This week, Sony Entertainment Network will be travelling to Austin, TX for the music portion of SXSW 2013, a multi-day and multi-venue festival that takes over Downtown Austin with thousands of bands around every corner. We will be part of Sony City, located in the Six Lounge & Hangar Lounge at 4th St. and Colorado. Check out what’s going on the entire week here.

Tonight, we are hosting a Music Unlimited Presents night, featuring some of the hottest up-and-coming Hip-hop acts at the festival. Each day leading up to the show we’ve gotten to know those artists, and today we feature Joey Bada$$.

Joey Bada$$ is a member of the hip-hop collective Pro Era, an increasingly popular method for up-and-coming artists to band together with like-minded musicians. Thanks to the support of his collective, Joey Bada$$ is set to break out with his debut studio album sometime this year. At just 18, he’s been writing since the age of 11, releasing mixtapes in 2012 and appearing as a guest on songs from Mac Miller, A$AP Rocky and more.

Check out “Waves” and “Enter the Void (ft. Ab-Soul)” on the Music Unlimited service. If you’re in Austin, don’t miss his set tonight at 8:30 PM PT at Hangar Lounge!

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This week, Sony Entertainment Network will be traveling to Austin, TX for the music portion of SXSW 2013, a multi-day and multi-venue festival that takes over Downtown Austin with thousands of bands around every corner. We will be part of Sony City, located in the Six Lounge and Hangar Lounge at 4th St. and Colorado. Check out what’s going on the entire week here.

Thursday March 14th, we are hosting a Music Unlimited Presents night, featuring some the hottest up-and-coming Hip-hop acts at the festival. Each day leading up to the show, we’ll get to know those artists and today we feature Watch the Duck.

Watch the Duck is the latest break out of Atlanta (by way of Houston and Alabama, respectively). The term “Watch the Duck” comes from the idea that you should stay focused on the smooth glide of the duck and not the kicking under the water, a way of life for the hard-working group that recently signed to Epic Records. While they take their music seriously, their craft is all about fun, even featuring TheDuck, a real character that is part of their live performances and interviews. Their sound blends dub-step, R&B, soul and Hip-hop with a fresh energy.

Check out their first single, “Poppin’ Off” and keep an eye out for the new EP, Anatidaephobia (the fear that you are being watched by a duck . . . seriously) on the Music Unlimited service in April. If you’re in Austin, don’t miss their set at 9:30 PM CT on Thursday at Hangar Lounge!

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We are counting down the hours until our Music Unlimited Presents Showcase at SXSW 2013. We’ll be taking over Hangar Lounge starting at 7:30 PM CT, featuring performances from some of the most buzz-worthy new artists on the scene.

We’ll be updating leading up to and from the event, but first, get a sneak peek in our Video Round-Up, including Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era freestyle, KimberlyNichole covering The White Stripes and an interview with Watch the Duck (who actually has a duck in the group) on BET’s 106 & Park.

See you there, Austin!

Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era – Freestyle

(more…)

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This week, Sony Entertainment Network will be traveling to Austin, TX for the music portion of SXSW 2013, a multi-day & multi-venue festival that takes over Downtown Austin with thousands of bands around every corner. We will be part of Sony City, located in the Six Lounge & Hangar Lounge at 4^th St. and Colorado. Check out what’s going on the entire week here.

Thursday March 14^th, we are hosting a Music Unlimited Presents night, featuring some the hottest up-and-coming Hip-hop acts at the festival. Each day leading up to the show, we’ll get to know those artists, kicking off today with Kevin Lester.

Kevin Lester is a 28 year old rapper from Singapore who is poised to break out and put the country on the map, even appointing himself “The Lion City Boy,” to show his pride. He cites influence from a wide array of artists, including a similarly styled Common all the way to indie rock outfit The XX. His personal lyrics chronicle triumph and heartbreak he has experienced, although the single “Hear Me Go,” is all about letting that go when you hear music.

Look for Kevin Lester’s international debut EP, Everything You Love You Hate on the Music Unlimited service in April.  If you’re in Austin, don’t miss his set at 7:30 PM on Thursday at Hangar Lounge!

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Are you going to be among the throng of music fans descending on Austin, TX for SXSW?

Visit Sony City (@ 4th St. and Colorado) in both Six Lounge & Hangar Lounge and listen to the Music Unlimited service on the latest Sony X Headphones, Sony Speaker Balls and G-Tank speakers. True to our mission, we’ll bring you the best new music, though instead of just streaming on your favorite mobile device, it will also be live!

Thursday, March 14th, we’ll be hosting the Music Unlimited Presents showcase at Hangar Lounge, bringing you some of the best up and coming hip-hop, R&B and soul all on one stage. Here’s who will be performing:

If you’re going to be in Austin be sure to stop by! You can see everything Sony will be up to at Sony City here.

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Tagged: music unlimited showcase, sony city, sxsw

We’re back and recovering from four days of non-stop music (paired with little sleep!).  We thought this would be the perfect time to recap our five favorite moments from SXSW Music.

1.       Drumming with Carson!

On Wednesday, during the Late Night with Carson Daly showcase presented by the Music Unlimited service, Carson showed off his drumming skills when he joined in a performance by Thee Oh Sees to a packed house at Sony Club @ Red.

2.       Food around the clock

Have you ever experienced frustration locating grub to curb the late night munchies? You don’t have to worry about that during SXSW. No matter the time of day or night, the streets of Austin are lined with food vendors as far as the eye can see. Two of our favorites were Roppolo’s Pizzeria (must try a slice of pepperoni with jalapeño) and The Hot Dog King of Austin (must try the “Yard Dog”).

3.       The many ways to get around Austin

While at SXSW there are many options to get around town (by foot, car, taxi, bike and even horseback) but the smart way by far is via pedicab. Though most charge $10 per person per ride, these warriors of the street allow you to rest your feet while taking you from point A to point B in time to see your favorite band play.

4.       Luck of the Irish at SXSW

On Saturday, with SXSW Music in full swing, it was also St. Patrick’s Day. Some might say the music festival/party holiday combination would be a recipe for disaster, but the day brought out a lot of green and created a great buzz around Austin.

5.       Music, music and more music!

For four straight nights the jams were cranking out of Sony Club @ Red 7 with bands like We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Velvet Teen, Amoral and more, keeping fans’ hands waving and heads bobbing.

Were you at SXSW Music this year? If so, tell us your favorite moments by commenting below.

Looking to relive each day of SXSW Music? Check out our day 1,2,3  recaps and be sure to view the images captured in our Facebook photo albums – day 1,2,3.

In closing, we bid SXSW Music 2012 farewell. We thank you for the good times, good music and look forward to what next year will bring!

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Tagged: carson daly, music unlimited, sxsw

There’s only one more day left here at SXSW! Last night at Sony Club @Red 7, Sub Pop Records came with the ultimate one two punch of entertainment with Niki & The Dove, Husky, THEESatisfaction, Debo Band and other bands producing tunes that had the audience rockin’ out until the early hours of the morning.

Before we forget, Happy St. Patty’s Day! The rainbow has lead us to the pot of gold of days that includes the last night of Sony Club @Red 7 performances and our big panel!

This panel, titled “Has Digital Music Made Indie Labels Go Mainstream,” will take place at the Austin Convention Center (Room 11AB) and will kick off at 12:30 PM. The conversation will focus the rise of cloud-based streaming music providers and ask the question “Have they changed the way digital music is being consumed?” Here are the industry leaders that will be driving the conversation:

Moderator:

Matt Rosoff is the West Coast Editor for Business Insider.

Panelist

Jez Bell , Director of Licensing – Omnifone

Anu Kirk Director, Music Services – Sony Network Entertainment

Stephen White, President – gracenote

Get ready for the biggest night of music at Sony Club @ Red 7! With the help of Flowerbooking and Fat Cat Records we’ve put together an action packed line-up that includes top notch up and coming bands We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Velvet Teen and The Jealous Sound. Check out the full schedule and be sure to get there early as we are expecting a packed house.

Wondering where do most people hang out during SXSW? If you said Sixth Street…give yourself a pat on the back!  Texas’ best known street, located downtown Austin, consists of seven block’s that run between Congress and Interstate 35. All along the street you will find bars, live entertainment venues, tattoo parlors, art galleries, upscale restaurants and most notable the famous Driskill Hotel.

That’s all for now! Remember you can get the latest SXSW updates, photos and much more by following on Facebook or Twitter @SonyEntNet.

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Day two of SXSW is now in the books meaning we’ve reach the half way mark of this week’s festivities. Yesterday brought us another rockin’ night at Sony Club @Red 7 with bands simultaneously playing on the inside and outside stages. Thanks to our friends at Mexican Summer Records and The End Records bands like Part Time, Quilt and Amoral provided a variety of music that kept the music lovers in attendance truly satisfied.

Think the fun times at Sony Club @Red 7 are done; think again! It just keeps getting better with tonight’s bands line-up card looking to be the best of the week. Sub Pop Records will have both stages jamming to up-and-coming artists Niki & The Dove, Husky, THEESatisfaction, Debo Band and many more!

There’s not just music going on at Sony Club @Red 7. Just in case you need to take a break from the tunes here’s a couple things we have setup to keep you busy:

• Take the Music Unlimited service for a test drive by visiting our demo stations in the front room near the bar.
• Walk away with a lasting memory by capturing the good times in a picture at our photo station, located inside near the sound stage.
• Are you an art lover?  We also have an affinity for expressing ourselves through a brush, paint and shapes. While outside, take our “music meets video & gaming” art tour and check out the Sony Entertainment Network mural.

You might not have known this, but finding a taxi, or any sort of transportation, during SXSW can be quite a chore. Did you know you could hits the city streets atop of horse if your heart desired it? That’s right; in the state of Texas you can and we got to see this up close and in person yesterday. (See picture below)

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s recap and remember you can get the latest SXSW updates, photos and much more by following on Facebook or Twitter @SonyEntNet.

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Wow! That was an action packed first day at SXSW Music that ended on a high note with the Last Call with Carson Daly Showcase presented by the Music Unlimited service. During the showcase, a packed house of energetic fans were treated to some sweet tunes from great up-and-coming bands  like Tennis,  Say Anything and Lee Fields & The Expression , to name a few. Hands down the moment that made the crowd go wild was when Carson Daly picked up the drum sticks and joined in on a performance by San Francisco’s own Thee Oh Sees.

Couldn’t join us last night at Sony Club @ Red 7? Don’t you fret; we have acts lined up until Saturday. Find out who we have on tap here. Just in case that didn’t convince you to add us to your “SXSW must see” list, here’s something else that might get your attention:

Checking in around Austin with foursquare?

Be the first check-in at the top of each hour and show it to a Sony Club staff member for a chance to win a pair of wristbands to the Vevo finale show on Saturday evening.

That’s it’s for our day one recap. Remember you can get the latest SXSW updates, photos and much more by following on Facebook, Twitter (via @SonyEntNet) and right here on the Sony Entertainment Network blog.

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Couldn’t make it to this SXSW this year? Never fear, Sony Entertainment Network is here in Austin and we’re on a mission to provide you with the sights, sounds and craziness taking place over the next few days. We’ll be doing our best to make sure those who can’t be with us here are getting as much of the full SXSW experience as we can provide.

Before we hit the streets of Austin we wanted to leave you with a few facts about SXSW and the city that it is being held in.

• The place to be tonight at 8 pm CT will be@ Sony Club – Red 7! There you will be able to see the Last Call with Carson Daly Showcase presented by Music Unlimited. Here’s a few of the bands that will be rocking the stage; Cults, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Thee Oh Sees, Tennis and Bomba Estereo.
• The first SXSW Music Conference and Festival was held in 1987 in Austin, TX
• Everyone in the know calls the event South By opposed to the longwinded South by Southwest
• Austin is the capital city of Texas
• Phrases like howdy partner and yee haw will most likely generate funny looks since SXSW Music attracts over 16,000 attendees from over 53 countries around the word.

Be sure to keep your eye pealed on this blog and follow us on Facebook and on Twitter at @SonyEntNet for the latest updates, photos and much more! In addition, our tweeps can up-to-date on all tweets using the #Sony hashtag. You can also tell us what content you would like to see by commenting below. And don’t forget to check out the Premium channel on the Music Unlimited service featuring music curated specially Carson Daly!

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