Video may have killed the radio star, but Spotify probably won’t bring them back. Not for most musicians, anyway. That’s why it’s incredibly exciting that the San Francisco Public Library is helping to fill in the gaps for local musicians by actually HIRING them to stream their albums on their own streaming service, Bay Beats.
Bay Beats launched its streaming service site in 2023 and has been expanding its catalogue of musical talent ever since. Any type of music is considered—from folk rock to DIY punk to rap. According to their website, the albums are chosen by “community jurors (Bay Area music influencers) and selected SFPL staff (who) review the submissions and select the albums that will be added to the Bay Beats platform.” These jurors include radio DJs, VPs at places like Empire Records, music journalists, fellow musicians, and more.
What’s even more exciting is that the artists are paid an honorarium of $250, which, as Nastia Voynovskaya points out in “The San Francisco Library Wants to Pay Local Musicians” on kqed.com, “That’s roughly the equivalent of what one would make from 65,789 Spotify streams.”
One can peruse over 300 albums from local artists on the Bay Beats site and find musicians like Mayya, with dreamy melodies and textured lyrics.
Or the 8-piece funk band The Grease Traps, whose recorded songs match the intensity of their super energetic live performances.
You can find country artists, like Brian Mello, whose lyrics are deeply rooted in personal storytelling.
What these artists have in common is that they are already established, having done the work, many of them with years of songwriting/performing under their belts. But as is so common with art, sometimes it simply doesn’t have a place to land. The San Francisco Public Library’s integration of literature and music, specifically supporting local artists, is pivotal at a time when funding for artists is in peril.
And what makes it extra special? It’s free for anyone to stream. People who hold SFPL library cards (of which there are nearly half a million) also get the opportunity to download songs as they wish.
In “Get Loud for the Library” for 48hills.org, writer Tamara Palmer writes, “We are so fortunate to have a program like this here in the Bay Area. At a time when national music outlets are dying or being kneecapped everywhere, it’s significant that some city libraries are making noise for music and local communities. This project is part of a larger movement happening across the United States.”
She points out that San Francisco’s public library isn’t the only one taking part in this integration, citing Spin Magazine. Lily Moayeri writes, “Some libraries have taken the ‘social role of the library,’ as delineated by the American Library Association, to the next level. They host their own music-streaming platforms, which feature hand-picked artists curated from local talent. In some cases, these libraries have established record labels and formed micro-scenes around their collection of musicians.”
This might just be the future of bridging the gap between artists and their communities. Moayeri adds, “With the challenges posed to unsigned bands, combined with dwindling club scenes and the younger generation’s affinity for technology, the library, as one of the more tech-forward and free-to-use spaces available, becomes a natural gathering point. With the library’s music-streaming platforms already in place, and communities organically forming, the convergence of the two is a win for local artists and the community.”
