Top trends at SXSW23

The democratization of artificial intelligence, the importance of audio in entertainment, and the rise of the creative economy.

What is SxSW?

Founded in 1987, SxSW (South by Southwest) is a major annual event held in Austin, Texas (USA) that brings together fans of technology, music and the arts. With conferences, films, concerts and exhibitions, SxSW has become one of the most innovative and anticipated events in the US and around the world. Constantly evolving in new directions, SxSW presents new trends and innovative perspectives on the very latest developments in technology, the arts, and entertainment every year.

What are the trends for 2023?

The previous edition saw the emergence of trends such as the metaverse, AR/VR experiences, and NFTs This year, among the most prominent trends at SxSW 2023, three of them stand out:

• The democratization of artificial intelligence (AI);
• The importance of audio in the arts; and
• The advent of powerful creative tools in the ever-changing creative economy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the theme this year: the importance of this technology is not lost on SxSW attendees. There remains, however, a difficult stretch along the road to democratization – namely, educating the public about the use of artificial intelligence, which involves some major ethical issues. Generative AI and AI assistants, such as Bandlab, LANDR and Sony CSL, were presented as powerful new tools for artists and producers. Also during the event, the latest version of Chat GPT was released, based on the more accurate and powerful GPT4 engine. Notably, it is now multimodal, meaning that it is possible to provide input other than plain text.

Entertainment and music were also widely discussed. Attendees were able to explore new experiences in the metaverse, much more focused on the multisensory than in the previous year. Audio was emphasized as a major avenue for achieving high quality experiences. Music synchronization in video games is also becoming an opportunity for artists to reach their audience in a new, more personalized way.

Finally, the creative economy is a core topic, approached essentially through the prism of the democratization of creative tools. These tools are veritable personal assistants for artists, opening up an infinite number of creative possibilities. They also require artists to find new ways to navigate the limitless universe of algorithms, and develop their visibility and audience. TikTok acts as a testing ground for artists: by pushing a snipppet (10-40 seconds) of a song idea to their community, they can see in real time if it gets gains traction – amazing, right?

Where does IRCAM amplify fit in?

As a key French player in the music tech scene, IRCAM amplify is a natural fit for SxSW. By developing technological innovations for the arts and for the creative industries, IRCAM amplify provides answers to challenges familiar to SxSW participants: How to give artists the most powerful and accessible creative tools possible? How to propose innovations to labels and distributors to increase the value of music databases through metadata? How to make artificial intelligence an ally in the pursuit of sound quality?

With its unique positioning, IRCAM amplify has a thorough understanding of the entire sound value channel – as a result of its special relationship with the CNRS, with Sorbonne University, with France’s Ministry of Culture, and with IRCAM. From content creation and distribution to the analysis of the effects of sound on the brain, IRCAM amplify deploys cutting-edge technologies and also supports its partners in developing made-to-measure innovations.

As part of the French Touch Rendez-vous event organized by the BPI at The Venue ATX on 6th Avenue on Monday, 13 March 2023, IRCAM amplify also provided an exceptional experience for nearly 250 visitors who came to take a well-deserved break from the hustle and bustle, to the delight of their ears. This sonic journey allowed visitors to become aware of the power of sound in their perception of reality… and of the important place of the imagination, stimulated by our hearing, in our daily lives.