South By Southwest Festival in Austin

South by Southwest Festival 2015 will be held in Austin, Texas March 13th - March 22nd. 

Every year around March, Austin, Texas is swamped by thousands of enthusiasts from music, interactive and film industries. Some of them are professionals, artists and others are dedicated fans and they are all there to attend the annual event called “South by Southwest (SXSW) ”.  Originally it started as a smaller local music festival in 1987 and now almost 30 years later, SXSW has grown to become one of the leading conferences in the industry. It is known to be the great place for up and coming artists for launching their careers.

South by Southwest consists of three main art fields; music, interactive and film. And since being held in Austin, the music events are the most popular ones and it is now one of the best known music festivals in the world. Many local clubs have committed themselves to cooperate as SXSW venues, and local residents assist the event by working as volunteers at the various venues. Apart from artists and the local volunteers, the attendance number for this event is in the multiple tens of thousands.  While the event is held, many people make a visit to downtown Austin, so SXSW always promises an exciting and lively time for this beautiful city, and the locals enjoy finding themselves dining beside people from all over the world; from New York, Tokyo,  Sydney,  London and so on.

Over the last 20 years, the festival has featured numerous musical acts while the 10 day music festival is held. Although it is impossible to see all the events, many of them have certain themes, often feature acts from a certain country such as Japan or Norway, or feature acts in the same genre or label. Past headline acts include Morrissey, Iggy Pop and Pete Townshend and many up-and-coming acts. Even now South by Southwest stays loyal to its roots and always features numerous acts from Austin.

As  Austin's  film industry is blossoming,  its film has been attracting some attention at the film festival. It features screenings and discussions. Emphasizing on independent films including drama, documentaries, comedy and animation, the film festival has hosted various world premieres. The interactive festival showcase Austin at its cutting edge aspect and  feature leading  media and technology entrepreneurs together with designers , digital creators and visionary artists.

One focal point of the event is various free concerts which doesn’t require a wristband, and advertised just in fanzines and known by word-of-mouth. Lots of artists participate in these unbeknown shows to return a favor to the community which supported launch them. In the end, Austin is not only South by Southwest hosting city, but also the capital of live music in the world throughout the year!

Regardless you are a visitor, local, musician, film director or enthusiast, SXSW week is really exciting time in Austin. Even restaurants and stores are jumping and you hear the music all around the city.

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A Basic Guide To The Coachella Festival

April 10 - April 12, 2015
April 17 - April 19, 2015

Empire Polo Club in Indio, California

Known far and wide as the Coachella Fest or simply as Coachella, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day cultural arts extravaganza that's put on in the Colorado Desert every year. Held at the Empire Polo Club at Indio, the festival is located in the Inland Empire and is spread across two weekends. A fairly young festival, Coachella was first put together in 1999 by founder Paul Tollet. Today the festival is managed by AEG Live through its subsidiary, Goldenvoice.

Coachella is a place to hear every imaginable kind of music. Genres typically include electronica, rock, hip hop, and indie. The musical attractions are complemented by extensive sculpture and installation art displays. Coachella is a multi-stage festival, featuring continuous performances at different venues. Besides the main Coachella Stage, shows are put on at the Outdoor Theatre and a series of semi-permanent tents (Gobi, Sahara, and Mojave). Coachella featured a small venue called the Oasis Dome in 2006 and 2011. In 2013 festival organizers introduced the Yuma Stage to increase overall capacity.

The roots of Coachella go back to a Pearl Jam concert that was held at the Polo Club in 1993. The band was boycotting Ticketmaster's monopolistic control of concert venues at the time, and the success of this show demonstrated that the Polo Club made a fine venue for large musical productions. The first Coachella festival was a two-day event that occurred in October of 1999. While the organizers were unable to mount a show in 2000, Coachella has stuck to a regular annual schedule ever since. (The 2001 show held in April was a one-day affair, the smallest in the festival's history.) 2002 saw the return of two-day schedules. The third day was added to the Coachella schedule in 2007; the latest expansion came in 2012 when a second weekend was introduced to the mix. Camping by attendees on the Club grounds has been allowed since the 2003 festival, just one of many steps taken to enhance the appeal and convenience of the festival for its visitors.

Coachella 2015 Lineup:

AC/DC

Ab-Soul

Action Bronson

Alabama Shakes

Alesso

Alt-J

Alvin Risk

Andrew McMahon

Angel Olsen

Angus and Julia Stone

Annie Mac

Antemasque

Axwell x Ingrosso

Azealia Banks

Bad Religion

Bad Suns

Belle & Sebastian

Brand New

Built to Spill

Caribou

Carl Craig

Cashmere Cat

Cedric Gervais

Charles Bradley

Chet Faker

Circa Survive

Claude Von Stroke

Clean Bandit

Cloud Nothings

DJ Snake

David Guetta

Deorro

Desaparecidos

Dirty South

Drake

Drive Like Jehu

Duke Dumont

Eagulls

Erol Alkan

FKA twigs

Fitz and the Tantrums

Florence and the Machine

Flosstradamus

Flying Lotus

George Ezra

Gesaffelstein

Glass Animals

Gorgon City

Gramatik

Haerts

Hot Natured

Hozier

Interpol

J.E.S.&S (Jack Master, Eats Everything, Skream, Seth Troxler)

Jack White

Jamie xx

Jason Bentley

Jenny Lewis

John Talabot

Jon Hopkins

Joyce Manor

Jungle

Kasabian

Kaskade

Kaytranada

Kele

Keys N Krates

Kiesza

Kimbra

Lights

Lil B

Loco Dice

Lykke Li

Mac DeMarco

Madeon

Marco Carola

Marina and the Diamonds

Martin Solveig

MØ

Nero

New World Punx

Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible

OFF!

Odesza

Panda Bear

Parquet Courts

Pete Tong

Philip Selway

Phox

Porter Robinson

R3hab

RAC

Radkey

Raekwon and Ghostface Killah

Ratatat

Reverend Horton Heat

Ride

Royal Blood

Ruen Brothers

Run the Jewels

Ryan Adams

Ryan Hemsworth

SBTRKT

Sloan

Slyvan Esso

Squarepusher

St. Lucia

St. Paul and the Broken Bones

St. Vincent

Steely Dan

Stromae

Sturgill Simpson

Swans

Tale of Us

Tame Impala

The Cribs

The Gaslamp Killer Experience

The Night Terrors of 1927

The Orwells

The War on Drugs

The Weeknd

Todd Terje and the Olsens

Toro y Moi

Touche Amore

Tourist

Tycho

Tyler the Creator

Until the Ribbon Breaks

Vance Joy

Vic Mensa

Yelle

Coachella is often headlined by extremely popular, well-established bands and musical artists. It's also a popular venue for reunions and showcasing rising talents. Previous Coachella festivals have included performances by: Prince, Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, the Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, The Killers, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Eminem, Daft Punk, Madonna, the Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, and the Foo Fighters. As it stands today, Coachella may well be the biggest, most important, most valuable music festival in the US. Attendance figures for 2014 broke the half million mark, and that year's festival generated nearly 80 million dollars in revenue.

The first Cochella festival was scheduled for October ninth and tenth in 1999, just three months after the relatively disastrous festival of Woodstock '99. Camping on the grounds of the Polo Club was explicitly banned in light of the riots and property damage that erupted at the Woodstock show, and that ban would remain in place until it was lifted in 2002. Coachella's major inspiration was drawn from the more variable, flexible festivals common in Europe at the time, featuring many choices of musical performers and limited crowd sizes. Coachella has a well-earned reputation for picking musicians and bands based on critical praise and skill instead of record sales or radio playtime; this has led some fans to praise Coachella as "the anti-Woodstock."

Ticket sales for this first festival totaled 37,000, with slightly more visitors coming for the second day than the first. The major attractions in 1999 were performances by Rage Against The Machine, the Chemical Brothers, Morrissey, Beck, and Tool. Coachella also offered sets played by DJ Mike Hawk, Underworld, and Jurassic 5. From the very beginning, the organizers of the festival were hoping to add a third day to the schedule; in 1999 there were tentative plans to offer a third day of shows centered around a set played by Massive Attack. Although festival-goers suffered through three-digit temperatures in 1999, the overall quality of festival was peaceful and enjoyable, with picking the best shows from the eight acts playing over the course of the festival being the primary concern for most visitors. This first festival was a net loss for Goldenvoice, which led to its subsequent acquisition by AEG.

Most of the artwork that is displayed at Coachella is interactive, encouraging attendees to explore them. Much of the artwork shown comes from Burnisel and architecture schools around the world. Popular art installations tend to make repeat showings at multiple festivals, like Hotshot the Robot, Cyclecide, and The Do Lab. Emek, a popular poster artist, has been producing exclusive limited-edition posters for Coachella since 2007.

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AURA Music Festival

March 6 - March 8, 2015

Live Oak, Florida (Suwannee Music Park)

The roots of AURA, the leading independent music festival in the south, lie in the humble town of Brooksville, FL. Today it draws a nationwide audience of music lovers to the SOSMP for a multi-day festival every year. The famous home setting of the AURA festival is a picturesque 800 acre patch of oaks covered in Spanish moss and cypress trees alongside the Suwannee River.

Taking advantage of one of the country's finest natural amphitheaters, the organizers of the AURA festival enhance the presentation of their musicians with painstaking lighting and exceptional sound set-ups. The next scheduled festival - AURA 5 - is set to include delicious food vendors, expert craft workers, a village for interactive art installations, transformational workshops, and yoga and meditation classes.

Last year, the AURA music festival attracted more than four thousand attendees - a 25% increase over the previous year. The venue remains the Suwannee Music Park, located five hours outside of Boca Raton in the town of Live Oak, FL. For extra appeal, this year's festival is scheduled for the weekend of March 6-8, which coincides with spring break at FAU.

Aura Music Festival 2015 Lineup:

AMERICAN BABIES
ARTISTS AT LARGE: THE SHADY HORNS
CONSIDER THE SOURCE
COSBY SWEATER
DOPAPOD
FUSIK
GHOST OWL
JIMKATA
KETCHY SHUBY
KUNG FU
MCLOVINS
MOE. (TWO SETS)
PAPADOSIO (TWO NIGHTS)
PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG
RAQ
SNARKY PUPPY
STINKY POCKETS
THE DISCO BISCUITS (TWO SETS)
THE MAIN SQUEEZE X2 INCLUDING A VERY SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON
THE MANTRAS
THE MIKE DILLON BAND
UPROOT HOOTENANNY

The musical selections presented at AURA include rock, funk, jam, and electronic music, and supporting artists and experts cater to attendees' interests in cuisine, camping, and yoga. UP was on hand for last year's festival, and they provided an inside look at what it was like to help stage the shows. Florida Atlantic students who played music, did set up work, or simply attended all contributed their insight.

Some music festivals are extremely high energy, like the Warped Tour or Ultra. AURA moves at a slower pace. According to their Facebook information, the presenters of AURA are interested in fostering togetherness, spreading culture, and appreciating music and the arts. Staff and visitors alike partake in camping activities, yoga, music shows, and eat from a variety of food trucks (with vegetarian and vegan options well represented).

At this year's festival, attendees will be treated to music by Break Science Live Band, The Disco Biscuits, Dopapod, moe and Papadosio, and more than twenty other bands from all across the US. Native south Florida musicians scheduled to play at AURA include The Heavy Pets and Uproot Hootenanny, a band whose roster includes alumni of Juke, Fusik, and FAU.

Beside the live music scheduled throughout the Thursday-Sunday festival, specialists in yoga and the healing arts will hold workshops from Friday to Sunday. Noted experts include representatives from AcroYoga in San Francisco and BoomYoga and Dharmi Vortex, both out of Miami.

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Experiencing All Ultra Music Festival Has To Offer

Ultra Music Festival 2015 in Miami will be held March 27 – 29, 2015. This is a premium event geared towards adults, 18 years old and over.

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CLICK HERE TO BUY ULTRA MUSIC 2015 TICKETS

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The Ultra Music Festival 2015 Lineup:

DJ Headliners

Adam Beyer — Afrojack — Alesso — Armin Van Buuren — Avicii — Axwell & Ingrosso — Carlcox — David Guetta — Deep Dish — Dixon — Eric Prydz — Hardwell — Jamie Jones — Knife Party — Loco Dice — Maceo Plex — Marco Carola — Martin Garrix — Nicky Romero — Steve Angello — Steve Aoki — Tale of Us — Tiesto

Live Headliners

Bassnectar — Clean Bandit — Sie Antwoors — Gorgon City Live — Kiesza — Krewella — YKGO — Nestky Live — Odesza — Porter Robinson Live — RAC

Ultra Music Festival (most commonly known by the acronym UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place in the city of Miami, Florida, during the month of March. This festival has over a 15 year history starting in 1999, and interestingly enough the festival is actually named after the Depeche Mode album "Ultra." UMF doesn't stand alone in its own bubble, either. It coincides with Miami's annual Winter Music Conference to flood the city with music fans each year.

Bayfront Park is the home to Ultra Music Festival and this famous site in downtown Miami still remains the present day home of the festival. Originally lasting only one day up until 2006, Ultra was so popular that it became a two-day festival and then a three-day festival until 2012. That year the number of attendees rose to an incredible 155,000 per day. There was an attempt to make it a two weekend thing, but this was not a popular choice and the festival went back to its original roots as a one weekend deal.

The popularity doesn't fade, however, as tickets often sell out within hours or even minutes of becoming available. While some of the performers may change, the same three artists headline the event every single year. No matter what you can count on seeing headliners Tiesto, Avicii, and David Guetta in every single Ultra Music Festival.

The ideas for Ultra Music Festival originally came to be in 1999 as a partnership between Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes, who combined to fund and produce it. The very first Ultra festival was a single one-day event and took place on March 13, 1999. There were several artists, and some notable ones at that very first one included:

- Paul van Dyk

- Rabbit in the Moon

- Josh Wink

- DJ Baby Anne, among others.

The first festival was popular but was also a financial loss. However the demand was still there and the desire to keep UMF was still there, so this would still prove to be the birth of a tradition.

A partnership with Coolworld Entertainment would help the festival continue to grow and all but ensure that it would become a stable and beloved annual music event. The names have changed and the play card has become much bigger from the very first show, but the same three big names still headline every year. This brings a great level of consistency to the festival while still allowing spots to be open for other popular established and up and coming artists.

The numbers didn't lie about the popularity. Every single year Ultra Music Festival have continued to grow and be in higher demand. Tickets are extremely hard to come by and now always sell out almost immediately. In 2008 the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary and the line up included dozens of performers and have shown just how far the festival has come. Just a small sample of the groups that performed on the weekend of March 28–29, 2008, include:

- Tiësto

- Underworld

- Justice

- MSTRKRFT

- Annie Mac

- Calvin Harris

- Moby

- The Crystal Method

- David Guetta

- Jackal & Hyde

- Rabbit in the Moon and more!

Attendance numbers have had to be limited because of space requirements. The popularity still continues even as more crossover acts are joining the lineup such as The Black Eyed Peas, The Prodigy, Crystal Castles, and The Ting Tings, among others. Estimated attendance is consistently still going to be over 100,000 and Ultra Music Festival has the distinction of setting a Miami city record for number of tickets sold for a single event. While the event may still change formatting in the future, the three day table for the Ultra Music Festival seems to strike the perfect balance for attendees and promoters.

The Ultra Music Festival may have started with humble beginnings, but time has proven just how much growth can occur when demand and good planning meet up with true entertainment. There's little doubt that UMF is firmly entrenched as one of the great music festivals in the country and its fans will continue to arrive in droves.

Ultra Music Festival

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