SXSW Splits with U.S. Army as Sponsor Following Artist Boycott Over Gaza Violence

Samantha Bergeson

26 June 2024 at 1:00 pm·3-min read

The 2025 SXSW Festival will be all that it can be, sans a few sponsors.

SXSW announced that a “sponsorship model” overhaul is taking place, with the festival no longer having financial ties to the U.S. Army or any weapon-manufacturing companies.

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“After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model,” the website states. “As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.”

IndieWire has reached out for additional comment.

Penske Media Corporation (PMC), through a joint venture with MRC (P-MRC), is the majority shareholder of SXSW. PMC is IndieWire’s parent company.

South by Southwest recently announced a SXSW London Edition for June 2025 — its biggest expansion ever. The tentpole stateside edition will take place in Austin from March 7-15, 2025.

The United Musicians and Allied Workers organization, along with the Austin for Palestine Coalition, deemed the SXSW announcement to be a “major campaign victory.”

“MAJOR CAMPAIGN VICTORY! The @A4PCoalition + UMAW campaign demanding that SXSW drop weapons manufacturers and war profiteers is successful!” the United Musicians and Allied Workers’ Twitter page posted. “This is a huge win accomplished by the hard work of activists & the principled artists who withdrew their labor in solidarity with Palestine.”

More than 100 artists boycotted the March 2024 SXSW music festival amid the Gaza violence between Israel and Palestine, including bands like Squirrel Flower, Good Looks, and Scowl, Gel, and Glare.

Not everyone is a fan of the festival’s decision for 2025.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted, “Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back. Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command. San Antonio is Military City USA. We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”

“SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott,” a representative for the festival tweeted in response. “We are an organization that welcomes diverse viewpoints. Music is the soul of SXSW, and it has long been our legacy. We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech.”

The SX tweet continued, “Across the globe, we are witnessing unspeakable tragedies, the rise of repressive regimes, and the increasing spread of violent conflict. It’s more crucial than ever that we come together to solve these greater humanitarian issues.”

The festival acknowledged the sponsorships of the Army and defense contractor Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of weapons-manufacturer RTX Corporation (formerly known as Raytheon).

“The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world. In regard to Collins Aerospace, they participated this year as a sponsor of two SXSW Pitch categories, giving entrepreneurs visibility and funding for potentially game-changing work,” the post reads. “We have and will continue to support human rights for all. The situation in the Middle East is tragic, and it illuminates the heightened importance of standing together against injustice.”

SPIN and the U.S. Army collaborated with an activation featuring bands comprised of military veterans during the 2024 SXSW Festival.

SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott. https://t.co/fOHHn9r5BG
— SXSW (@sxsw) March 12, 2024

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