Thousands of Austinites depend on South by Southwest for income, and many are still reeling after the event was officially canceled last week due to coronavirus fears. SXSW laid off a third of its full-time staff, with an anonymous employee telling the Austin Chronicle (which itself relies heavily on the festival) that the move was “the only way to stop the bleeding.”
In addition to the musicians, filmmakers, and other creative workers directly involved with SXSW, a massive gig economy springs up around the conference each year: Uber drivers and pedicabbers, carpenters and stagehands, bartenders and caterers. Those jobs have now evaporated: More than 400 people reported $2 million in lost wages to I Lost My Gig, a website where struggling workers are asking for donations and looking for new income sources. A slew of other crowdfunding campaigns have popped up, as have calls to support local businesses and restaurants. Still, many are left with few (if any) options for replacing the money they lost. The Observer spoke with seven workers about how they’ve been affected.
