Another SXSW, another protest by musicians and activists.
Demonstrators will gather downtown Friday to speak out against SXSW’s partnership with Capital Factory, a local tech incubator with ties to scores of defense contractors and consultants.
Musicians protested the festival in 2024 for hosting the U.S. Army and arms manufacturer RTX, formerly Raytheon. The pressure campaign succeeded, pushing the festival to cut ties with the Army and defense technology-types at future festivals.
A coalition of activists led by the United Musicians and Allied Workers will hold a demonstration at 11 a.m. outside the J.W. Marriott targeting Capital Factory and Spotify, which the union says supported Israel’s war in Gaza.
“SXSW still refuses to fully cut ties with the U.S. military and the war industry, despite its promises to do so,” protest organizers said ahead of the event.
KUT reached out to SXSW for comment, but the festival has not yet made anyone available for comment.
Capital Factory is a hub for all sorts of tech investment, but its Center for Dual-Use Innovation has deep ties to the defense industry.
The center boasts more than a half-billion dollars in investment for military contracts since it opened in 2019. Its partners include arms manufacturer BAE Systems, surveillance juggernaut Palantir and others.
KUT reached out to Capital Factory, but has not heard back.
In 2024, the festival said it would reconsider its programming and that the “U.S. Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.”
That statement is no longer on SXSW’s website.
Capital Factory has been in the mix at SXSW for years. The incubator signed a deal in 2020 to become an official host.