The SF Public Library has announced that it's launching a streaming music platform for Bay Area bands and musicians, paying artists $250 if they’re accepted, and users will be able to stream and download full albums with just a library card.

There are now plenty of streaming music services out there, but a new one is coming that will feature only Bay Area artists, won’t cost you anything to listen to, and will not have any ads. The Examiner reports that the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) and Amoeba Music are teaming up to create a free Bay Area artist streaming music platform. The platform will be called Bay Beats, and artists whose submissions are accepted will get paid, well, a little something.

"I'm very excited to get Bay Beats off the ground,” SFPL librarian Brian Weaver, who’s involved with planning and launching the platform, tells the Examiner. “I think it will be a really great way to check out the variety of amazing local music that continues to be created in the Bay Area."

The @SFPublicLibrary is partnering with @amoebamusic to create the local music collection. https://t.co/XlBiZBD9HD

— SF Examiner (@sfexaminer) April 26, 2023

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