AUSTIN, Texas — (CultureMap Austin) It's a yearly tradition: South by Southwest approaches and artists tap into gripes and grudges about the corporate wizard behind the curtain. Some of those hesitations are rearing their heads again, but the new issue turning artists against organizers is war profiteering.
A small (but doubtless growing) number of artists have pulled the plug on their official 2024 appearances, citing the conference's ties with the United States Department of Defense and the weapons manufacturer formerly known as Raytheon (in part via RTX Corporation subsidiary Collins Aerospace). Criticism of this country's military industrial complex has reached a fever pitch as the White House continues to back Israel's 150-day-plus bombardment of Palestine, using weapons made in and bankrolled by the U.S.
Ella O'Connor Williams, a.k.a. Squirrel Flower, has spearheaded a small chain reaction on social media. The Chicago-based solo artist posted a series of slides on Instagram detailing her dissent. She shared that she will still be playing unofficial shows, and encouraged other artists and venues to follow her lead. At the time of this article's writing, the post has garnered more than 8,000 likes and a long thread of overwhelmingly — if not completely — supportive comments.
"nooo ur gonna miss out on the Million Dollar Weekend: The Surprisingly Simple Way to Launch a 7-Figure Business in 48 Hours panel discussion," wrote one commenter, with heavy sarcasm.
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"I have decided to pull out of my official SXSW showcases in protest of SXSW’s ties to the defense industry and in support of the Palestinian people," wrote Williams on March 4. "There are many ways SXSW is harmful to working musicians, but 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."
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