Libraries & Local Music

Ciara Dolan, Portland Mercury
Image by Slaone Leong
“It’s not often that you see an establishment such as a library proactively reach out to local artists in order to support them and help them reach a larger audience,” says electronic composer Gil Assayas, who performs under the moniker Glasys. “The submission process was very easy, everything was handled extremely professionally, and I even got a check in the mail for my submission. I am very grateful for Multnomah [County] Library’s support of the local music scene and believe that it’s ideas like this that make the Portland community special.”

Court Mann, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Salt Lake is joining a streaming local music movement in America’s libraries
“We always came across the same hurdles,” said Jason Rabb, a librarian at the downtown branch who oversees its music collections. “Like building a website: We didn’t have resources to build and maintain a website that can stream and download music. And licensing was always an issue. How do we track down the people that have the copyright for this music?” Enter Rabble, a Wisconsin-based startup that tackles these exact problems. The company currently works with about a dozen libraries across the U.S. and Canada, including ones in Seattle, Nashville, Portland and Austin. Providing efficient software for both streaming and licensing, Rabble gives libraries the necessary infrastructure and assistance for building their own streaming collections.

Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Hennepin County Library amps up local music with new download and streaming service
“Minneapolis rapper Tufawon, aka Rafael Gonzalez, said his involvement in MnSpin will likely offer as much in pride as it does in income or exposure. ‘The libraries do a wonderful service educating the community,’ Gonzalez said. ‘I’m hoping this will help me become a part of that tradition.’”

How Rabble Transforms Libraries into Digital Hubs for Local Music
“Public libraries are actually in this intensely vibrant period,” said Hiser, who earned a doctorate in musicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Rabble, she said, was founded on the premise that arts and humanities can work in tandem toward a greater public good.

STACKS
Carnegie Library launches new digital music streaming platform
“STACKS is a continuation of our goal to promote the individual achievement of our patrons while supporting the Pittsburgh music scene,” said Toby Greenwalt, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s director of digital strategy and technology integration. “Pittsburgh has always had a lively music scene, but changes in the industry have created many challenges for smaller musicians. We hope this platform will be one way to help these talented individuals thrive starting in their hometown.”

Library empowerers bring up new frontier of music collections across nation
A sense of community filled the room as library empowerers chatted before a panel of representatives from libraries across North America and waited to hear how libraries have become prevalent in the local music scene. Kelly Hiser, Dale Kittendorf, Jacquea Mae and Raquel Mann — library representatives across North America — spoke at a South by Southwest session on March 13. The group discussed how libraries are working with communities to create spaces for collecting, curating, licensing and publishing local musical collections.