By Jason Epstein
This year’s South by Southwest festival is set to be unleashed on Austin in just a few weeks, featuring thousands of performances, screenings and awards in music, film, and interactive arts.  Numerous panels will be held for industry giants and the SXSW community to discuss significant industry topics.  We’ve put together a list of some of the most compelling speaker sessions to look out for at SXSW 2014:
The 7 Hottest Topics in Web Music Tech in 2014
Music tech companies are always trying to figure out new ways to connect musicians and fans, offering new avenues of engagement and opportunities that never would have been possible before.  This talk covers the hottest topics in web, social and mobile music technology.
Presented by: Members of BandPage, Live Nation and more.
Location: Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon A
Date: Tuesday, March 11 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Can Digital Game Publishing Show Us The Way?
Indie video games are continually gaining influence, ground and market share among gamers and industry executives alike.  Indie advocates from Valve and Humble Bundle will speak on DIY ethics, developer support, marketing strategy and digital game distribution.
Presented by: Members of Valve Software, Humble Bundle, etc.
Location: Austin Convention Center, Room 15
Date: Tuesday, March 11 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Has Metal Lost Its Edge?
The history of metal is one rife with controversy – Ozzy Osbourne biting the head off a dove, Dee Snider defending metal in the Senate against anti-metal politicians, Iron Maiden being renounced as satanic, etc.  But now metal bands of all genres sell out venues, are played on the radio, hell – they even win Grammys.  Where’s the controversy?  This panel explores the current state of metal and asks, “What’s coming next?”
Presented by: Journalists from Pitchfork Media and more.
Location: Austin Convention Center, Room 15
Date: Thursday, March 13 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Modern Seinfeld & Our Social Society: More Than Just Yada Yada Yada
This comedic presentation will use some of Seinfeld’s best storylines to explore modern technology and ask if it has improved our lives or just given us more ‘nothing’ to talk about.
Presented by: The co-founder of Modern Seinfeld and more.
Location: Austin Convention Center, Next Stage EH 3/4
Date: Tuesday, March 11 4:45PM – 5:45PM
Print or Digital?  It’s the Package that Counts
This panel asks if consumers really want the print experience – full magazines, newspapers, albums and other forms of news, records and media – or if they just want bits and pieces of content, a.k.a., the digital experience.
Presented by: The editors-in-chief of Texas Monthly and wired.com.
Location: Austin Convention Center, Ballroom F
Date: Tuesday, March 11 11:00AM – 12:00PM
SXSW 2014 will be held March 7-16 at The Austin Convention Center and The Hilton Austin Downtown in Austin, TX.
You can check out the full schedule here - http://schedule.sxsw.com/.