San Francisco – Bay Beats, the award-winning free local streaming music service from San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), is bringing the tunes back to Golden Gate Park's iconic Bandshell with a free concert on October 18. The show celebrates the launch of the Bay Beats 2025 collection, featuring 180 new albums by local artists, which goes live to the public the same day.

The all-day event showcases four dynamic Bay Area bands making their Bay Beats debut, reflecting the diverse sounds of the region's vibrant music scene. The eclectic lineup spans alternative math rock, indie rap, folk and garage punk. DJ Apple Gomez, host of the show Baydream on BFF.fm, will be spinning during interludes. Music fans can experience:

1 p.m. – Still Deer (Alternative, Math Rock)

 2 p.m. – Casey Cope (Indie Rap)

 3 p.m. – Pacing (Folk)

 4 p.m. – The Strange Ones (Garage Punk Rock & Roll)

The event goes beyond music with giveaways, food trucks and games for attendees of all ages. The concert is presented in partnership with Amoeba Music, White Crate, BFF.fm, Illuminate and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. Representatives from these organizations will be at the show to connect with fans and music enthusiasts.

“Bay Beats is rolling out 180 new albums this fall, and we wanted to celebrate with the community that makes our music scene so special,” said Brian Weaver, librarian and Bay Beats team lead. “These artists represent the incredible range of talent we're adding to our catalog, and we can't wait to share their sounds with everyone at the park.”

All four bands playing at the Bay Beats launch party are new additions to Bay Beats this fall, offering audiences a preview of outstanding music they can discover in the 2025 collection. The collection, featuring emerging and established artists across multiple genres—including rock, rap and hip hop, folk, experimental, country, classical, metal, and children’s music—will be available on the Bay Beats platform starting Saturday, October 18. In total, there are now nearly 500 albums on Bay Beats, reflecting the vitality of the Bay Area music scene. The albums are annually selected by a team of SFPL staff and community jurors who are well-established musicians and music experts in the Bay Area. Anyone, with or without an SFPL library card, can stream music for free on the Bay Beats platform.

For more information about the concert and the 2025 collection, visit baybeats.sfpl.org.

About Bay Beats

Bay Beats is a free music streaming platform offered by San Francisco Public Library, featuring local artists across various genres. The platform allows users to stream music from Bay Area musicians, with library cardholders having the added benefit of downloading tracks. Artists can curate their own band pages to inform fans about upcoming gigs and new releases.

Event Details:

Bay Beats 2025 Launch Party — Oct. 18, 1–5 p.m., Golden Gate Park Bandshell, Music Concourse, San Francisco