James Minor is the VP of SXSW Music Festival, which is celebrating its 40th season in 2026. SXSW Music is the largest music festival of its kind, with over 1,000 acts from 56 foreign countries performing at 56 venues in 2025.
Minor has a diverse background, with over 25 years in the industry, having worked in artist management, tour booking and managing, as well as talent buying and management for noted venues in both Austin, TX and NYC.
He is a known advocate for up-and-coming talent and has spoken around the world at conferences including Primavera Pro (Spain), MU:CON (South Korea), Golden Melody Awards (Taiwan), MIDEM (France), TIMM (Japan), Bangkok Music City (Thailand), AXEAN (Indonesia), Prague Music Week (Czechia), Waves Vienna (Austria), Reeperbahn (Germany), ADE (The Netherlands), SHIP (Croatia) and Pop-Kultur Berlin (Germany).