Seattle Public Library seeks local submissions for online music collection

Danielle Anthony-Goodwin Ballard

This summer, The Seattle Public Library is set to launch an online Seattle music collection called PlayBack.

The collection will start with 50 albums of local music available for free download and streaming for SPL members.

AccordingPlayBack is intended to be an ever-expanding collection of Seattle’s musical culture, and 100 new albums will be available each year through the Library’s catalog.

“Any Seattle-area musician or group can submit work that was recorded in the last five years,” said Andrew Harbison, assistant director for Collections and Access Services at the Library. “One of the Library’s key service priorities is community engagement.”

All Seattle-area musicians who record or perform in the city of Seattle are invited to submit a music album. The album must contain four or more songs and have been produced within the last five years.

If an album is accepted, the artist will receive an honorarium of $200. Selected albums in the PlayBack collection will be discoverable through the Library’s online catalog and highlighted through the Library’s social media channels. Artists will also have opportunities to perform live at the Library.

The Library seeks works that reflect the rich variety of genres represented in Seattle’s music scene. Broad and inclusive submission criteria is detailed on PlayBack’s Information for Artists page.

According to SPL organizers, the new music collection is intended to reflect the diversity and abundance of Seattle’s music scene.

The first submission period will be open from Monday, May 9, through 5 p.m. on Monday, May 23. A second submission period will open this fall.

The jury for the first submission period includes:

  • Tim Lennon, executive director of the Vera Project and music commissioner for the City of Seattle
  • Larry Mizell, Jr., KEXP DJ, host of Street Sounds, digital media specialist for the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and columnist for The Stranger
  • Liz Riley Tollefson, founder of and contributor to Three Imaginary Girls
  • Kreg Hasegawa, adult librarian at The Seattle Public Library and project lead
  • Meira Jough, program coordinator at The Seattle Public Library

To submit music to The Seattle Public Library’s PlayBack platform, visit www.spl.org/playback. Submissions will only be accepted online.

The preferred file types are FLAC, WV and AIFF. Other accepted file types are MP3, AAC and Ogg Vorbis.

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