Artist For Artist® has announced the return of Take Action x SXSW, a two-day official SXSW showcase and summit panel series presented by Let Music Fill My World and Artist For Action®, taking place March 16-17 at Inn Cahoots. Centered on harnessing the power of music to create change, there will be performances across two stages, including sets from Passion Pit, Slick Rick, John Popper of Blues Traveler, Five For Fighting, Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, Neil Giraldo of Benatar + Giraldo, His Lordship, Sexpop, OKAN, Micah Edwards, Addie Weyrich, Buddy Red & more. Registration and full schedule for the event is here.

This year, participating organizations include Let Music Fill My World, Music Impact Coalition, Artist For Action®, Comedy Gives Back, American Songwriter, Bandsintown, Iceland Music, Calm & Collected Music Group, Foundation for Social Connection Action Network, GigSalad, Groover, Music Managers Forum-US, RWS Global, Sandy Hook Promise, Sungate Records, 2112 and The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.

According to Michael Angelakos, Passion Pit, Artist/Mental Health Advocate, “My grandmother, who remains my greatest inspiration, once said: ‘Our main purpose in life is not to make money, or to have a good time, or to earn fame in society; our purpose is to serve others–to be of assistance to those who need help.’ I live my life by her words, echoed by my great-grandmother before her and my mother after her, as well as by my clinicians and closest guides: we were put on this earth to help others. It is truly an honor to be called upon to join Artist For Action for Take Action x SXSW.”

In collaboration with Bandsintown and Music Managers Forum-US, Artist For Artist® is curating the Take Action x SXSW Music Summit daytime panels featuring artists, industry leaders, managers, executives, activists, and organizations. This will include topics such as mental health in music, the social power of music, unlocking live fan engagement, turning music IP deals into experiences, and navigating the world of music rights, royalties, and first-party data. 

There will also be a preview of the movie Louder Than Guns (Film Screening + Q&A). Motivated by a tragic school shooting in Nashville, TN, Ketch Secor, of the popular bluegrass band Old Crow Medicine Show, and radio journalist David Greene set out to have an open conversation about gun violence in America. The result is a music documentary which humanizes all sides of today’s gun debate: rural, urban, gun-owners and non-gun-owners, and shows how reason and actual listening can help move the needle on gun violence prevention in ways our polarized culture rarely displays.

Let Music Fill My World, the nonprofit founded by GRAMMY®-nominated singer-songwriter John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting and Cayley Tull of the Tullman Family Office, will celebrate the launch of the newly formed MIC: Music Impact Coalition, a national alliance of more than 20 of the country’s leading music and arts foundations and organizations aligned around a shared mission of ensuring every student in America has access to high quality music and arts education. Additionally, Let Music Fill My World recently announced the return of its annual “Music Matters Challenge” campaign. The online challenge invites individuals and schools across the country to create an original rendition of the chorus of the Five For Fighting song “Let Music Fill My World” along with sharing a personal story about how music has positively influenced their lives. On-site participants will be able to record their submissions live on The John Lennon Education Tour Bus and then win special premium merch capsules celebrating the challenge and a chance to win from over $335,000 worth of cash awards and prizes. Full details about the Music Matters Challenge are available at https://letmusicfillmyworld.org/challenge.

“At SXSW, creativity meets conviction,” said Cayley Tull, Co-Founder of Let Music Fill My World and President of Tullman Family Office. “When this many creative powerhouses collide, it sparks more than conversation — it drives action. We’re here to amplify that energy and demonstrate that music isn’t background noise. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have to create meaningful change.”

“As with previous years, Take Action x SXSW is designed to build new and lasting connections within the social impact and independent music community,” said Artist For Artist® and Artist For Action® Co-Founder Matthew Reich.