South by Southwest Music Conference (SXSW) began in 1987 as a grassroots concert series for unsigned indie-rock bands. Twenty years on, the Austin, Texas music-and-media trade conference has become the largest of its kind, attracting bands, record companies, and audiences from around the world.

In its two-decade-long existence, SXSW has helped to create Austin's reputation as the "Live Music Capital of the World." The conference books nearly 1400 bands each spring, showcasing famous and emerging artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Flaming Lips, Neko Case, Morrissey, and Beastie Boys. Before attending evening shows, conference registrants talk shop at the SXSW Trade Show and partake of informative panel discussions featuring hundreds of speakers of international stature.

The festival's offices are headquartered in Austin, but coordination for international booking and promotions is handled through SXSW, Inc., a management company with offices in the Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. These branch offices establish relations with governmental agencies in 17 countries and facilitate support for the conference's international performers.

As trade conferences go, SXSW appears to be hitting full stride. An estimated 20 percent of SXSW's audience is international, and conference registrants number around 10,000. Such growth is impressive for a rock festival that started off as little more than a Texas hoedown for local musicians.