SXSW festival unfazed by economic woes

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8 (UPI) -- The 2009 SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas, has not been significantly impacted by the recession, a South by Southwest organizer says.

SXSW Managing Director Roland Swenson said while the economic downturn has had some visible impact, the March 18-22 music festival has remained relatively steady in terms of sponsorships, registrations and press credentials, dfw.com said Sunday.

"We've been in business for 22 years -- this will be our 23rd event -- so we've weathered a number of recessions over the course of our career here. Nine-11 was a real big dip for us; this isn't as bad as that, at this point," said Swenson, referring to the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. "So it's nothing we haven't dealt with before -- we're not really panicking or anything like that."

The SXSW musical festival is part of SXSWeek, which includes a film conference and interactive festival during its March 13-22 run.

Swenson told dfw.com the state of the economy could actually help this year's festival.

"I think because money is tight, when that happens it weeds out the hangers-on," Swenson said. "I think the people that are coming are very serious about having a productive business experience here."