DirecTV to broadcast SXSW music festival

This year, DirecTV will have its own stages at the music festival portion of South By Southwest (SXSW) so it can broadcast concerts live. Performers this year include Pete Townshend, The Stooges with Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Ozomatli, Taylor Hicks (seriously!), Amy Winehouse, Buzzcocks, Interpol, Razorlight, Hot Hot Heat, The Bravery and Booker T. And if you haven't heard of about two-thirds of those bands, that's okay. The point of SXSW is to showcase up-and-comers along with big headliners.

If you're not sure what all this SXSW stuff is, the president of DirecTV says "It's to the music industry what Sundance is to the film business." The festival, in Austin, TX each March, also has an online and movie component but the music portion is definitely the big draw.

DirecTV subscribers can watch SXSW performances on channel 101 from March 14-18.