Fallout From SXSW Cancellation Continues

Laying Off Staff; No Refunds

SXSW pulled the plug on this year’s event last FRIDAY (NET NEWS 3/6). The organization revealed to THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE that it has no insurance policy to cover such a cancellation. Thankfully, their non-insured status was not affected, since the closure was brought on when AUSTIN city officials declared a local state of disaster.

In light of the cancellation, it has been learned that the SXSW workforce is being cut by a third.

According to MUSIC BUSINESS WORLDWIDE an official statement released reads, “Due to the City of AUSTIN’s unprecedented and unexpected cancellation of the SXSW 2020 events in MARCH, SXSW has been rigorously reviewing our operations, and we are in the unimaginable position of reducing our workforce. Today (3/9) we said goodbye to approximately one-third of our full-time staff. Those of us in the business of live events know the level of trust required to execute an event of SXSW’s scale, and we are deeply sad to let people go this soon. We are planning for the future and this was a necessary, but heartbreaking, step.”

The event was supposed to start today (3/13), with over 160,000 people expected to attend.

As for those expected attendees, in a message on the SXSW TWITTER account, promoters said, “We’ve learned that if there’s anything more difficult than producing an event, the magnitude of #SXSW, it’s cancelling one.” They continued, “Our stated registration policy has always been no refunds, but due to this unprecedented situation, we are offering the following:

• Defer your badge to 2021, 2022, or 2023, and
• Get 50% off the walk-up rate in an alternate year of your choosing between 2021 and 2023
• This offer is non-transferable and available only to you

More on this story as it develops.

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