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online geeks in attendance outweighed the traditional music industry weasels by nearly two-to-one.

SOUTH BY SO-WASTED

Is The Once-Great Conference Earning the Nickname "Austin Powerless"?
AUSTIN, TEXAS—They came, they saw, they listened, they ate, they schmoozed… and they definitely drank.

Hordes of journalists, record execs, online reps and fans boogied into the Texas capital last week to check out the hundreds of artists performing at South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival. The 14-year-old Austin-based confab, which opened Wednesday and closed Saturday, featured performances by Steve Earle, Cypress Hill, Elliott Smith, John Paul Jones, Reverend Horton Heat, Gomez, Sebadoh and other well-known artists, as well as scores you've never heard of.

Like previous years in Austin, bar-hopping and Bar-B-Q came first, and business--or even talk of business--came a distant second. But, for the first time, the meet’s focus has shifted and was noticeably heavy on online distribution and its inevitable affect on the music industry.

In fact, the online geeks in attendance outweighed the traditional music industry weasels by nearly two-to-one. With industry resistance to the pending future of downloadable music, the dot.com companies came out in force in search of content, preferring to deal directly with the artists in attendance than go through traditional record company channels.

Sure, the weasels retained their stronghold in the Four Seasons lobby--even as hotel staff pried drinks from their hands at closing time--but the convention floor, parties and shows were dominated by geekdom.

Unlike other music gatherings, SXSW continues to gather steam year-to-year. A lot of SXSW’s success relies on its recognition of the changing facets of the music business, and if this year is any indication, the conference is in good standing awaiting the online music revolution.

No word yet on whether the waning influence of the labels will have an impact on the price of lap dances at Sugar's.

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