One of the frequent complaints and criticisms in the Austin Tejano music community is the lack of Tejano or Conjunto music presented at big festivals like South by Southwest and ACL Fest. It's also one of the questions, along with "where can my band play in Austin?" that we are most frequently asked. These are events that draw artists from all genres from all over the world, yet for some reason, one would be hard-pressed to find a Tejano artist on any of the showcases.
Well, we would like to do our best to change that. We will have two approaches...
1) We have submitted a panel discussion proposal through the PanelPicker on the topic of the challenges Tejano and Conjunto music and musicians face in Austin and beyond. The panel will include a variety of activists, media and other individuals. The PanelPicker relies on a good percentage of public vote, so we will be reaching out to Tejano fans everywhere to make this happen.
2) We will attempt to demystify the application process for Tejano and Conjunto musicians through a series of Facebook Live webinars. We will discuss the application process, application due dates, and even walk through the application in a screenshare. While we cannot guarantee a place in an official SXSW showcase, we can certainly help our bands understand the selection process and finally address the big question of "Why isn't there ever any Tejano at SXSW?" Dates will be posted on the calendar soon.