I'm not even in Austin for the South by Southwest Music Festival this year (but oh how I wish I were), and I'm still overwhelmed by the surplus of amazing bands taking the stage at any given moment.

Today marks the kickoff of the music (and most major) portion of this multimedia bonanza, which is known for breaking new indie acts. On day one alone, there'll be performances by Cyann & Ben, Rosie Thomas, Loney Dear, The Mountain Goats, Blonde Redhead, The Pipettes, The Rapture, and Peter Bjorn & John. Whoa. Then, of course, there is everything else, including the Iggy and the Stooges reunion and hotly anticipated performances from Mika and Amy Winehouse.

But don't worry: There are plenty of ways to get a handle on this musical madness, so read more

Here are some of my favorite South by Southwest treats out on the web. Let me know if you have other good recommendations!

• SXSW is offering a downloadable "torrent" of MP3s from hundreds of festival artists.
• Rolling Stone has rounded up its 10 can't miss shows for 2007.
• If you're a DirecTV subscriber, you can watch many of the performances in your living room.
• Also, SXSW should be maintaining its Daily Chord news site with highlights from the shows.
• And of course, check in daily with BuzzSugar, where I'll be featuring MP3s from some of my favorite SXSW artists, as well as any exciting news.