On Thursday, I went to one Music session in the morning, one Interactive (Journalism) session in the afternoon, and filled the rest of the day with music. It’s always fun to watch the SXSW crowd changes from geeks to music fans…and now there are definitely more creative types around town!
Zane Lowe
I only wandered into this Music Keynote session since I had some time to kill. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that Zane Lowe was an thoughtful and enthusiastic speaker. He is a DJ and producer, and so he interspersed his talk with music sound clips. He talked growing up in New Zealand and first becoming interested in rap and hip hop. He was able to interview many artists as they toured “down under” and eventually got a job with MTV. He gave his perspective about the recent history of the industry as it related to technology, recording platforms, marketing, and distribution deals. He noted that mainstream radio is a backbone for local communities, but if music is a passion, listeners now choose streaming. Notable quotes: “Now you [artists] can dream big, if you want it.” and “Music is restless, always searching.” Lowe received a standing ovation at the end of his talk.
The War at Home: Trump and the Mainstream Media
Panelists Dan Rather (CBS, News & Guts), Katy Tur (MSNBC/NBC), Matthew Dowd (ABC), and Brian Stelter (CNN) discussed how the media should practice journalism in the world of Trump. First, each panelist gave their thoughts on this topic. Tur noted that journalists have an obligation to investigate, both on the left and the right. Rather does not feel this is a “war” with Donald Trump. He said: “A journalist’s role is, not to be balanced, but to be accurate.” Dowd thinks this is an exciting time to rebuild the media industry, however our country does not have a common set of facts today. Stelter does feel that there is a war against the media’s credibility, but consumers are more engaged with news brands now. After their introductory remarks, they opened the conversation up to audience questions. Rather advised that reporters should continue to expose the truth, ask the tough questions, and ignore diversionary tweets. Tur had followed Trump’s campaign and believes that the Trump supporter was frustrated and did not feel represented. Rather recommended to check facts against AP or Reuters, long-established news-gathering organizations. Dowd thinks that the media should be focusing more time on Trump’s enablers. Rather’ advice is not to demonize each other. Stelter said that it’s difficult to find impartial guests for his show, what he calls “Trump translators.” Dowd observed that this is a global phenomenon that many people feel that they are being left behind by technology. He noted that media needs to be more culturally diverse and Tur added that consumers need to read more diverse information as well.
I heard that baby goats in a stroller and a pet kangaroo were seen on Sixth Street today. I didn’t see those, but there was a horse walking down Second Street.
Lady Antebellum with (Mike) Busbee and Nicole Galyon at the CMA Songwriters Series
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