It's a yearly tradition: South by Southwest approaches and artists tap into gripes and grudges about the corporate wizard behind the curtain. Some of those hesitations are rearing their heads again, but the new issue turning artists against organizers is war profiteering.

A small (but doubtless growing) number of artists have pulled the plug on their official 2024 appearances, citing the conference's ties with the United States Department of Defense and the weapons manufacturer formerly known as Raytheon (in part via RTX Corporation subsidiary Collins Aerospace). Criticism of this country's military industrial complex has reached a fever pitch as the White House continues to back Israel's 150-day-plus bombardment of Palestine, using weapons made in and bankrolled by the U.S.

Ella O'Connor Williams, a.k.a. Squirrel Flower, has spearheaded a small chain reaction on social media. The Chicago-based solo artist posted a series of slides on Instagram detailing her dissent. She shared that she will still be playing unofficial shows, and encouraged other artists and venues to follow her lead. At the time of this article's writing, the post has garnered more than 8,000 likes and a long thread of overwhelmingly — if not completely — supportive comments.

"nooo ur gonna miss out on the Million Dollar Weekend: The Surprisingly Simple Way to Launch a 7-Figure Business in 48 Hours panel discussion," wrote one commenter, with heavy sarcasm.

"I have decided to pull out of my official SXSW showcases in protest of SXSW’s ties to the defense industry and in support of the Palestinian people," wrote Williams on March 4. "There are many ways SXSW is harmful to working musicians, but I am pulling out specifically because of the fact that SXSW is platforming defense contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the US Army, a main sponsor of the festival."

It's no secret — although it may not have reached the status of common knowledge, either — that since official showcases are so low-paid, they're really only worth playing for exposure, wristbands, and networking. This was part of Williams' complaint, but not the reason she ultimately bowed out.

Williams pointed to the ruling by the International Court of Justice that it is "plausible" that Israel has acted in violation of the United Nation's Convention on Genocide. It will take further rulings for the court to decide if Israel is guilty of genocide.

"A music festival should not include war profiteers," Williams concludes. "I refuse to be complicit in this and withdraw my art and labor in protest."

In a cruel irony, music festivals surround this conflict — at least in Austin. The October 7 attack by Hamas, the militant group that serves as Gaza's de facto governing body, infamously happened at an Israeli music festival. People outside of Austin may not realize the local parallel, although many city residents were hyperaware: At least tens of thousands of festival-goers here were streaming in for Day Two of Austin City Limits Music Festival as the news from overseas unfolded.

Among the artists that have followed Williams' lead or had similar ideas — Eliza McLamb, Shalom, Proper., The Curls, Merce Lemon, and Greg Freeman, according to a document shared among community organizers — is Austin band Mamalarky. In their Instagram statement, the band paid tribute to Aaron Bushnell, the San Antonio-based U.S. airman who self-immolated outside the Israeli Embassy in protest of the war.

"In remembering the 30,000+ Palestinians, many of whom having lost their lives to American weapons, in remembering active military member Aaron Bushnell who was moved to self immolate in protest of this ongoing genocide — this is a very easy decision to make," says Mamalarky's announcement.

Halfway through the business day on Tuesday, March 5, the band were still waiting to find out how their withdrawal will be processed, they explain in messages to CultureMap. It was as easy as sending an email, they say. SXSW has already updated the schedule; Mamalarky no long appears on it.

"[The decision to pull out] was pretty immediate after seeing Squirrel Flower and Shalom's posts, which speaks to the power of collective action!" the band writes. "[We] think artists should definitely still play local shows outside of SXSW and benefit from the support of fans and the Austin community at large. I'm most excited to see the sets of unwaveringly pro-Palestine, antiwar artists next week."