SXSW has always been about the music and the people who make it happen. This year, we are proud to launch Artist Central, an area featuring programming specifically geared towards our musician registrants. Whether you're a pro or beginner, you're sure to learn something new. Attend clinics on digital recording software by instructors from Berklee School of Music, as well as instrument clinics on guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and more. Receive personalized input by scheduling one-on-one meetings with the mentor of your choice at one of our popular Mentor Sessions, now located in Artist Central. Catch a Shorty, a series of fifteen minute short form presentations presented in one hour single theme blocks.

Artist Central is open to all artist wristbands, Music and Platinum registrants, and will run from Wednesday, March 14 - Saturday, March 17 in Ballroom E of the Convention Center.

Wednesday, March 14

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Shorties Session: Band Member Basics
Hear a variety of 15-minute "Shorties" presentations on the basics of surviving and succeeding as a band. To cap it off, a presentation of the Seattle Band Map, a visualization of the connections between the hundreds of bands of Seattle, past and present.
Band Agreements: Nancy Prager, Attorney & Counselor at Law, Nancy C Prager Esq
Fair Play- From First Gigs to Working With Promoters: Horace Trubridge, Asst General Secretary, British Musicians' Union
Organizing Your Band's Songwriting Credits/Percentages: Trevor Gale, Sr Dir of Writer/Publisher Rel, SESAC
Seattle Band Map Presentation: Keith Whiteman

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
SXSW Featured Speaker: Martin Atkins
Martin Atkins, author of 'Tour:Smart' and 'Welcome to the Music Business: You're Fucked,' is both extremely funny and very smart. If you or someone you know is a touring musician, Martin will arm you with strategy and tactics necessary to maintain sanity and keep gas in the van. Blueberry muffins will fly through the air.
Martin Atkins, Owner, Tour:Smart

3:30 - 4:30
Artist Central Clinic: Keys/Synth
Learn the ins and outs of complex synth and keyboard setups with tips, techniques, gear walkthroughs and tone/sound design from synth master and electronic artist Seth Haley, a.k.a. Com Truise.
Com Truise

5:00 - 6:00
Making Money, Making Records and Keeping Your Cred: Austin Musicians Spill Their Secrets
Some of Austin's most successful musicians discuss how they've managed to break out beyond the Austin scene, continue to make records, license their music, and grow their music - all without having to get a day job or sell their soul. Oh, and you can do it too. Let them tell you how.
Alex Maas, Black Angels
Jim Eno, Spoon
Adrian Quesada, Grupo Fantasma
Graham Reynolds

Thursday, March 15

1:30 PM - 2:30
Social Media Best Practices for Musicians
Facebook and Twitter. Pretty much every panel at SXSW will be talking about them to some degree, and you know how valuable and vital they can be to an musical career and a musician's connection to fans. But just having an account isn't enough, and today there are unspoken rules and powerful tools that you can harness with each network. How do you get noticed? How do they differ? But what are the best ways to connect without annoying fans? Our expert speakers will explore social marketing best practices, étiquette on a small scale, and tailor their talks to one social network. Carl Jacobson of Nimbit will speak for 30 mins on Facebook, followed by Todd Tate of SF MusicTech Summit speaking for 30 mins on Twitter. Expect a LOT of great tips and guidance for musicians on these crucial networks.
Carl Jacobson, VP of Mktg, Nimbit Inc
Todd Tate, Community Architect, SF MusicTech Summit

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Shorties Session: The Studio Experience
Renowned producers Kevin Augunas, Doug Boehm, and Clif Norrell have worked in the studio with some of the biggest artists on the planet, and they'll be sharing their experience with you. In this Shorties session, each will speak for 15 minutes on a different aspect of the studio setting, designed for artists to get the most out of their recording experience. A general 15-minute Q&A will follow.

Pre-Production: Kevin Augunas, CEO, Fairfax Recording
Kevin feels that pre-production is where the record is really made, and will often focus more time on pre-pro than recording. In his words, "The recording process should just be like taking a picture of what’s there already." Maximizing Studio Time: Doug Boehm, Producer
Many musicians simply have a lack of understanding about the recording process. In order to help them increase their studio productivity and make it an enjoyable experience, Doug will dish out advice on minimizing costs and headaches by maximizing studio time.
Mixing/Engineering: Clif Norrell, Producer, Supersonic Music
Clif will describe the process and techniques used to make a great sounding recording, the role of the engineer throughout the project, and how musicians can help improve the sonic quality of their recordings, whether they are working with an engineer/mixer, or doing it themselves.

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Artist Central Clinic: Reason
Erik Hawkins of Berkleemusic (a.k.a. electronic music artist and composer, Erik Hawk) will be discussing song production workflow in Propellerhead’s Reason software. Throughout the presentation, he’ll be sharing general sound design and production tips and tricks, such as those heard in his DJ-friendly dance floor tracks and numerous film and TV song placements. He will also discuss his award winning online courses and what students can expect to experience and gain from the Berkleemusic online learning community. If there is time, the floor will be open to questions and an interactive music production activity.
Erik Hawkins, Course Instructor/Author, Berklee College of Music

5:15 PM - 6:15 PM
Shorties Session: Licensing for Musicians
Working musicians want to know how to tap into the potentially lucrative licensing market, so we've gathered three renowned players ito discussdifferent aspects of licensing, geared towards helping musicians. From basics on how licensing works, tricks/tips on accessing that market, to who musicians can look to help them facilitate these connections - all topics that our attending musicians will find useful and walk away better informed about how to use licensing to their advantage.
Danny Zook, Alien Music Services
Marcus Peterzell, EVP Ent, Ketchum Inc
Ron Broitman, SVP/Head of Synchronization, Warner-Chappell Music Inc

Friday, March 16

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Feel Better! Treating Performance-Related Pain
What do athletes and musicians have in common? Pain from performance. In fact, the number of musicians temporarily sidelined by injury is quite high. In this session, a pain management specialist with extensive training in complementary and alternative medicine will discuss how to prevent as well as treat common performance-related injuries such as hand, neck, jaw and back pain. Get practical advice on avoiding common misuse and over-use injuries. Learn low-tech techniques to treat common injuries. Learn how to preserve your health so you can feel better and play better!
Renata Marinaro, Dir of Heath Svcs Eastern Region, The Actors Fund
Marc Brodsky, Stamford Hospital

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Artist Central Music Video Feedback Session
Artists: Got a great music video that deserves attention? Want feedback from successful artists and industry pros? Join us in the Artist Central room for an hour-long session, where our panel co-hosted by Andrew WK will be viewing and giving critiques, opinions, and feedback on your submitted music videos. As a corollary to our very popular Demo Listening Sessions, musicians can sign up with a link to their video 30 minutes prior to the panel (artists must be present to submit), we will draw from the user-submitted video entries at random, play the video on a projector, and our three panelists will give their opinions, what they liked, and what could be better. No guarantees are made that all submissions will be reviewed, and speakers will view as much of the video as they deem necessary to form their comments. They provide their opinions both for the artists and for the rest of the registrants on the panel. Their opinions reflect the range of reactions that these professionals have, and are intended to be constructive. Please treat the speakers with respect. It is at the discretion of the speakers whether or not to engage in dialogue directly with the artist during the session. We look forward to a fun, helpful time with three really outstanding panelists at our first-ever Music Video Feedback Session.
SEND YOUR MUSIC VIDEO LINK (YouTube, Vimeo, etc) to: musicvideofeedback@sxsw.com
Andrew WK
Emmett Malloy, Director
Jacqueline Castel, Director

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Artist Central Clinic: Pro Tools
David Franz will discuss Pro Tools concepts, production techniques, and the new features of Pro Tools 10, using a song he co-wrote and produced that is the theme song for USA Network’s “Fairly Legal” TV show. Some specific topics will include recording strategies, Pro Tools system optimization, editing and mixing techniques, and the use of virtual instruments. At the end, he’ll give a quick overview of educational possibilities for learning Pro Tools at a high level.
David Franz, Course Instructor, Berklee College of Music

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Artist Central Clinic - Ableton Live
Berkleemusic.com’s Loudon Stearns will demonstrate the skills necessary for performing with Ableton Live. This session will cover the essential techniques that all laptop performers need to know: the Live Session View, warping songs, mapping, MIDI configuration, Effect Racks, and preparing a Live set. Though Live can work with any MIDI controller, this session will show how to use an Akai APC40 to control nearly every aspect of a live laptop performance.
Loudon Stearns, Course Instructor, Berklee College of Music

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Artist Central Clinic: Screenprinting Your Gig Poster
Witness a fast paced, hands-on demonstration of the steps involved in designing and printing a gig poster. Check out how to manipulate an image digitally and how to work a screen press. Gig posters are still a fundamental marketing tool in live music promotion, and have grown in importance and value, performing triple duty as advertising, merch, and a worldwide art movement. Get the low down on some hot squeegee-on-paper action.
Andy Macdougall, Squeegeeville.com
Luke Drozd, UK Poster Association

Saturday, March 17

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Artist Central Clinic: Mash-up Masterclass
Pioneer of the very concept of a "mash-up", DJ Z-Trip has graciously agreed to share his secrets with us, in his first ever Mash-up How-to Clinic. Spend an hour and learn the basic concepts of creating the mash-up, from choosing the right songs and transitions to isolating tracks and pitch control. This is a unique opportunity to learn skills from one of the world's best DJs.
DJ Z-Trip

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Artist Central Clinic: Guitar
Best known for his work with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is one of the foremost studio-bred guitarists to emerge from the Seventies. Although his trademark beret and handlebar mustache give him the visual aura of California mellow, Baxter is a formidable and engaging mind. When not playing sessions, he serves as a national security analyst. Baxter offers an engaging presentation that covers guitar playing and theoretical physics.
Jeff Baxter

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Artist Central Clinic: Vocals
Legendary vocalist for The Cult, Ian Astbury, will deliver an hour-long clinic-style presentation on the the voice as an instrument. This once-in-a-lifetime discussion will range from tips, techniques, warm-ups, how to keep healthy on tour, frontman advice, and stories - a treasure trove of info that fellow vocalists could walk with, all from a singer who will play to thousands of fans that very night!
Ian Astbury
Martin Atkins