Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > February > 13 > Entry
SXSW wristbands for sale soon (sort of)
Details are out on the local sale of South by Southwest wristbands.
The only advance wristband sale is via an online drawing for area residents. Four thousand wristbands will be sold at the discounted price of $139, which includes tax and service charge, from 9 a.m. Feb. 21 to 9 a.m. Feb. 25. (There’s no advantage to entering early.)
All entries must use a credit card with a local billing address, and the name on the card must match the name of the wristband recipient. Each entrant may purchase up to two wristbands but must provide the companion’s name at the time of entry. Submitting an order enters you into the drawing but does not guarantee eligibility to purchase wristbands.
Entries will be drawn at random until orders for 4,000 wristbands have been filled. Credit cards will be billed at the time of the drawing, and entrants will be notified if their order cannot be filled.
Each person picking up a wristband at SXSW must provide photo ID; wristbands cannot be picked up for friends. This will be the only advance sale; a small number of wristbands will go on sale the week of the event for $180.
Check out wristbands.sxsw.com for more, and get full SXSW coverage at austin360.com/sxsw.
Also, enter our contest for a chance to win a pair of Platinum Passes courtesy of your good friends at Austin360.com.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW
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By Laura
February 13, 2008 11:15 PM | Link to this
So students who have billing addresses at their parents’ homes out of town can’t get wristbands this year? Thanks a lot, SXSW. Once again, you find a way to screw over a major segment of the fan base.
By adam brewer
February 13, 2008 11:25 PM | Link to this
A wristband for what? Stand in line to watch badge holders get in the event instead of you? Sounds like someone is sucking a half million dollars out of a bunch of locals. Texas Rockfest is FREE. Check it out!
By rob renteria
February 14, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this
i dont know what is worse….this yrs newest ticket idea…or last yrs….hey at least i wont have 2 skip work for an afternoon….but having 2 submit ur name and the name if ur guest…..thats really lame….this maybe the 1st yr since 1995 (when i could get in to the clubs) that i just say forget SXSW…..long live day parties!!!
rob 78704
By Jeff from Austin
February 14, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
Great idea. Now if I cared about who is playing….
By Stan
February 14, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this
it sucks, but hey, no more $300 wristbands on craigslist, thank you thank you thank you.
If you do not like SXSW practices, do not attend, thanks.
By John
February 14, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
I agree 100% with Stan. SXSW is a trade event for folks in the industry first and foremost, and the wristbands are for local Austin residents, not opportunists/scalpers. Students who are feeling left out still have all the day parties to invade—or better yet, go home to your folks for spring break and cry in a corner for all the rest of us Austinites care.
By Jason
February 14, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this
First come first served. You can’t make it you can’t go. Simple. It took a long time to do the sale but you knew if you were going to get it or not. Now you have to wait for some random drawing.
All they needed to make it work better was more people workign the sell. Not some elaborate drawing.
For people that complain about getting into shows. You have not been going lately. Other than the huge shows you can get in everywhere.
By John
February 15, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
Jason, don’t be dense. It doesn’t matter how many people were behind the register selling the 4,000 bands, the sad fact was that at least half or more of the people in line were just looking to snatch them all up and make a quick profit reselling them to others (especially out of towners) at twice the price or more. Craigslist and fleabay were full of those ads the past couple of years. The other folks in town who WOULD like to buy wristbands but had work/school obligations or just weren’t able to drop everything one morning and run down to Waterloo were left in the cold. How was that fair in comparison to a random drawing of Austin-area residents only? The drawing will happen on Feb 26th and they’ll email you shortly thereafter to let you know if you won or not. Sounds good to me!