In case it wasn’t already apparent, Amazon Web Services Inc. is serious about mounting a full-blown public music festival in Las Vegas in early December.

Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud computing operation this morning announced a fleshed-out roster of artists set to perform at its Intersect Music Festival, which will be held Dec. 6 and 7 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on the Strip. AWS tipped the conference quietly in a tweet in July.

The festival will follow AWS’ annual re:Invent cloud computing conference, which has held increasingly elaborate after-parties called re:Play the last night of the conference. There will still be such a private party Dec. 5 for attendees, who numbered 40,000 last year.

But Intersect marks a pointed move toward establishing a beachhead in live music, open to all starting at $169 a ticket. The new artists slated to perform on three separate stages are The Black Madonna, Channel Tres, Japanese Breakfast, JPEGMAFIA, Kelsey Lu, Max Cooper, Miya Folick, Nonotak, Shawn Mullins, Snail Mail, SOPHIE, Sudan Archives, Toro y Moi, Weyes Blood, Willy Porter and Zach Person.

They join an already-announced slate featuring the Foo Fighters, Kacey Musgraves, Beck, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, Brandi Carlile, Chvrches, Flying Lotus with a 3-D live performance, Gesaffelstein, H.E.R., Jamie xx, Kaytranada, Leon Bridges, Spoon, Thundercat and the Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Ariel Kelman, AWS’ vice president of worldwide marketing, told SiliconANGLE in an exclusive interview that the company hasn’t yet committed to an ongoing festival, but it’s apparent it’s a new initiative that builds on Amazon’s extensive music business and streaming service.

“It’s building on what we’ve done and we think has worked,” Kelman said. “If this thing goes well, we may do this as a larger, more regular activity.”

The festival, something of a twist on the long-running South by Southwest festival that began with music and gradually became a tech conference as well, goes well beyond strictly music. AWS said there also will be games and activities such as an arcade with retro video games, a “post-apocalyptic” dodgeball stadium and a massive ball pit with more than 200,000 balls. The indoor/outdoor venue will also feature a six-story video tower and screens and immersive art and design as well as food and drinks from the likes of Wolfgang Puck.

Among those featured are visual artists such as Nonotak, Kytten Janae, Beeple, Ouchhh and Mike808. Not least, Intel Corp. will provide a 500-drone light show celebrating women in tech, with creative direction by Musgraves.

“Technology is really infused into the DNA of re:Play, so the entire event is inspired by technology,” said Corey Johnson, chief executive of festival producer Production Club, which also produced earlier AWS after-parties.

Early in his career with Amazon, AWS CEO Andy Jassy wrote the business plan for the company’s music business, and he and Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels are music lovers who often feature their favorite artists in their re:Invent keynotes.

Photo: AWS