Every year, for 10 days in mid-March, downtown Austin morphs into a sea of badge- and wristband-wearing entertainment aficionados of all varieties, from music industry bigwigs to film stars and celebrity-crazed college kids.

Hundreds of musicians roll in, gear in tow, for one 45-minute showcase before an intimate audience in a dark bar or small coffee shop or spacious hotel ballroom. Bloggers and other Internet techies meet up to discuss the latest gadgetry, while movie directors introduce their recent indie project to eager audiences.

This is the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference, casually referred to by attendants as South by Southwest or SXSW. Created as an event to spark new ideas and cultivate working partnerships among creative individuals, this conference encompasses much more than showcases of up-and-coming musical acts. The brightest minds in emerging technology converge at the SXSW Interactive Festival to take part in panels like IM Video Journalism and Is Aristotle on Twitter?, while film-industry folk come together for the SXSW Film Conference and Festival, with its own panels, premieres and parties. The events for each of the three areas overlap, with Interactive (3/13-3/17) and Film (3/13-3/21) beginning together.

The music conference, which this year includes a keynote address from Grammy-winning producer Quincy Jones, gets underway once the interactive portion wraps and lasts for five long days and nights, March 18-22. Like the other components, SXSW Music also hosts a trade show and related panel discussions meant to further educate and help propel the careers of attending musicians. Demo-listening sessions with feedback from music executives and one-on-one mentor sessions between an artist and a seasoned industry professional are scheduled by day, while back-to-back live performances are booked at night. Daytime parties featuring the year's most-talked-about acts are hosted by various record labels, magazines and music bloggers, and add to the daily excitement, though these are rarely official SXSW showcases. Many are free and open to the public--with or without wristbands or badges--while others are invitation only.

SXSW began back in 1987 with a sole focus on the music industry. Austin's burgeoning live-music scene suffered from a lack of national exposure due to its middle-of-America position, hundreds of miles from the music meccas of LA and New York. The idea to invite label executives, public-relations agencies, non-local musicians and others to the booming Sixth Street area put them in Austin's creative center, and so began a growing tradition. The inaugural year welcomed 700 music registrants while 2008 topped 12,000. The film and interactive components were added in 1994 and now boast more than 11,000 attendees annually.

Though the official dates for an upcoming SXSW are revealed just after the dust has settled on the latest one, all of the details--locations, artists and wristband availability--are unveiled slowly in the couple months leading up to the event. This year's conference will span 84 venues, featuring more than 1,800 acts from dozens of countries. Highlights on the schedule include The Decemberists (3/18 at Stubb's); Devo (3/20 at Austin Music Hall); Peter, Bjorn and John (3/19 at Emo's Main Room); Asher Roth (3/20 at Club de Ville); King Khan & the Shrines (3/19 at El Sol y La Luna); Silversun Pickups (3/21 at Antone's) and hundreds more looking to play a breakout performance.

Among the South by Southwest Music Festival alumni are Johnny Cash, Flaming Lips, Little Richard, Ryan Adams, R.E.M., Bright Eyes, David Byrne, Katy Perry, System of a Down, Pete Townsend, Hanson and thousands of others.

Ticket options vary for the 10-day conference. Industry professionals opt for the badges, ranging from $375-$1145, allowing priority--though not guaranteed--entry to venues, plus miscellaneous perks like official parties and panel discussions. The average music enthusiast can splurge on a wristband, though caveats with these abound. Available only online, the plastic bracelets allow access to music showcases only, which often equates to standing in line with hundreds of others while badge-holders whiz by. Their on-sale date is not announced in advance, only when they are available for purchase. And, for a final twist, only buyers with a local Austin billing address will find their orders processed and wristbands reserved.