Ken Livingstone pitches for London SXSW

Former and, he hopes, future London Mayor Ken Livingstone (looking groovy in a fashion shoot, left) has announced if elected he hopes to create a similar Festival to South By South West, the successful music Expo in Austin, Texas that has launched the careers of numerous Indie bands. Livingstone points out that the Austin city council conservatively estimated its music expo SXSW 2008 to have had an economic impact of around $110million on the Austin economy.

Livingstone met musicians and members of the capital’s music industry at the Electric Ballroom, Camden, including Kate Fuller (manager of the Electric Ballroom), Carl Gosling (Heavenly), singer-songwriter Emmy the Great, and Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) to discuss the idea.

The former mayor said, “London’s music scene is as much part of the capital’s lifeblood as the buses and trains that take millions to gigs, concerts and festivals in the capital each year. I want London to host a regular music festival, taking the example of the successful Austin, Texas South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, which generates millions for the local economy and provides a focus for music nationally and internationally.

“As well as playing host to signed and unsigned acts representing the multitude of music genres heard around the city, the London Music Festival will be a tool for musicians and the people they work with to develop their careers, and bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas.

“I believe the Mayor of London must be passionate in backing live music and today I’m setting out some new ideas that will ensure the long-term future of live music in the capital. I want the protection of live music venues to be part of the Mayor’s strategy and I am setting out details today of how that would be delivered.”

A new policy document published today, Ken4Music, reveals further thoughts of Livingstone's about music in the capital.