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South by Southwest (SxSW hereafter), in Austin, Texas, is going on through Sunday. This huge event focuses on music, film and interactive productions. It features concerts and other performances, panel discussions and a number of other events related, at least nominally, to independent (and therefore, by definition, obscure -- at least pre-Web 2.0) recording artists, filmmakers and what I'll call, for lack of a better term, multimedia artists.

It began as an effort to get local (i.e., Austin-area) bands signed to major record labels. That's the kind of indie/DIY ethic in which I came of age as a musician and deejay, so it resonates with me.

SxSW has been kind of a model for Greensboro's own ConvergeSouth, which focuses more on multimedia than music or film (although it has featured such performances/screenings). Two of the people most responsible for the birthing of ConvergeSouth, Jay Ovittore and Ben Hwang, have suggested that ConvergeSouth might grow into an event like SxSW, an annual appointment for people in these particular areas of creativity.

But at least one SxSW veteran is telling us to be careful what we wish for.

One of my oldest friends, Liz DeBord, grew up in Texas and has largely lived there (and lived large there) since. Pre-parenthood, she attended SxSW regularly. I e-mailed her today about yesterday's Davidson loss in the NCAAs (she also went to Davidson) and said something along the lines of, "Well, maybe I shoulda gone to SxSW," which prompted her to respond at some length. With her permission, I'm posting her e-mail below:

What's Wrong With SXSW

Every year, people spend more and more time bitching and moaning about SXSW. Are we right? Let's look at the evidence:

• SXSW was created to showcase new bands and help them get signed to record labels.
• The panels were geared towards helping bands figure out marketing, contract negotiation, songwriting, touring, etc.
• Bands performing at showcases were, typically, unsigned with a few big shows featuring special perfomances by bands such as Sonic Youth or Patti Smith. Rarely were there performances by big industry bands. Patti Smith may have been inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame this week, but she's never been mainstream, so her relevance and that of someone like Sonic Youth to SXSW is showing young bands that, yes, you can make a living off of music without being a top 10 artist.
• SXSW featured bands from all over the world, but also really supported Texas bands.
• Showcases could really make a band and bands would scrimp and save to be able to get a badge to send one of their members to SXSW panels.
• Wristbands could be purchased at a reasonable price ($50 to $75) and you could get into shows without a badge. You could walk down Sixth Street and stop in two or three places to see different showcases.

But that was then.

Pete Townshend is the keynote speaker this year. And he's relevant to new music exactly how? Sure, he's a Rock God. I'm not disputing his place in the pantheon of rock royalty. It's great that SXSW is big enough to attract Pete Townshend, but it's also indicative of exactly what is wrong with SXSW.

There are still tons of how-to panels. But a panel called "Nick Drake Remembered"?!@$*&? Please. He's a guy who had a posthumous hit in that VW commercial from a few years ago.

The showcases feature more and more bands who are already signed and who are edging out homegrown talent.

Getting a wristband is nigh on impossible, particularly if you don't live in Austin. Even if you do live in Austin, you'd better be on your toes. If you have a 512 area code (which they double check), you have to sign up for a special text message to be sent to you. At which point you had better be prepared to drop everything to run over to Waterloo Records to purchase your limited to two wristbands at $150 each in person, cash only.

If you have a friend in town who can get you wristbands but who can't house you, you'd better have booked a hotel room a year in advance if you want to be anywhere near the city.

And, even with a wristband, badgers are given priority (rightly so, but they aren't the ones who buy records), so there are an increasing number of venues where you'll get shut out. And forget about trying to go to more than one venue a night. You're better off abandoning the wristband and picking a venue that also has a cash door option, and parking there for the night.Get there early.

I used to come back from SXSW with a huge pile of CDs, purchased from the bands themselves. Now, it's a huge traffic jam and you have to wait hours to eat, hours to get in anywhere, etc. Five years ago, you could already see the signs that it was getting too big to be really fun. And it's just grown exponentially from there.

I'm not sure you want an event to aspire to be SXSW. Because SXSW is more about the music industry than the music.

You really want to know what's wrong with SXSW? This year's big free concert in Waterloo Park is Jefferson Starship.

Now, don't get me wrong. I wish only the best for ConvergeSouth. I've been a presenter or moderator in the '05 and '06 editions. I'm glad my employer is sponsoring it. Although I'm probably not going to take part this year, I'm glad to promote the event on my blog (and that was my choice, not my employer's). I think the people behind it want the best for Greensboro and are working hard to create some of that.

But Liz raises an excellent point: Is SxSW II really the best model for Greensboro?

That's not a rhetorical question, and I'd like to see some wrestling with it, here or elsewhere, sooner rather than later. Because the event will continue to succeed. That success will attract the attention of entities whose visions won't necessarily align with what's best for Greensboro. And it's worth remembering that the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he did not exist.

The Devil might take the form of an oh-my-God-sized corporate sponsorship, or broadcast worldwide on a cable or satellite channel (I subscribe to XM, whose Channel 43 is broadcasting SxSW live as I type this). And any of these things, or all of them, wouldn't necessarily be bad.

But it's better to have that talk now than to have to make hurried and perhaps unwise decisions later. "Creativity on the Web for all people" is an exciting vision and a noble mission. But it needs the most clear-eyed and unromantic protection possible.