What do you do when there are war profiteers in your indie music?

The bags are packed, the plane tickets to Austin, Texas, bought. The money has been raised over the course of months to send you and your band to play South by South West (SXSW) - one of the most influential and important festival showcases in the music industry. For any artist, this is a huge deal – for international artists, even more so. Careers can begin from a show at SXSW: most recently a notable Dutch group scored a deal with a notable UK label off the back of a SXSW set. You check your phone, and you see it. The festival is being sponsored by the United States Army, alongside defense contractors with ties to Israel’s bombing of Gaza, and artists are boycotting. What do you do?

This is a question that must have arisen in conversation within a number of Dutch indie groups I rather like this week that, as far as I currently know, are en-route to Austin as I write this. I’m not going to name anyone in this article from the scene here – bands, labels, artists, because this isn’t a hit job. I’m lucky that I’m not in the position that my band is being asked to perform at SXSW this year, and so I am free to all the moral high ground I can eat in one serving. I also know that writing this article can only hurt my own band’s opportunities in a scene this small. But I also can’t not write about it.

It is very strange for the largely unimportant world of indie rock to be involved with anything remotely important at all, ever. Dutch indie rock, even more so. I also make my home, and music here, in what is relatively (despite my love for it), a bit of an indie rock backwater, and international festivals such as SXSW offer a gateway to a much wider international audience and larger market for alternative music. SXSW however doesn’t really pay its artists, and it’s an incredibly expensive trip to haul musicians and their gear there. For these bands, its maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity – the chance to shine on an international stage, up there with the best of them, and share their music. Nevertheless, SXSW is being sponsored by the US Army (one of Isreal’s largest backers, and a ‘super-sponsor’ for the festival) and has ties to RTX (formerly Raytheon) and its subsidiaries, the world’s second largest defense contractor known to supply weapons to the IDF. Through this festival, the small and largely unimportant world of indie rock is forced into contact with something terrible in scale that transcends the usual concerns of an indie band. Whilst bands travel out of pocket to get to Austin, RTX shareholders will see a benefit from the use of its weapons in Gaza. The Guardian states that ‘Israel’s offensive has killed more than 30,000 people since October, displaced 85% of the 2.3 million population from their homes, and left more than half of the Gaza Strip’s infrastructure in ruins’ and the ICJ has ruled that Israel’s military campaign plausibly constitutes genocide. But you’ve read all this already, and so have I. I just didn’t think being attributed to this would ever be a consideration an indie rock band would have to make.

It is possible that some artists do not see SXSW’s affiliation with the US Army and RTX as an issue – whilst I personally wouldn’t agree, perhaps these artists support Israel’s actions in Gaza, and therefore have no moral issue with being affiliated with the US Military and contractors which facilitate these actions. This is a political opinion it is possible to hold. Perhaps, however unlikely (as I know about this through reading a small amount of music journalism), it is the case that bands travelling to SXSW do not know about the festival’s ties to war profiteers. It is also possible that these artists not boycotting do not support the military affiliations of the festival, but as the money has been spent, and opportunities like this in the music industry are fleeting, the decision may have been made that they might just have to swim in some possible unethical murky waters for a bit until this whole thing passes (and hopefully they can emerge from this week a little more unethical, but perhaps with a label deal or festival slot that could lead to a real career in music). This is an uncomfortable scenario, but one which I would struggle with, and one that raises interesting questions for musicians that may aim to seem non-political in an industry which sees its profit margins shrinking smaller and smaller for non-major artists. It’s a competitive world, and if your brand isn’t to be outwardly political, there’s a chance holding any opinion can reduce your opportunities. But the question remains, what do we, as independent musicians, stand for?

This year’s SXSW raises the question: can you sing a love song on a stage that may be paid for by people who profit from making bits of metal and circuitry that will explode civilians? What happens if I play the set? Nothing. Perhaps some backlash from the extra liberal types online. What happens if I don’t?  The real answer is, someone else will, and you can be happy with making a decision that you can stand behind morally, but you may have sacrificed your music career. There’s a real chance I’d swallow my ethics and play my pop songs.

It is strange that this hasn’t been addressed by these Dutch indie groups (see footnote at the end of this piece) attending SXSW this year – but from a PR perspective, radio silence is maybe the best tactic. Many people may not know about SXSW’s unlikely military ties, as the artists leading the boycott are on the smaller side, and not household names. But maybe this is why, as small as you are, making your voice heard can make a difference. To quote Ella Williams (Squirrel Flower) ‘withholding art and labor is a very powerful tool – it’s a tool for spreading information, and, in this case, for showing SXSW that artists will not stand for this’. There is of course a financial element to the decision to attend the festival, especially when there is outside investment - Conchúr White, one of the Irish artists boycotting issued a statement explaining that they had accepted a significant amount of money from PRS music to faciliate the SXSW performances, but argued that "The financial implications for me, however, pale in comparison to the tragedies occurring in Gaza. I don't want to align myself with weapon manufacturers." Belfast band Kneecap also comment on the financial stress that will impact them due to the boycott, stating that the group "cannot in good conscience" attend the event, even though pulling out would have "a significant financial impact" on the band. Member Mo Chara told news outlet RTÉ that the decision to pull out was a “no brainer”.

I wish all the bands and artists travelling to Austin all the luck in the world, and as a musician I understand their predicament. But as a writer, I may never be able to shake the shadow that has been cast by this year’s SXSW, and that may fall over the careers it begins.

Note from the editors: As part of our due diligence we have reached out to the groups and organisations alluded to in this article, and since the time of writing certain groups have released statements regarding the festival’s military ties. As this story has progressed, more than 60 groups have boycotted the event, including an unprecedented boycott by all Irish artists set to appear at SXSW.