Sponsor or create a digital exhibit - Minnesota Music Archive

Request for Proposals

Digital Curations for the Minnesota Music Archive

About the Minnesota Music Archive

The Minnesota Music Archive (MMA), a project of DEMO, exists to preserve and celebrate all recordings by Minnesota musicians. It supports DEMO’s mission of preserving and promoting Minnesota’s independent music legacy and contributes to its vision of serving as a permanent home for Minnesota’s performing artists and their recorded music.

The MMA fosters a vibrant, inclusive music community by bridging gaps across geography, genre, generation, and culture. By breaking down the silos that often separate musical scenes and histories, the archive creates a shared space where the full spectrum of Minnesota’s musical legacy can be discovered, appreciated, and connected.

Built on principles of academic and historical integrity, the MMA follows professional standards for documentation, cataloging, and preservation. Only recordings that meet the music industry’s definition of a release—whether commercially distributed or self-published in physical or digital formats—are included, ensuring consistency, credibility, and long-term value.

The MMA is more than a collection—it’s a promise. A promise to past, present, and future Minnesota artists that their work matters. That their music has a place. And that together, we are building a shared cultural memory that honors the depth, diversity, and creativity of Minnesota’s music community.

Purpose of This RFP

The MMA seeks proposals for digital curations aiming to be built on the archive’s growing collection of digitized music. These curations will be featured as web-based exhibits on the MMA platform and should use the archive’s recordings as the foundation for storytelling, exploration, and engagement.

The goal is to create compelling, accessible, and meaningful exhibits that:

Promote the archive’s mission and invite public participation.
Encourage discovery of Minnesota’s musical history and present.
Reflect the diversity of the state’s music scenes—across geography, genre, generation, and culture.
Create a feedback loop where users can contribute knowledge, stories, and materials.
Build community through shared storytelling and exploration.

Content Goals

Digital curations should:

Be Built on the Archive: Each curation must be grounded in digitized recordings from the Minnesota Music Archive. The music is not just a reference point—it is the foundation. Curations should use these recordings as the core material around which stories, themes, and experiences are developed.
Tell Meaningful Stories: Use music as a lens to explore themes such as cultural movements, local scenes, artist journeys, or historical moments.
Foster Discovery: Surface lesser-known recordings, artists, or genres to broaden public understanding of Minnesota’s musical landscape.
Encourage Participation: Invite users to contribute knowledge, memories, or materials that help fill in gaps or expand the story.
Support Access and Engagement: Be designed for a general audience, with clear navigation, accessible language, and multimedia elements that enhance the listening and learning experience.
Maintain Integrity: Uphold standards of historical accuracy, respectful representation, and proper attribution.

Format and Presentation

Digital curations will be presented as web-based exhibits on the MMA platform. These exhibits should be:

Narrative-Driven: Structured around a clear theme or story arc that guides the user through the content.
Multimedia-Rich: Incorporate digitized audio from the MMA archive, along with contextual materials such as images, text, video, or maps.
Modular and Scannable: Designed in sections or chapters that allow users to explore at their own pace.
Interactive Where Possible: May include embedded playlists, timelines, maps, or user-submitted content features.
Visually Cohesive: Designed with a consistent visual identity that complements the MMA’s brand and enhances usability.

Proposal Requirements

Please include the following in your submission:

Project Title and Summary (150 words max)
Curatorial Vision: What story are you telling, and why?
Format and Tools: What digital tools or platforms will you use?
Connection to the Archive: Which recordings or collections will your curation highlight?
Audience Engagement: How will your project invite participation or feedback?
Sample Work or Portfolio (if available)
Timeline and Budget (if applicable)

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

Alignment with MMA’s mission and values
Creativity and originality
Feasibility and clarity of execution
Potential for public engagement and contribution
Historical and cultural relevance
Effective use of digitized music from the MMA archive

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Request for Proposals

About the Minnesota Music Archive

Purpose of This RFP

The goal is to create compelling, accessible, and meaningful exhibits that:

Content Goals

Digital curations should:

Format and Presentation

Digital curations will be presented as web-based exhibits on the MMA platform. These exhibits should be:

Proposal Requirements

Please include the following in your submission:

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

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