The Libraries Building MUSICat With Us

EDMONTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Edmonton Public Library is the 2014 Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year. The library has a simple mission: to share. And that doesn't just mean collection materials: the library's numerous outreach initiatives include support for Edmonton's homeless, an early literacy program, and book clubs for marginalized populations. 

Capital City Records is a digital public space to celebrate Edmonton's local music scene and its history. Capital City Records also includes a growing collection of additional contemporary and historical materials, from a poster collection to a documentary series that features local venues. Capital City Records launched in September 2015 and is an ever-evolving vibrant digital public space celebrating Edmonton musicians.


FORT WORTH PUBLIC LIBRARY

Through the Fort Worth Public Library, Amplify 817 delivers commercial-free, curated music from Fort Worth artists. This gathering place for Fort Worth music-lovers and musicians inspires discovery and sharing. Presented in partnership with Hear Fort Worth, and sponsored in part by The Fort Worth Public Library Foundation, Amplify 817 celebrates and showcases music native to the city to be experienced by everyone.


THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Seattle Public Library's mission is to bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. Rabble works with the Library to build PlayBack, an online collection that showcases and shares current local Seattle music for free. PlayBack launched in August 2016 with 50 albums. 


SALT LAKE CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY

The City Library's mission is to be "a dynamic civic resource that promotes free and open access to information, materials and services to all members of the community to advance knowledge, foster creativity, encourage the exchange of ideas, build community and enhance the quality of life." HUM (Hear Utah Music) is a digital space celebrating Utah’s local music community. Free streaming access is available to everyone, with downloads available to Salt Lake City Public Library cardholders. The HUM music collection is curated by a jury of local music advocates, who work to select a diverse collection representing their music community. HUM launched in February 2018. 


HENNEPIN COUNTY LIBRARY

Hennepin County Library's mission is to "nourish minds, transform lives and build community together." In July 2017 the library launched MnSpin, a collection featuring musicians from across Minnesota. “Minnesota is such an incubator for musical artists," said Hennepin County Library Director Lois Langer Thompson. "MnSpin is an opportunity for the music community to have its music heard and for all music lovers to have access to the rich talents of local musicians.” MnSpin launched in July 2017. 


AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Austin Public Library’s vision is to be key in “making Austin a dynamic creative center and the most livable city in the country.” Streaming from Austin Public Library to audiences everywhere, Electric Lady Bird delivers commercial-free, curated music from Central Texas artists. Featuring multiple genres and homegrown musicians, Electric Lady Bird seeks out the best of Austin’s music scene and serves it up, 24/7, through a user-friendly digital music platform.

Electric Lady Bird's jury of music community leaders selects a diverse array of musical styles to create a soundtrack for the Live Music Capital of the World. The library plans to make 100 albums available for free streaming each year. Electric Lady Bird launched in November 2018.


MULTNOMAH COUNTY LIBRARY

The Multnomah County Library’s mission is "Empowering our community to learn and create." Widely recognized as one of the country's best and most innovative libraries, MCL also serves an incredibly creative community. “The Portland area is already known for its vibrant music scene,” said Javier Gutierrez, director of collections and technical services for Multnomah County Library. “This new collection is a great opportunity for the library to help showcase and share all of the great talent in our community.” The Library Music Project launched in February 2018. 


CARNEGIE LIBRARY of PITTSBURGH

“The library’s always been a step along the way for people to build out their creative urges, and we want to be able to showcase that” says Toby Greenwalt, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s director of digital strategy and technology integration. The library’s vision is that through its services, “the people of our region will develop the literacies and connections that support individual achievement and strengthen the power of community.​” Stacks builds on the library’s already strong music offerings including a musical instrument lending library, and a ton of incredible programming that covers everything from concerts to recording classes for teens. Stacks launched in September 2018.


CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC LIBRARY

Tracks Music Library celebrates and supports North Carolina's Triangle Area music community. A collaboration between Chapel Hill Public Library and Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture, Tracks offers commercial-free, curated music and features albums from over 70 local musicians and bands. Our aim is to help new audiences discover new music from local artists and for local musicians to reach new listeners..


APPLETON PUBLIC LIBRARY

FlipSide highlights Fox Cities artists to help the community discover & celebrate local music. "The music scene that we have in the Fox Cities has just really grown and become really vibrant, so it will be exciting to be a part of that," Beth Carpenter, public services supervisor for APL, said. "I hope we will also be growing fans for the musicians, so being able to maybe reach new audiences for them that they don't see in the venues they are typically playing at." FlipSide launched in October 2018.


DAVENPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY

Built in partnership with the Davenport Public Library, River Music Experience, and St. Ambrose University, QC Beats is an online streaming audio collection, including the original music of Quad Cities musicians and artists. A few benefits of building a collection of featured local artists is to continue expanding the reach of the vibrant creative community by elevating musicians and connecting them with the larger community and local venues.

These partners established QC Beats not only to share local music but also to support local musicians. That's why you'll eventually find more than just music on QCBeats.org. Artist and album pages feature biographies and information about upcoming shows, links to the musicians' websites, social media, and online stores. We hope that QC Beats creates new fans and inspires listeners to support the artists who make the music. QC Beats launched in October 2018.


L.E. PHILLIPS MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY

Sawdust City Sounds is an online platform hosted by the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that showcases and shares current local music. The goal of the music project is to help new audiences discover the wealth of today’s local music and inspire the creativity of tomorrow.

The library’s mission is to promote lifelong learning, create collaborative spaces, and support open access to diverse materials and resources to enhance the quality of life in the community.


NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

 "Nashville is Music City. Nashville deserves a Music Library." So say the folks at Nashville Public Library, where the mission is to "inspire reading, advance learning, and connect our community." We build BoomBox with the library to highlight "local musicians from a variety of genres to help people discover music being created all around us, every day." BoomBox launched in October 2016. 


HARTFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY 

The Beat is a new collection of Hartford-based music, streaming the sounds of CT’s Capital City’s diverse communities. Jam, groove, or vibe out to Hartford’s best tunes in a diverse array of musical styles (Including hip-hop, reggae, latin jazz, rock and more) to create a soundtrack for the Hartford area. They plan to make albums available each year, including up-and-coming artists and Hartford music legends.


SPOKANE PUBLIC LIBRARY 

Explore the Spokane music scene with Lilac City Records, a free space where you can explore, listen, and download local music! Some music was recorded in the Media Studios at Central Library. One of the things that makes this collection unique is the number of Lilac City Live recordings that you can listen to. Enjoy, explore, and jam out to these amazing hits.


SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY 

San Francisco Public Library’s Bay Beats is a brand-new local music collection that celebrates and supports the Bay Area music community. They have partnered with Amoeba, an independent music store, to make their site a vibrant part of the local music community. In addition to their online presence, they plan to host events and concerts featuring the musicians on the site.


KENT DISTRICT LIBRARY 

The mission of KDL Vibes is to provide a platform to support local artists and provide exposure to listeners in the community. West Michigan’s musical culture is diverse and always growing and KDL Vibes is there to help patrons discover a wealth of local music.


HUNTSVILLE-MADISON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 

Blast launched an inaugural collection of 39 albums and in 2022, added 70 more. Now there are more than 130 albums featured. They want this music collection to reflect the diversity and talent of the Tennessee Valley — with collection criteria that are designed to be broad and inclusive. Listen to the local music that reflects the rich variety of genres represented.


LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Lawrence Public Library presents the Kaw Valley Jukebox as an ongoing document of the region’s vital, evolving music scene. It offers commercial-free, curated music from the Northeast Kansas region. They connect patrons with new music from local artists. Local musicians reach new listeners, while keeping record of the rich musical history of the area.


MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Memphis Sound Connection is an online platform that showcases and shares current local music for free. Memphis has a deep musical history including many genres such as Blues, Rock, Jazz, Country, Soul, R&B, Hip Hop. The list goes on an on. The Memphis Sound Connection looks to connect you with today's torchbearers of the Memphis Sound.