RadioOnFire.com - SXSW is typically a place where artists of all backgrounds and nationalities come to showcase their talents. However, the festival is now under fire for contract details that have surfaced pointing out that the festival will actively call immigration authorities on international artists who decide to perform illegally outside of the scheduled festival events.
Basically, SXSW will call ICE on any international artists who perform at any unofficial shows. Because of this, groups have already begun to back out of the festival, even going as far as citing specific parts of the contract that target international artists. One artist named Felix Walworth cited one part of the festival's agreement which said the festival will notify the appropriate U.S. Immigration authorities of artists who perform at any public or non-sanctioned SXSW Music Festival DAY OR NIGHT shows.” Along with that, the clause also stated that "Accepting and performing unofficial events may result in immediate deportation, revoked passport and denied entry by US Customs Border Patrol at US ports of entry."
The other consequences noted in the clause stated that artist credentials will be canceled, artists will be removed from their official showcase and possibly replaced, and any hotels booked via the SXSW housing option will be canceled. To top it all off, SXSW will inform the appropriate U.S. immigration authorities of the actions they listed in the contract.
SXSW's Managing Director Roland Swenson has already responded to the backlash, saying, "It’s intended for someone who does something really egregious like disobeying our rules for pyrotechnics, starts a brawl in a club, or kills somebody. You have to really f*** up for us to do this stuff." Swenson also said he has been talking to immigration about the bands he has his eye on, but has never had to enforce that part of the contract.
Source: pitchfork.com
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