SXSW organisers have confirmed it has cut ties with the US army and other weapons manufacturers.
The decision comes after several artists pulled out of the festival’s 2024 edition due to sponsorship deals with the aforementioned entities.
“After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model,” SXSW said in a statement. “As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.”
Earlier this year, acts such as Kneecap, Squirrel Flower, Mamalarky, and Scowl pulled out of SXSW Sydney 2024 due to the festival’s affiliation with the US army.
“I am pulling out specifically because of the fact that SXSW is platforming defense contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the US Army, a main sponsor of the festival,” Squirrel Flower’s Ella Williams wrote on Instagram at the time.
After acts started pulling out of the festival, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (SXSW is held in Austin every year) defended the sponsorship, telling the departed artists “don’t come back.”
That led organisers to insist “SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott,” but they did initially defend the sponsorships.
SXSW “fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech,” organisers said in March. “The defense industry has historically been a proving ground for many of the systems we rely on today. These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies, and we believe it’s better to understand how their approach will impact our lives.
“The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world. In regard to Collins Aerospace, they participated this year as a sponsor of two SXSW Pitch categories, giving entrepreneurs visibility and funding for potentially game-changing work.”
However, following the protests the sponsorship caused, organisers have opted to end the partnership ahead of the 2025 edition of the festival.
In related news, more exciting up-and-coming artists were added to the SXSW Sydney 2024 music program earlier this week.
Artists from Australia, Aotearoa, South Korea, India, and many other countries will make their way to Sydney this October. The event’s programming team Reg Harris and Ruby Miles selected the artists from over 1200 submissions.
