs • Ike Turner • TV On The Radio • UGK • Uncle Tupelo • Vampire Weekend • Volován • Rufus Wainwright • Tom Waits • M. Ward • The White Stripes • Widespread Panic • Wilco • Lucinda Williams • Amy Winehouse • Wu-Tang Clan • the xx • Yeah Yeah Yeahs • Yo La Tengo • Zoé

Photo of Tyler the Creator of OFWGKTA at SXSW 2011 by Bronson Dorsey.
Photo of Bob Geldof at SXSW 2011 by Amy Price.