Rock legend Lou Reed [ tickets ] has signed on as the keynote speaker for next year's SXSW [ tickets ] Music Conference in Austin, TX.

Reed will speak at the Austin Convention Center on Thursday, March 13 to mark the official kick-off of the 2008 SXSW Music Conference, which runs March 12-16.

In addition to Reed, a number of other artists and music-industry vets will appear during the conference, including Daryl Hall [ tickets ], who will appear as a featured speaker and also perform a SXSW [ tickets ] showcase.

Also scheduled to appear as SXSW Interview subjects are Sire Records president Seymour Stein; composer Steve Reich and Sonic Youth [ tickets ] frontman/solo artist Thurston Moore [ tickets ]; Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty (Ticketmaster is LiveDaily's parent company); and Pace concerts founder Louis Messina.

In addition to daily panel discussions, interviews and workshop sessions, the 2008 SXSW Music Conference will also feature performances by more than 1,500 acts on stages throughout downtown Austin, according to organizers.

Complete details about the 2008 SXSW Music Festival are available at the event's website.