Courtesy of DEMO
For every Prince, Bob Dylan, or The Replacements, there are hundreds of Minnesota musicians who never received the same radio airplay or arena-sized shows. A state nonprofit has launched a new initiative to preserve and celebrate the work of musicians here—whether their traditional “success” was big or small.
Diverse Emerging Music Organization (DEMO) has launched the Minnesota Music Archive, a digital collection of the state’s musical history across genres and generations. As of this week, more than 2,000 recordings are included in the online library, including everything from polka and Tejano to jazz and Indigenous music.
DEMO’s executive director, Mitch Thompson, says, “For every artist whose work reached a national or global audience, there are countless musicians, producers, and communities whose contributions shaped our culture locally. The Minnesota Music Archive is about honoring all of it … and creating a permanent, searchable home for our shared musical history.”
Courtesy of DEMO
The archive hosts an opening celebration tonight, April 2, at 6 p.m. at Hennepin Arts’ Jack Link’s Legend Lounge in Minneapolis. Guests will enjoy a short program, live performances, and DJ sets featuring—what else?—Minnesota music.
The team behind the archive expects it to grow quickly, as musicians and volunteer curators add to the collection. “Sustaining Minnesota’s tradition of punching above its weight musically requires participation,” Thompson says. “Volunteers are essential to carrying this legacy forward. Without collective action, too much of our recording history will be lost to decay or disappearing platforms.” If you have music to contribute to the archive, you can schedule a drop-off for CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, and other analog media; or complete a submission form for digital recordings. DEMO offers lots of guidance on how recordings can be used and how the organization works with rights holders and record labels on how submissions are catalogued.
The Minnesota Music Archive is a partnership—not just a project by DEMO, but a collaboration with Hamline University, the Minnesota Historical Society’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund, and others.
Ready to listen? Pop on your headphones or crank your speakers—the archive’s website features curated playlists, a “shuffle” section for discovering new-to-you tunes, a searchable library, and more.
Tickets for opening celebration available online; more details at minnesotamusicarchive.org.
