Louis Meyers, co-founder of the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and former director of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance, has died of a heart attack, according to Austin 360.

Meyer's death comes on the day this year's South by Southwest kicks off its 10 day run, opening with an interview with Barack Obama.

The show originally focused on music, but now has separate tracks devoted to technology and film.

Meyers was a part of the SXSW festival's board from its creation in 1987 through 1994, at which point he sold his stake in the festival and retired. Meyer's focus on music on music rather than specticle is what caused him to sell his share. He discussed his final festival experience to Pitch music in 2013.

"That year, there were 640 acts, and my goal was to scale that back to around 500," he says. "Now, of course, there's 2,300 official acts. And what you lose by having that many acts is quality. You can't prescreen all that talent efficiently and put it out in a way where the industry can digest it. And so I felt that the continued expansion of South By was — I don't want to say greedy but find a nice way to say greedy." 

Still smitten with music, Meyers was a director of both the Louisiana Music New Orleans Pride conference and Ausin Music Network TV station before starting a 9 year stint as the executive director of the International Folk Alliance. Although he had a particular love of folk music, his view of what folk music was wasn't restricted to music created during a certain time period, or with specific instruments.

"...In my world, every single day marks a new day of traditional music," he says. "The Beatles — they fit every criteria of traditional music. Anywhere you go, everybody can sing Beatles songs. You can sit down anywhere on the planet and play a Bob Marley song and people will know the words. That's tradition. To me, that's folk."

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Director Terrence Malick is famous for capturing stunning images of nature, but in his new film, "Knight of Cups," he turns his attention to the man-made world, providing a stunning tour through the architecture of Los Angeles.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Alana Yzola

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Now that music comes out on the weekend, and not always on every streaming service, it can be hard to know where to find the next great song. So Business Insider is helping you with this rundown of the best of what's new in the music world that you can listen to right now.

Gwen Stefani - "Misery"

The "No Doubt" singer's long-in-the-works upcoming solo album has had many false starts, with singles that have failed to catch on. But at the very least, the guitar riff and snappy percussion on this one will cause a few die-hards to keep "repeat" turned on.

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Jake Owen - "American Country Love Song"

It's warm outside, and this song is perfect for the good weather. It's one that you envision yourself listening to when driving with the windows down. Get ready, summer is right around the corner.

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Bat for Lashes - "In God's House"

The artist otherwise known as Natasha Khan combines a fascination with dark '80s pop sounds, versatility with many instruments, and an uncanny sense of how to build layer upon layer into a gorgeously textured whole. Oh, and a lovely voice. She's always had an eye toward narrative, but her upcoming album, which includes this new track, promises to be one of her most cinematic yet.

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You can go online and see increasing evidence of superstars hanging out with and performing for mere mortals.

Whether it's Jennifer Lopez at an Indian billionaire's wedding or Drake singing "Hotline Bling" for a bunch of 13-year-olds who are clearly losing it, it's become a booming cottage industry to impress your friends with a celebrity cameo.

But it's less known how these appearances happen, and, more importantly, how much you have to shell out for them.

Here's what people do to get A-listers to come to their events, the kind of money they pay, and one man who makes the behind-the-scenes deals happen.

SEE ALSO: How Zac Efron got incredibly ripped for the 'Baywatch' movie

Ryan Schinman spends his days corralling talent. He's the founder of Platinum Rye Entertainment, which connects brands to celebrities and brokers deals for ads, including several at this year's Super Bowl. He also started RBS Celebrity Booking, which helps regular people book entertainers — rock stars, rappers, pro athletes, and the like.

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"The idea is that you can use me and the RBS team to get a cheaper rate," Schinman told Business Insider. RBS negotiates with talent agencies on the customers' behalf, with knowledge about previous booking rates.

At RBS's website (developed by Platinum Rye CTO Casey O'Connor) you can submit your request for a potential celebrity with a price range, and they'll help you out.

At RBS, Schinman usually books parties — weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, sweet 16s — and clients most often want musicians. His company handles all the logistics of actually making sure the talent shows up and does what they've been hired to do.

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The cost of getting a celebrity to show up at your party is "a lot lower" than what advertisers pay for a commercial shoot, he says, because it's a private event and the celebrity isn't selling anything.

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Not only is Kanye done releasing his albums in CD form, he's also over the traditional one-album-a-year release cycle.

On Saturday, West tweeted that he's "going Mad Max" and switching switching to "3 albums a year" while also significantly increasing the number of his fashion collections.

West released his seventh studio album, "The Life of Pablo," on February 14th, three years after "Yeezus" debuted. Shortly after the launch, West revealed that he was planning to release a second album in 2016 called "Turbo Grafx 16" in the summer.

At the moment, West is putting the final touches on "The Life of Pablo," which while currently available to stream at Tidal, is still technically unfinished. West plans to patch the album as one would an online video game, fine-tuning the album's production and tweaking the song "Wolves" in particular, which he's able to do as "The Life of Pablo" is only available to stream and not in physical form.

If he adheres to this new 3-albums-per-year schedule — and this is Kanye we're talking about here so nothing's for certain— it's looking like 2016 could be the year West steps truly steps on the gas. 

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While her biggest hits have all come in the last two years, Sia has been in the music industry for more than a decade. Her experience, both as a solo artist and as a songwriter for massive stars like Rihanna and Beyoncé, has taught her that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Chelsea Pineda

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Fan theories surrounding the death of "Game of Thrones" character Jon Snow are piling as high as the Wall. 

Despite a juicy new trailer that hints at Snow's return, we'll have to wait until the show's season six premiere on April 24 to know his true fate.

In the meantime, take a look at how actor Kit Harington came to land the role of a lifetime — and what he thinks of Jon Snow.

On "Game of Thrones," Kit Harington plays the bastard son of a lord. Turns out, the London-born actor is blue-blooded in real life.

He's a direct descendant of King Charles II, and his grandfather was a baronet. Still, Harington insists he didn't grow up "posh."

Before graduating from London's Central School of Speech and Drama, he scored the lead in the original stage run of "War Horse."

Watch a clip from his performance in "War Horse" »

Instagram's 'Rich Kids of London' live insanely decadent lives »

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'Mythbuster’s' Adam Savage recalls the time a little girl proved him wrong »

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NOW WATCH: Paul Krugman gave us his top 3 investment tips

It's been over two years since we saw Jesse Pinkman race off into the night while both laughing and crying on the finale of "Breaking Bad." And in that time, the actor behind everyone's favorite drug pusher, Aaron Paul, has been busy trying to escape the shadow of Pinkman.

From starring in the adaptation of the video-game series "Need for Speed," to taking a supporting role in the Netflix animated comedy "BoJack Horseman," versatility hasn't been a problem for Paul. But none of his more commercial projects has caught fire like "Breaking Bad" — yet.

This weekend, he stars as a conflicted drone pilot in the indie film "Eye in the Sky." Starring opposite Helen Mirren as a colonel determined to kill a terrorist, he comes to a disagreement with her on how to engage when a young girl enters the kill zone, leading to a powerful commentary on modern warfare.

"Eye in the Sky" won't get the kind of attention to make us stop thinking of Paul as Jesse Pinkman, but that hasn't deterred him. He recently starred in the heist movie "Triple 9," and he's about to star in an intriguing new TV show from Hulu "The Path." And if you follow him on Twitter, you know he's campaigning hard to star as drug addict Eddie Dean in the screen adaptation of Stephen King's classic book series "The Dark Tower," which was greenlit with Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba attached.

Business Insider talked to Paul at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City about the challenges of making "Eye in the Sky," box-office failures, "The Dark Tower" rumors, The Rock's nickname, and shaking Pinkman. 

Business Insider: So what can you tell us about the "Dark Tower" rumors.

Aaron Paul: Rumors are a funny thing. These rumors about "The Dark Tower" have come up a handful of times over the last couple of years. There's always a big part of me that thinks, "What don't I know?" Just wishful thinking. I'm a huge fan of that book series for many years and the idea of them turning it into a franchise is very exciting to me. As a fan.

BI: Are your people talking to the studio?

Paul: I have no idea what's going on. It was funny [tweeting] out to Stephen King last night. That's the wonder of the internet. It's the power of numbers: get enough people to retweet something, someone might see it.

BI: You're being coy with me right now. It sounds like you might know something, but there's nothing to say.

Paul: There's nothing to say.

BI: Well, let's dive into "Eye in the Sky." What did you know about the subject of drones before taking on the project?

Paul: A very scary weapon being flown over a country that the pilot of that weapon is not in. Being in the safety and comfort of their own bunker. Signing on and doing more research into this world, it's not the safety and comfort of a bunker — it's a very scary, terrifying situation that these pilots are in. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they are just the eye, surveillance. Making sure everyone is safe. Checking out where the bad people are going. Is that a bad thing? No. Dropping payloads on buildings and killing innocent civilians, is that a bad thing? It's a touchy subject.

BI: Did you talk to drone pilots for the movie?

Paul: Yes. I talked to this guy Chris, who had been flying drones for many years. He used to fly jets, him and his brother, and then he started flying drones. And not just one drone at a time. Sometimes he's flying four at once. Which is crazy. Again, because most of the time you're just the eye.

BI: How was it performing in a movie like this? Because I would assume you're just on set and someone is feeding you lines off-camera. Helen Mirren isn't giving them to you.

Paul: Right. We had someone reading the script for us off-camera and then for the things that we had to see on the monitor, [director] Gavin [Hood] would explain it off-camera. He would bark out orders to us, or he would explain what we're seeing, he would be like "Now you're seeing she's leaving her property, she's walking along the side of the building. Oh no, she's setting up bread, she has six loaves of bread, she has to sell those six loaves of bread!" It's an interesting way to work. I had never worked like that before.

BI: You've done great choosing indie roles, but the studio movies haven't gone so well. Do you have any regrets about some of the roles you've taken since "Breaking Bad"?

Paul: I did a big studio film straight from "Breaking Bad," it was really a business move —

BI: "Need for Speed."

Paul: Yeah. And it wasn't just a business move. I love cars, I have two classic cars of my own. Just the idea of how to really learn to drive a car like what we did in the film was a dream come true.

BI: But if it takes off, you get a franchise.

Paul: Yeah, it's great. And of course we wanted it to become a franchise. The fact that it didn't perform so well in the States is a bummer. But it performed well elsewhere. I had a blast doing it. No regrets. Now I'm just focusing on material — it has to be on the page.

BI: Are you surprised "Triple 9" didn't do well?

Paul: Shocked.

BI: I thought with that cast and the director, John Hillcoat, it would take off. On paper, you're thinking home run.

Paul: Easy. And I talked to John Hilcoat about this the other day. It feels like the universe is against the man. He's a brilliant filmmaker, but no one sees his films. It's so bizarre. The fact that we did $6 million in the opening weekend, well, "Deadpool" is a monster. It was the third week that movie is out, but it still did a killing.

BI: Were there specific goals you wanted to accomplish after "Breaking Bad"?

Paul: That show opened up so many doors for everyone involved. Before the show, I constantly had to bang on everyone's doors, do the hustle. And I'm all about the hustle still, I don't take anything for granted, but it's a point of the career now that you can be picky. My end goal is just to do projects at the end of the day that I'm proud of.

BI: Is one of those goals to have people think of you less as Jesse Pinkman?

Paul: Oh, absolutely. And I know jumping on "Triple 9," there were similarities. I mean, my character was holding a pipe in his hand. When it got to that part of the story, it got me thinking a little bit about Jesse, because I have said no to so many drug roles since "Breaking Bad" ended.

BI: And if "The Dark Tower" happens for you, the character you're interested in playing, Eddie Dean, is an addict.

Paul: Yeah, but, c'mon, that's "Dark Tower," that's fine. That is why people think I would make a great Eddie Dean, the smartass drug addict. But it's a completely different character, it's not Jesse Pinkman. And I love that.

BI: But would you go as far as, say, taking on a romantic comedy, just to flip it on people and do something incredibly different?

Paul: I don't really seem to gravitate to romantic comedies.

BI: I would pay money.

Paul: Would you?

BI: I'd put down cold hard cash to see you in a romantic comedy. I think it would be fun.

Paul: Well, who knows. But I do tend to gravitate to the more dramatic side of things. I love feeling intense emotions when I'm acting. I just love characters and stories with conflict. I love stories that put you on the edge of your seat and make you feel something. But I do have a comedy coming out.

BI: With The Rock and Kevin Hart.

Paul: Yeah, "Central Intelligence." I play DJ's CIA partner.

BI: DJ?

Paul: Dwayne Johnson.

BI: Oh, you must be good pals to get away with calling him DJ.

Paul: Yeah, DJ's a good guy.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: Every actor who's played Batman, from best to worst

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The current television season is just a couple months from ending, so networks are making the tough decisions as to what will stay and what has to go.

With today's shrinking live viewership, it takes more than just ratings for a TV show to survive to see another season. Networks are now looking at online, On Demand, and streaming viewership; social-media audiences; and international appeal, among countless other factors.

It can be a pretty anxious time for fans: Did you fall in love with a new show you desperately want to come back? Or did you invest years on something that might suddenly get the ax? Or do you just need one essential plot question solved so you can move on with your life? We feel you.

Here are the shows that are coming back for the 2016-2017 TV season from ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox, and NBC.

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"America's Funniest Home Videos" Season 27 (ABC)

Returning: Fall 2016

"The Bachelor" Season 21 (ABC)

Returning: Spring 2017

"Black-ish" Season 3 (ABC)

Returning: Fall 2016

Warning: There are spoilers ahead if you're not caught up with "Game of Thrones." 

An exclusive new "Game of Thrones" teaser was shown behind closed doors at HBO's exhibit at the SXSW trade show in Austin, Texas, and it suggests that Jon Snow will be revived from death in Season 6.

In the video clip, which press was prohibited from recording, the red priestess Melisandre says "I saw him in the flames, fighting at Winterfell" immediately after an image of Jon Snow's body flashes across the screen.

At the end of Season 5, Jon Snow was left for dead after a mutinous attack by his Night’s Watch brothers. Since then, fans have been in an inescapable debate of whether or not Jon Snow has been permanently killed off the HBO series.

While Melisandre's use of pronouns instead of Jon Snow's name does leave the possibility that HBO is merely continuing to troll fans about Snow's fate — she could technically be talking about some other character fighting at Winterfell — the image of Jon Snow's fallen body leading into her proclamation implies she is referring to Snow.

We can't show you the video clip until HBO chooses to release it publicly, but we did take a photo of the HBO exhibit where they showed off the new video clip, which was played using a levitating 3D holoplayer of sorts that made the video appear to float above the flames.

SEE ALSO: 6 convincing reasons ‘Game of Thrones’ fans refuse to believe Jon Snow’s dead

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Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman.

For those unfamiliar with her name, the 30-year-old actress is best known for her roles in four "Fast and Furious" films.

But before she was in action films, she was Miss Israel and served two years in the Israeli army.

She's bringing the comic-book Amazonian princess to life alongside Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," out March 25.

She'll also star in the standalone "Wonder Woman" film scheduled for 2017 and (at least) two "Justice League" movies.

Get to know the new Wonder Woman below:

SEE ALSO: Critics are loving '10 Cloverfield Lane,' the first surprise hit movie of 2016

Gal Gadot was born in Israel on April 30, 1985. Her mom was a teacher, and her father was an engineer.

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Growing up, Gadot wanted to be a choreographer before switching her sights to law, but her plans changed after she met a pageant scout.

Source: Glamour

She participated in the 2004 Miss Israel contest and won, which launched her into a modeling career.

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Disney World's Animal Kingdom is launching a new show called "Rivers of Light." Disney put out a behind-the-scenes video showing all the work it took to bring this light show to life.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Carl Mueller

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The past couple of years have been huge for podcasts.

Episodes of true-crime series "Serial" were downloaded more than 80 million times, President Barack Obama visited comedian Marc Maron's garage for his "WTF" podcast, and leading Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had a candid chat with "Another Round" hosts Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton.

With new series coming out every week, it can be difficult to determine which are worth your time, but we've got you covered if you're looking to learn something new.

Here are our top picks for stretching your brain during your next commute, workout, or laundry run.

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'This American Life' provides a deep look into American society.

"This American Life" has become a byword for oral storytelling.

Beyond being a place for moving and often hilarious stories, "This American Life" does staggering levels of reporting; few outlets made the financial crisis as human and understandable as Ira Glass and the gang.

It lives up to the hype.

Find it here »

'Reply All' immerses you in the weird world of the internet.

You probably use the internet every day, but Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt will give you more insight into its effects on our culture than you were ever aware of.

They've covered great stories like the ways ISIS uses social media and how an Orthodox Jew ultimately left his family behind because of the world he discovered online.

And Goldman and Vogt's goofy rapport will keep you hooked episode to episode.

Find it here »

'Fresh Air' will give you an intimate look at your favorite writers, celebrities, and journalists.

NPR's "Fresh Air" host Terry Gross has been on the air for more than four decades, and her interviewing skills have earned her accolades like the Peabody Award, the Columbia Journalism Award, and a spot in the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Gross may have a smooth, relaxed speaking style, but the way she digs deep into her interview subjects will keep you engaged throughout the conversation, whether it's about Jake Gyllenhaal's acting process or what a writer learned from covering Mexican drug cartels.

Find it here »

Zac Efron is more ripped than ever.

The 28-year-old actor has been training for months to prepare for his role in the upcoming "Baywatch" movie — filming now and out summer 2017 — and it's clearly paid off.

Efron has been posting photos on his Instagram to show off his progress and share some secrets. He also wrote about his strict diet on Twitter.

Check out some of his intense regimen below:

SEE ALSO: RANKED: Every actor who's played Batman, from best to worst

First things first: lifting weights to work out his back and biceps

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There is a "Ninja Warrior"-like training course on set for Efron and his costar, "The Rock," aka Dwayne Johnson, to work out on. Efron said that he's been training for "months and months" to reach this level.

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Efron and The Rock even got into a tire-flipping race on set. The Rock won.

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Online advertising service Warc has released its 2016 rankings of the world's 100 most effective advertising campaigns.

This year, online campaigns dominated the top 10. 11 of the 20 highest-ranked campaigns were digital-led. Ad firm Droga5 was the only agency to get into the list more than once. It featured three times with campaigns for Under Armour, Honey Maid, and Newcastle Brown Ale.

The campaigns were ranked according to a points score calculated with a "rigorous methodology" using data from ad award ceremonies around the world. The assessment included the campaign's impact, industry perception, and the level of competition it faced. For each competition a particular campaign won, its award points were multiplied by the rating of the competition.

Scroll down to see the top ten.

SEE ALSO: Inside the world's 8 best advertising campaigns of 2015

10. Under Armour — I Will What I Want. Warc Points: 53.5

9. Hindustan Unilever — Kan Khajura Tesan. Warc Points: 58.2

8. Coca Cola — Share a Coke. Warc Points: 59.5

Larry David brought his spot-on impression of Sen. Bernie Sanders back to "Saturday Night Live" to chastise Sanders' supporters.

In a fictional interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Saturday's episode, David ripped into Sanders' notoriously outspoken and divisive social-media followers.

"I want to thank everyone who voted for me, and apologize to everyone else for making your Facebook feed so, so annoying," David said as Sanders.

"I mean, I love my supporters, but they're too much, right? I'm great, but I'm not five-posts-a-day great. With all respect to my supporters: Get a life."

The skit also mocked Sanders' disproportionate strength among white voters and millennial voters, a problem that has largely prohibited his campaign from winning more diverse or minority-heavy primary and caucus states.

"My message is resonating with a very diverse group of white people," Sanders said.

"And I've got supporters of all ages, 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds. That's it. The young people love me, Tapper, because like them I have big plans and absolutely no idea how to achieve them."

Watch the skit below:

SEE ALSO: SNL skewers Chris Christie's 'sad, desperate' press conference with Donald Trump

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Many actors say they don't like to watch their own performances. However, "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence doesn't feel the same way.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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