SXSW 2013 LIVE: Everything You Need to Know About South By Southwest

The South By Southwest (SXSW) Conferences & Festivals will start March 8 in Austin, Texas. SXSW is a festival celebrating original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. The 10-day event culminates on March 17.

The music festival will take place March 12-17 and will feature almost 19,000 music industry professionals attending panels, industry discussions, demo listening sessions, trade show exhibits, and six nights of music performed by about 2,286 various acts representing 49 different countries (click here for a full list of the music showcases). At SXSW 2012, rappers Talib Kweli and Lil' Wayne performed while Big Sean and Kanye West made surprise appearances. 

The film portion of SXSW runs March 8-16 and features films from emerging directors. Last year, 21 Jump Street and Cabin in the Woods premiered at SXSW. The film festival screens movies and docs, but also holds conferences on film making and other aspects of the movie making world.

SXSW Interactive takes place March 8-12. The festival will feature some of the brightest minds in emerging technology and showcase some of the best new digital works, video games  and innovative ideas for the future. 

Be sure to follow along with PolicyMic as SXSW progresses.