Local Music Junkies, Get Your Fix From Chicago Mixtape

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 10, 2011 4:20PM

Casey Meehan is a dedicated supporter of local music. Along with performing under the name Jitney, he’s a founder of Rock Proper, a digital-only Chicago label that openly encourages burning and sharing its releases. And now, he’s starting a new service focused on sharing local music, Chicago Mixtape. The project has an ambitious mission, “to make our city the ‘Most Vibrantly Connected Music Scene In The World.’” More specifically, it connects local music fans to up-and-coming Chicago acts by delivering free weekly compilations directly to subscribers’ inboxes.

Here’s how it works: subscribe for free through Chicago Mixtape's site. Every Monday or Tuesday, subscribers will receive via email a compilation of MP3s by bands that will be playing in the city within the upcoming week. These mixtapes are not archived online and are only available to subscribers through email. Local musicians interested in being featured on a mixtape can submit music through the submission page.

Chicago Mixtape will officially launch on Monday, February 14. Those who subscribe before then will immediately receive a starter mixtape. The starter is an 8-track collection (including an intro and an outro) featuring songs by strictly local acts - notably two unreleased tracks by Oh My God and JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound. To further celebrate the launch, Chicago Mixtape will be giving away tickets to local shows through weekly contests, which involve spreading the word through Facebook or Twitter and submitting a screenshot.