Tracks Music Library invites Triangle-area bands and musicians to submit work for consideration in the collection. A project by Chapel Hill Public Library and Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture, Tracks Music Library is a free streaming service featuring a diverse library of music entirely from the Triangle region. Interested artists are encouraged to submit songs by February 14th via the link tracksmusiclibrary.org/submit.
Started in 2020, Tracks Music Library was created to represent the diverse sounds of the area and to introduce artists to new listeners. “Promoting and supporting local musicians is at the core of what we do,” says the Library’s special projects manager Molly Luby.
The platform includes more than100 albums from local artists spanning a range of genres. “We want to continue to tap into the underground sounds of our community and be a place of discovery for music lovers, venues, artists and more. We want the collection to be a mirror of what folks can expect to hear out of the Chapel Hill area,” says Luby.
Musicians and bands interested in submitting should note these details:
- Musicians should be based in the Triangle area.
- Musicians must hold the rights to the music they submit.
- Music must have been produced in the last 2 years.
- Musicians can submit up to 3 songs for consideration and will need a minimum of 5 songs or 30 minutes of music if selected.
- The deadline to submit music is February 14th, 2022.
- The submission form is available at tracksmusiclibrary.org/submit.
- Selected musicians will sign a non-exclusive license and will receive a $200 honorarium for sharing their music.
After the open call period, submissions will be reviewed by a team of staff, artist, and community curators. Thirty new albums will be selected for the collection based on quality, diversity, and general connection to the Triangle music scene.
In addition to being a free streaming service, Tracks Music Library creates spaces to highlight the local musicians of the collection.
In 2020, two exclusive compilations were released directly reflecting the social climate around the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracks Volume I: We Rise As Allies and Tracks Volume II: Isolation Illumination was produced locally and features custom cover art by local artists. Listen to the albums at tracksmusiclibrary.org/artists/various-artists.
In 2021, Chapel Hill Public Library became a space for three ‘Tiny Desk’ style concerts hosted by Tracks artist curator Rowdy. Austin Royal, A.yoni Jeffries, and XOXOK each performed a short set and sat down for an interview with the host. Videos can be streamed via chapelhillarts.org/tracks-in-the-stacks/.
This past fall, Community Arts & Culture organized free outdoor concerts at University Place. Tracks Music Series spanned four Thursdays in September with each evening themed around a different genre in the collection. The community can expect Tracks Music Series to be an annual event.
More information on the project can be found at tracksmusiclibrary.org. Tracks Music Library is a collaboration between two town departments: Chapel Hill Public Library and Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture. To learn more visit chapelhillpubliclibrary.org and chapelhillarts.org.
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