Less than a week after members of the indie rock band Ex Cops mocked McDonald's on Facebook for asking them to play for free, the Golden Arches has thought better of it.
A McDonald's rep emailed the following statement to Adweek: "SXSW started as a conference and festival for the music industry, related press and up-and-coming musicians bringing the community together to showcase their talents. We are excited to expand our support of music at our SXSW activation where the lineup features a great assortment of more than 20 bands, honoring the spirit of the festival. To further support these artists, all bands performing at our showcase will be compensated."
How much cash they'll be offered is unclear. The Ex Cops have already declared they're not interested in whatever the new pitch is; though a tweet from the band today shows it is happy to have changed the fast-food chain's mind.
We are thrilled that our letter made a difference. Thank YOU for helping us. Artists should be paid for their work. pic.twitter.com/KumE3YQMwr
— Ξx Cops (@ExCops) March 11, 2015Meanwhile, McDonald's is super sizing its South by Southwest marketing this year, including a food truck, an interactive lounge and a party.
Whether it can fit in with the cool kids after the bad Ex Cops publicity will be worth watching. It could be an uphill battle in social media.
Here is Burger King's response to the brouhaha in a Promoted Tweet.
Guy asks for extra flame grilled Whopper "Wait, do you guys need more fire?" *Pulls out mixtape*
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) March 9, 2015