"Free is the new black," said musician and lecturer Martin Atkins in a speech this afternoon kicking off the music festival at SXSW.
Atkins’ discussion of the changing of state of the music industry connected to many of the ideas about audience interactivity discussed during the film and interactive components of the conference. (Although the film festival technically concluded yesterday, screenings run through the weekend.)
As hundreds of musicians crowded into the Austin Convention Center and disparate rock sounds blasted out of nearly every street corner in the downtown area, Atkins picked up on the increasing trend of self-marketing professional musicians.