Austin —  The 29th edition of SXSW drew to a close with the participation of over 50,000 delegates and 2000 showcasing acts hailing from 75 countries in attendance.

For the 2015 edition, a 100-strong Italian delegation descended on the Texas capital for the first time showing off the best of “Made In Italy” at the world’s leading music industry event. Organized by FIMI the Italian Music Industry Federation, ITA the Italian Trade Agency and Puglia Sounds MEDIMEX International Festival and Music Conference the Music Innovation Expo, from March 15th through 18th the IT@LY SXSW Stand in the Austin Convention Center served as the networking hub where Italian industry professionals exchanged information and best practices with their American counterparts as well as with SXSW delegates from around the world.

On Wednesday March 18th SXSW attendees were invited to experience a slice of the Italian lifestyle at the “Aperitivo Italiano” day party which made its debut at Numero 28, Austin’s brand new Italian-owned culinary hotspot.

Aperitivo Italiano continued the IT@LY SXSW messaging in a chic setting where Italian food and wine mixed with unplugged and DJ sets by Italy’s official SXSW showcasing acts as well as a special guest appearance by Puglia’s Don Pasta Food Sound System.

For four hours a corner of downtown Austin took on a distinctly Italian feel with the music of Be Forest, Populous, JoyCut, Fabryka and Levante echoing among the city’s skyscrapers with Don Pasta taking to the streets offering VIP guests on the patio samplings of his cuisine.

Italian acts showed off the country’s current scene at official SXSW Music Festival showcases from March 18th – 21st, kicking off with the global electronic beats of Populous followed by Be Forest, who concluded their West Coast US tour at SXSW.

Next up, singer and songwriter Levante used her appearance at the prestigious International Day Stage to premiere her new Italian single “Ciao per sempre” which was being broadcast live to Italy and the globe on the Internet. Electronic trio JoyCut returned to SXSW performing for the second time to assembled industry and audience alike, before blog-fave five piece Fabryka took the Austin stage for the very first time. SXSW alumni Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! closed Italy’s presence at the 2015 event, their unique name once again grabbing local newspaper headlines.

IT@LY SXSW was an unprecedented national effort by the county at SXSW, and asserted the country’s role in re-shaping the future of the music industry in years to come.

IT@LY SXSW SPONSORS FIMI the Italian Music Industry Federation Established in 1992 and a member of both Confindustria and the IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industries), FIMI represents Italy’s most important music producers and distributors, some 2500 labels in total. ITA the Italian Trade Agency The Italian government organization that promotes the internationalisation of Italian companies, in concordance with the strategies of Italy’s Ministry for Economic Development. The ITA Los Angeles Office has a program of activities to promote the Italian Audiovisual Industry in the US via a dedicated project that has been operating for more than a decade. Puglia Sounds MEDIMEX Puglia Sounds, set up in 2010 and funded by ERDF, is the first public project in Italy targeted to developing the whole regional music sector. Puglia Sounds promotes also MEDIMEX, the Expo of Music innovation, Italy’s only music market fair. In just four editions Medimex has become an economic and cultural reference for the Italian and international music businesses, big names in music, festivals, networks and media. The fifth edition of MEDIMEX will be held from the 29th to the 31st October 2015 in Bari (South of Italy) at the new pavilion of the Fiera del Levante, the main sample fair of the Mediterranean.

IT@LY SXSW was coordinated by Mela Inc., the Los Angeles-based producer of the annual HitWeek Italian music festival.