Carnegie Library launches local music digital collection

Local musician Jacquea Mae wants to hear that Pittsburgh sound. And she’s hoping to be a part of its making.

“A lot of youth don’t hear a lot about local music,” said the 29year-old songwriter, who grew up in Wilkinsburg. “They know about Drake, though, they know about Taylor Swift. How are we going to make sure kids care about where they come from if we don’t give them the tools?”

Starting this week, local musicians can submit their work to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s STACKS, a digital project that Ms. Mae and others hope will break down some barriers for local artists.

While the library has an extensive collection of archived LPs, CDs and sheet music dating to the

19th and 20th centuries, the goal of STACKS is to build “an ongoing document of the region’s vital, evolving music scene.”

“This collection is different,” said Toby Greenwalt, the library’s director of digital strategy and technology integration. “The one clear thing is it’s digital, and it’s meant to be a little more of the moment.”

Musicians can upload albums — at least 10 minutes in length, or four songs — via the STACKS website for a community jury to hear.

Ms. Mae, who now lives in East Liberty, is one of four curators who will assist library staff in building the digital music library.

“It’s a free submission. Hopefully this encourages individuals to create more music, for Pittsburgh to have a sound,” she said.

Ms. Mae self-released her “The Makings of Me” album in 2016, and she’s working on another. She hopes her work will become part of the collection in the future, she said.

The public will be able to stream the music, and patrons can use library cards to download tracks.

The project is based on “having direct relationships with the artists,” another way in which it is distinct from the library’s traditional music collection, Mr. Greenwalt said.

Artists whose work is chosen by the jury will receive $200.

There are parameters to the submissions: The artist must spend the majority of his or her time in Western Pennsylvania; music must be original or within the public domain; and a licensing agreement is required with the library if the work is chosen.

The STACKS platform is built on open-source software called MUSICat, developed by the Pittsburgh- and Madison, Wis.-based Rabble.

As of Monday afternoon, the library had received five submissions.

“Some [other libraries] have gotten 50 or 60, one city has gotten over 400 in their first round,” Mr. Greenwalt said. “We’re hoping to get something in between.”

This round of submissions will close Oct. 8, but Mr. Greenwalt said the library will issue a call for submissions twice a year.