Amid mounting criticism over how the South by Southwest Music Festival compensates artists, locals in Austin have begun moving toward civic intervention with a new recommendation to Austin City Council. The Austin Parks and Recreation Board unanimously passed a resolution on Monday night (June 25) asking the city council to reconsider its commitments to the festival until SXSW makes its own changes.

The resolution, which was shared with Pitchfork, outlines some of the city’s costs associated with the festival. It asks “that any contract negotiation between the City, PARD, and SXSW include provision requiring fair pay for domestic artists performing at City of Austin parks, park facilities, and city owned property.” The second part of the resolution asks the city council to “require changes to artist pay and compensation by SXSW before waiving any future fees at Vic Mathias Shores, or at other parks, park facilities, or city owned facilities.”

The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers launched its Fair Pay at SXSW campaign in February with an open letter that attracted numerous artist signees. The organization presented another letter to the Parks and Recreation Board asking for the resolution earlier this month. UMAW’s Joey La Neve DeFrancesco spoke over video call during the meeting’s public comment portion, pointing to SXSW’s billionaire ownership and expanded programming in Syndey, Australia as evidence that the festival could afford pay musicians more fairly. Other community members, some from the Austin Federation of Musicians, appeared at the meeting in person, in person, speaking passionately about their dedication to music and fair wages.

Michael Whellen, a real estate attorney speaking on behalf of SXSW, also weighed in during the public comment period. He stressed the idea that the festival was not a “commercial” event but one intended to facilitate personal connections. “As an industry event, the focus is on career development,” he said, adding that the festival’s showcases offer mentoring and networking unavailable at so-called commercial festivals like Lollapalooza.

Explaining the festival’s compensation structure, Whellan claimed that 90 percent of performers who applied and were selected to play the festival chose to be compensated with a general admission wristband instead of cash. He claimed that, for 2024, SXSW would offer specific artist credentials that allowed them access to one-on-one mentoring sessions and a lounge area. Whellan also indicated that the festival had raised its fees slightly for future performers, from $100 to $150 for solo acts, and from $250 to $350 for bands, no matter the size.

Parks and Recreation Board chair Pedro Villalobos, who co-wrote and sponsored the resolution with board member Kathryn Flowers, shared a statement with Pitchfork:

In unanimously passing the Recommendation, we sent a strong message that Austin values musicians and artists. These folks are not hobbyists, they are professionals who provide a valuable service to our community and deserve fair compensation. Austin cannot credibly continue to be the “Live Music Capital of the World” if musicians and other artists are not paid a fair wage.

For years, the City of Austin has subsidized SXSW by providing access to, and waiving the fees for, tax-payer funded public facilities. We cannot continue to subsidize an organization who takes the position that musicians should be grateful to be paid in exposure or networking opportunities. This is a deeply antiquated and exploitive concept. The Parks and Recreation Board is focused on ensuring our facilities are used by organizations that support our city’s mission and values.

During SXSW 2023, UMAW hosted an independent showcase at Austin’s Hole in the Wall, where performers were paid $750 for their appearance. City council member Zohaib Qadri spoke at the event. More recently, the UMAW and a handful of kindred organizations—including Bandcamp United, the American Federation of Musicians, DSA-NYC, the National Writers Union, and others—held a rally at the New York offices of Penske Media Corporation, which bought a 50% stake of SXSW in 2021.