CMJ vs. SXSW – A Comparison

Now that I’ve attended two of the nation’s (and maybe world’s?) premiere music conventions, I have seen the pitfalls and high-points, and know what works at these events for me, and what doesn’t. Below, you’ll find my comparison of CMJ and SXSW; there are critiques and kudos where appropriate, with my overall insight at the end.

Guest edited by Zack Teibloom

Venues, Pt. 1

SXSW: Austin venues tend to work in unison with the convention to host SXSW-official showcases all week. So at SXSW, if you’ve got a badge, you get priority entrance into shows, you don’t have to pay any kind of cover, and it allows you to easily venue-hop and catch as much music as possible. Wristband holders are next in line, and also (theoretically) can jump around and avoid paying cover. Finally, people who decide to wing it can buy tickets to specific shows at the door. (Or, if you’re Festival Crashers, you find other ways.)

CMJ: Some of the venues worked with the festival, but others branched off and followed their own rules. Badges stand in line with regular ticket holders, and some venues don’t allow you in at all without a ticket. While city locals probably love this because it allows them to get in to see their favorite act, it’s difficult if you’re a member of the press trying to cover specific shows for a publication. There’s nothing wrong with a fan-focused festival, but since it seems like CMJ is trying to be somewhat press-focused a la South By, I can envision a lot of aggravated folks who bought their badges (which are $495 at full price) and then got turned away from shows they really wanted to see or were supposed to cover. Luckily, I only ran into this problem once – I wasn’t able to get in to the Two Door Cinema Club show, because it was tickets-only. Still, I think people just need to be aware of these policies before they drop mad money for a badge.

Edge: SXSW

Venues, Pt. 2

CMJ: Way more spread out in New York than Austin. There are a handful of places squished together in and around Ludlow, but if you’ve got a must-see act at the Mercury Lounge at 8pm and another can’t-miss at 10pm somewhere in Brooklyn, good luck. I felt like a good portion of my time at CMJ was acclimating myself to my surroundings, getting lost trying to find that one little bar in Chinatown, or on a subway headed to a different area.

SXSW: One of the great things about Austin being a little smaller is that every venue is pretty much within walking distance from every other venue. There isn’t much to be done about this, of course; it’s just a perk of having SXSW in a big-little city. I’m able to catch quite a few more shows, because everything is close by. Of course, it might help if I were a native New Yorker and didn’t spend so much time getting lost and finding my way again.

Edge: SXSW

Cities

SXSW: I love Austin. It’s my beautiful home, the weather is almost always gorgeous, and it’s a hot spot for awesome music, awesome people and general all-around awesomeness. SXSW occurs at the perfect time of year, when things are beginning to bloom but it remains cool because of lovely afternoon showers. On a personal note, I also love SxSW week because it always lands on my birthday – what better way can a music fan celebrate than with tons and tons of live music??

CMJ: That being said, there’s no place like New York City. Between run-ins with all kinds of musicians, actors and directors to a constant barrage of cool, creative and fun stuff to do, see, eat and drink, it’s just a magical place with a stunning skyline that tugs at your heart strings every time you cross one of the myriad bridges from Brooklyn to Manhattan. To host CMJ at the perfect fall moment, when it’s cold but not too cold (and actually looks like autumn), and to have participating venues in both Brooklyn and Manhattan – it’s an out-of-towner’s NYC dream.

Edge: CMJ

People

CMJ: All of the people I met at CMJ were friendly, excited and interested in what was going on around them. However, most of the people I met at CMJ were not native New Yorkers. I’m not going to uphold the stereotype that the people of New York are unfriendly; I honestly don’t believe that’s true. However, the population of perfectly-coiffed hipsters that lined Ludlow every evening to literally stand around fashionably, stare at you as you walked by and judge you was something I’d not experienced to that level of intensity in Austin.

SXSW: Between that and the self-conscious arms crossing that occurred at 90% of the shows I attended, I’ve gotta say that Austin crowds win. Music fans in Austin can be a little hipstery at times, but for the most part, if a band gets people going, they’ll hoot, holler, dance, whistle and applaud with reckless abandon. The two exceptions to this NYC generalization came at the Phoenix show (because, I mean, really, you’d have to have been dead to be still) and at Dan Mangan’s performance, when he managed to get the whole room singing with him on a song.

Edge: SXSW

Underprepared for Underage?

Another issue I have with both festivals is the lack of under-21 showcases. Although I am well past the point of having to worry about that, my friend Pooneh (who’ll be 21 in January, woo!) ran into problems at every corner. I don’t run a venue, so I don’t really understand much about liquor licenses and how difficult it is to be the kind of venue to just put a giant “x” on someone’s hand vs. not allow them in at all. But I also feel like CMJ, being the College Music Journal, after all, should have a few more under-21 gigs. People generally don’t reach the golden age of 21 until their junior year of college, so to have a festival focused on college music that only has a smattering of shows for the underaged seems a little off balance.

Edge: Neither

Overall, I absolutely adored CMJ. The fabulousness of so many more bands I’d never heard of coupled with the excitement of being in New York made it a total win, and press bonuses like the PureVolume House, getting into most of the shows I wanted for free, and even getting the chance to get Phoenix tickets, had I not already bought mine, was awesome. The check-in process was easy, and even though the judginess of the hipsters could be intimidating at times, that crowd made for some of the best people watching ever. I would totally recommend CMJ to any music lover; you get to discover new music, meet great people, make important connections and lasting memories, and all in one of the greatest cities on the planet.