Some artists plan a SXSW boycott over ties to defense contractors. Here's what we know.

Omar Gallaga
Updated ·4 min read
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TC Superstar poses for a portrait before an "Austin City Limits" set in 2021. "In light of SXSW being sponsored by the US military, we’ve canceled our official SXSW shows in solidarity with Palestine," the band wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday.
TC Superstar poses for a portrait before an "Austin City Limits" set in 2021. "In light of SXSW being sponsored by the US military, we’ve canceled our official SXSW shows in solidarity with Palestine," the band wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday.

A group of artists who were scheduled to perform at the South by Southwest Music Festival next week say they are boycotting SXSW in solidarity with Palestine and in protest of the festival's inclusion of defense industry contractors and a U.S. Army sponsorship.

The artists include Squirrel Flower (the stage name of Ella Williams), Shalom, Mamalarky, TC Superstar and Eliza McLamb. Ella Williams apparently inspired others to drop SXSW with an Instagram post announcing the decision.

In the Monday post, Williams wrote: "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. 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.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has now killed at least 1 in every 75 inhabitants of Gaza, including 12,300 children. The International Court of Justice has ruled that this plausibly amounts to genocide. Genocide profiteers like Raytheon supply weapons to the IDF, paid for by our taxes. A music festival should not include war profiteers. I refuse to be complicit in this and withdraw my art and labor in protest. I will still be playing unofficial showcases, and I encourage them all to take a vocal stand against SXSW. I encourage my fellow musicians to do the same."

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, McLamb said: "I will never put my name on or perform my labor for an event in service of the US war machine, and especially not now as they continue to fuel the ongoing violence against Palestinians. Blood money has no place in music."

Other artists who said they are dropping their showcases include Proper, Greg Freeman, The Curls and Merce Lemon.

Austin-based group Big Bill, said it didn't apply to SXSW due to a previous pay increase protest but chimed in on Instagram about the current boycott: "But propping up a festival that embraces war profiteers that are actively aiding in a current genocide? That’s something we could never do." The band said it's doing a series of "ANTI-SXSW" shows.

The American-Statesman has reached out to SXSW for a comment about the protests.

Austin-based group Big Bill performs at the Creek and the Cave during SXSW last year. The band, which chose not to apply to SXSW this year because of labor issues, has been outspoken about the festival's ties to defense contractors and the U.S. Army. The group is planning a series of "ANTI-SXSW" shows.
Austin-based group Big Bill performs at the Creek and the Cave during SXSW last year. The band, which chose not to apply to SXSW this year because of labor issues, has been outspoken about the festival's ties to defense contractors and the U.S. Army. The group is planning a series of "ANTI-SXSW" shows.

Which defense groups are the SXSW artists protesting?

Raytheon, now known as RTX Corporation, is a subsidiary of defense contractor BAE Systems, which, along with RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace, is also being protested by Austin For Palestine Coalition. The local group set up a webpage calling on the festival to disinvite those companies. It's asking people to email SXSW to urge the organization to also reconsider the involvement of Defense Department entities.

Another contractor, L3Harris, is a content sponsor of SXSW, and it is holding an innovation forum, according to its website.

Didn't SXSW have a separate boycott last year?

Last year, SXSW faced protests and a boycott over what artists are paid to play at the festival. In July, SXSW said it was raising the pay for showcasing artists to $350 for bands and $150 for solo artists, increasing those rates by $100 and $50 respectively. SXSW also allows artists to forgo payment to get a wristband that gives them access to conference and festival programming. A SXSW representative said at the time that 90% of acts chose the wristband for the 2022 festival.

Is anyone else boycotting SXSW?

Back in January, filmmaker Doug Liman said he was boycotting the SXSW premiere of his "Road House" reboot because the studio behind it, Amazon, won't be doing a theatrical run of the movie. The star of the movie, Jake Gyllenhaal, said he supports Liman, but he also believes that Amazon's decision on a theatrical run had been made clear.

What about "Boycott," the movie?

Interesting, there's a movie on the SXSW Film schedule called "Boycott," but it's completely unrelated to the defense-industry boycott. It's a documentary about people who have sued in cases where they had to choose between their job and their personal beliefs, according to the SXSW synopsis.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: SXSW artists announce plans to boycott over defense contractor ties