As fans of music and new media can tell you, the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX is to music and new media what the Sundance Festival is to film. SXSW began life as an indie music festival way back in 1987, but in subsequent years it became a gathering place for techies, indie filmmakers and media wonks of all stripes.
Nevertheless, one of the major draws of the fest remains the roster of up-and-coming indie musicians. This year’s Opening Day Bash Sampler is already available for digital download, and it’s FREE!
This digital CD features such indie bands as bluesy rock outfit The Wedding Present, house-music infused Tycho, and Bright Moments, a band that is at turns folksy, celtic-inspired, latin-flavored, and just generally hard to classify—but never boring. There’s something for everyone here, and since the CD is free, why not give it a listen?
Last year’s SXSW 2011 New Music Sampler and Nail 2011 SXSW Sampler are also both available for free download. Click here for even more free indie music samplers.