To the shock and awe of organizers, there are still 500 SXSW wristbands left for sale following the lottery that closed yesterday. The festival estimated that 3,500 of 4,000 wristbands were sold. The remaining 500 will go in a pool for sale a couple days before the shows start on March 12 at $180 each, up from the advance price of $139. Yay, now you can pay $180 for a piece of plastic that doesn't guarantee you admission to see this year's flavor(s) of the fest! The lottery system, which required photo identification that matched the credit card order at pickup, was put in place to keep out scalpers.

Director Roland Swenswon surmised the lack of a sellout might have been the result of people scared off by what might have appeared to be a bigger demand. "It's like the Tony Bennett show," he told Austin 360 in reference to his past SXSW performance that was poorly attended because everyone assumed there would be little chance of getting in. 

Yeah, that's it. Or maybe no one really wanted to see Bennett.  [Austin 360 via: The Daily Swarm]