SAN FRANCISCO – Calling all Bay Area musicians: San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) is launching a new streaming platform, Bay Beats, to provide local talent with a platform for expanding their audiences and reach. Starting May 1, 2023 through July 31, 2023, SFPL will accept submissions in all genres, from Jazz to Soul, Rap to Rock, Classical to World New Age to Noise and everything in between, for consideration. In fall 2023, when Bay Beats goes live to the public, it will offer commercial-free, curated music to listeners all over the Bay and beyond. With this new platform, SFPL is providing a much-needed showcase for local musical talent.

Musicians currently playing or recording in the nine Bay Area counties are eligible. Submission guidelines can be found at baybeats.sfpl.org/faq. As submissions roll in, a panel of jurors from SFPL and the local music community will review the tracks and select albums for the site. Bay Beats will pay featured musicians a $250 honorarium for their participation, but artists are not required to grant exclusive rights to music on the site. Rather, artists are encouraged to share their music as much as possible. As an additional bonus, the Bay Beats platform will include links to artists’ websites so fans can find out about live shows and buy music and merchandise.

"I'm very excited to get Bay Beats off the ground,” says librarian Brian Weaver, who has played an instrumental role in planning and launching the platform. “I think it will be a really great way to check out the variety of amazing local music that continues to be created in the Bay Area. I can hardly wait to hear the submissions we get!" 

With this service, SFPL joins other public library systems who have seen great success with the launch of their own music streaming platforms—among them, Nashville Public Library and New Orleans Public Library. Each seeks to capture the unique sounds of their local music scene.

All music lovers, even those without an SFPL library card, will be able to stream music on Bay Beats when it launches later in 2023. Additionally, over 450,000 SFPL cardholders can download albums—all for free. Bay Beats is another example of SFPL’s dedication to giving voice to diverse members of our greater community.

If an artist misses out on getting their album onto Bay Beats this time around, there’s no need to fret. Yearly submission calls will give new musicians the chance to make it on board the Bay Beats bus.

About San Francisco Public Library:

San Francisco Public Library is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning and the joys of reading for our diverse community. The library system is made up of 27 neighborhood branches, the San Francisco Main Library at Civic Center and four bookmobiles.