Calling All Musicians: Bay Beats
San Francisco Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
In 2023, San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) launched Bay Beats, its free music streaming platform featuring the diverse sounds of the Bay Area to support the artist community that had been hard hit by the pandemic. The Bay Beats Task Force (BBTF) created the framework and launched a visual branding and PR campaign for music submissions. The BBTF developed a robust network with local music schools, influencers and legendary music store Amoeba Music to bring together people who make music and people who love music.
The platform was a resounding success, pulling in an industry record of submissions. SFPL launched the site in fall 2023, bringing a welcome new (and free) way for anyone with or without a library card to discover new music. “It's incredibly gratifying to receive support, recognition, and inclusion from an organization that truly values and champions local musical talent at a professional level!” said Lali Mejia, band leader of featured band Bululú.
Challenge/Opportunity
Since the 1960s, San Francisco has been legendary for its music scene. All that changed during the COVID pandemic. The arts community was particularly vulnerable to the impact of small business closures and social distancing measures. As part of its economic recovery strategy, the City directed its departments to support local artists and creators.
However, the pandemic’s ripple effects continued to roil the arts community. Co-owner of the Bottom of the Hill bar Lynn Schwarz said, “The scene is small, and it’s getting smaller. It’s been decimated” (SF Standard, March 25, 2023).
At SFPL, a team was strategizing about how to set up and launch a free local music streaming platform: Bay Beats. A project that had been first conceived pre-pandemic, Bay Beats was identified as a means to directly support and bolster the local music scene. “We saw Bay Beats as a direct means to build new fan bases for local musicians and support their work,” said Michael Lambert, City Librarian.
Key Elements of Innovation
Relationship-building led to the success of the Bay Beats launch. The BBTF knew that a call for submissions would be clinched by making authentic connections in the local music community to help get the word out. Thus, the marketing strategy relied on old-fashioned one-on-one outreach, executed by the BBTF, many of them musicians themselves and from all library classification levels.
The BBTF recognized the need to work in a new way with trusted names in order to reach more niche populations. They reached out to respected musicians, DJs, music instructors who were genre experts to enlist as Community Jurors. These became Bay Beats ambassadors, letting their extensive networks know about the opportunity.
The BBTF also researched 275 contacts throughout the Bay Area, including music schools, record stores, rehearsal studios, clubs and bars to conduct a publicity blitz. Lastly, a key partnership developed with famed Bay Area music store Amoeba Music, who helped promote the platform.
Achieved Outcomes
Bay Beats’ call for submissions was a resounding success. The team received more than 600 submissions for 150 spots. According to Glenn Loos-Austin, lead developer at Rabble MUSICat, SFPL received more submissions than any other library system to date.
Bay Beats continues to grow. The 2024 campaign built out messaging to Chinese and Spanish communities and to youth in order to further diversify the submission pool and received 430 submissions. Since launch, the platform has had 53,145 streams and 840 downloads.
The BBTF also now programs music shows, including shows at the Main and branch libraries and a Bay Beats Battle of the Bands at SFMOMA’s opening for its exhibit Art of Noise. “Bay Beats offers a lot of hope in the depth and diversity of our local music scene at a time when our media outlets are dwindling,” said Tamara Palmer, DJ, arts and music writer and Bay Beats Community Juror.
