Seattle Public Library launches second round of local music collection

Danielle Anthony-Goodwin Ballard

In 2016, The Seattle Public Library launched an online Seattle music collection called PlayBack that enabled Seattleites to download free local music.

Now, 50 more local artists have been added to playback.spl.org, including NAVVI, Fysah, Golden Gardens, Raz Simone and more. Anyone can stream the albums for free, and Library cardholders can download and keep any music in the PlayBack collection.

PlayBack is open to all Seattle-area musicians who record or perform in the city of Seattle and have had an album produced within the last five years. PlayBack is intended to be an ever-expanding collection of Seattle’s musical culture, and a total of 100 new albums will be available each year through the Library’s catalog.

The jury for the second submission period included:

  • Tim Lennon, executive director of the Vera Project and music commissioner for the city of Seattle
  • Sharlese Metcalf, KEXP DJ, host and producer of Audioasis
  • Liz Riley Tollefson, co-founder of Three Imaginary Girls
  • Jonathan Zwickel, senior editor at City Arts
  • Kreg Hasegawa, adult services librarian at The Seattle Public Library
  • Kathleen Morley, selections services librarian at The Seattle Public Library
  • Cameron McCracken, library associate II at The Seattle Public Library
  • Abby Bass, adult services librarian at The Seattle Public Library

A third submission period will open during spring 2017. More information will be posted on PlayBack’s Information for Artists page.

Funding for PlayBack has been made possible with the generous support of The Seattle Public Library Foundation.

For more information, visit www.spl.org/playback, call (206) 386-4636 or Ask a Librarian.

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