25. Head of Music at SXSW London, Adem Holness speaks on the need for festivals, the importance of grassroots musicians, venues and more .

To celebrate SXSW coming to London for the first time, we sat down with the festivals Head of Music, Adem Holness. Previously working as Head of Contemporary Music at The Southbank Centre, Adem was tasked with giving the green light to hundreds of musicians that will be performing at the Music, Film & Tech conference from the 2-7th June 2025.

In this chat, we spoke about:

• How can brands harness the power of grassroots music
• What the countless music venues closing down signifies for our future
• Why festivals like SXSW London are so important to our culture

Enjoy!