>> ERIC: THE BIGGEST ART STUDIO CRAWL IN THE COUNTRY KICKED OFF TODAY.

THE MINNEAPOLIS-BASED ART FESTIVAL, ART-A-WHIRL, HAS A WHOLE WEEKEND OF ACTIVITIES TO SAMPLE.

THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED MINNESOTA MUSIC ARCHIVE WILL BE AT TWIN IGNITION STUDIO RIGHT NEXT TO DUSTY'S BAR IN NORTHEAST.

MITCH THOMPSON IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DIVERSE EMERGING MUSIC ORGANIZATION, OR DEMO, THAT OVERSEES THE BUDDING ARCHIVE.

WELL, WHAT IS THE NEW MUSIC ARCHIVE ALL ABOUT?

TELL US ABOUT IT.

>> SURE.

SO A SIGNATURE INITIATIVE OF DEMO IS TO ARCHIVE ALL RELEASED MINNESOTA MUSIC BY MINNESOTA ARTISTS.

SO THIS IS EVERY GENRE, EVERY ERA, ALL CULTURAL HERITAGE, AND IT'S THE ENTIRE GEOGRAPHY OF MINNESOTA.

SO AS LONG AS IT QUALIFIES AS A RELEASE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS A DEFINITION OF A RELEASE, WE'RE ARCHIVING IT.

AND, SO, WE ARCHIVE IT AND NOW WE'VE JUST DEBUTED THIS SEARCH ENGINE, SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO TO THE WEBSITE, SEARCH THE ARTIST, YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT THAT RELEASE.

AND, SO, -- >> Eric: WHAT DID YOU BRING?

>> WELL, THIS IS JUST RANDOM.

I GRABBED THIS.

THIS IS ONE OF UR BOARD MEMBERS, ACTUALLY, IS A HUGE HUGHESKER DO FAN SO, HE GAVE US THE ENTIRE CATALOG OF HUGHESKER DO TO GET INTO THE ARCHIVE.

ANDREA SWENSON, WHO'S WITH THE CURRENT, AND WRITTEN BOOKS ABOUT THE MINNEAPOLIS OUND R ABOUT THE MINNEAPOLIS OUND , ABOUT THE MINNEAPOLIS OUND , THIS IS FROM HER COLLECTION, SHE DONATED PART OF IT, AND SHE LET US USE PART OF IT, TO DIGITIZE INTO THE ARCHIVE.

HUSKER DU.

>> THESE ARE FUN.

YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THEM FROM BEGINNING TO END, AS YOU DIGITIZE THEM, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE RECORD.

>> Eric: I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT.

>> AND THAT'S TRUE OF SASSETTE TAPES AS WELL.

>> Cathy: LOOK AT THAT.

>> CASSETTE TAPES AND ALBUMS, IN PARTICULAR, ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE MOST AT RISK, BECAUSE ONCE THEY'VE BANISHED, THEY'RE GONE.

>> Cathy: WELL, THEY'RE REALLY DELICATE.

>> YEAH.

AND SOME OF THESE RELEASES PROBABLY DIDN'T HAVE LARGE QUANTITIES OF THEM.

SO WE'RE OUT THERE, TRYING TO FIND THIS MATERIAL TO MAKE SURE IT GETS ARCHIVED.

>> Cathy: DO YOU HAVE ANY EIGHT TRACKS?

>> WE HAVE NOT ENCOUNTERED THAT.

WE'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON WHAT WE MIGHT DO IF WE ENCOUNTER THAT.

IT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE.

>> Eric: HOW ARE SELECTIONS MADE AS TO WHAT TO INCLUDE?

>> SO AS LONG AS AS THEY QUALIFY AS A MINNESOTA ARTIST, AND I THINK THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE LINE ON THAT, AND OUR LINE IS PRETTY SOFT AT THIS POINT.

AS LONG AS THERE'S AN OBVIOUS CONNECTION TO MINNESOTA, WE'RE ARCHIVING THEM.

I THINK AT SOME POINT WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT WILL MAYBE LOOK AT SOME THINGS.

I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, I THINK THE GREATEST THING THAT WOULD HAPPEN IS IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE ENOUGH THAT THEY'RE NOT IN THE ARCHIVE THAT THEY'RE PETITIONING US TO BE IN THE ARCHIVE.

>> Eric: OH, I THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN.

>> AND I THINK THAT WILL BE GREAT.

WE'LL KIND OF COME ACROSS THAT.

MOST THINGS, HONESTLY, I'M NOTICING, THE LINE IS PRETTY CLEAR, THE BAND CONSIDERS THEMSELVES FROM MINNESOTA, YOU KNOW, OR THEY MOVED HERE AND DID A LOT OF THEIR WORK HERE AND, SO, SO FAR THAT'S BEEN -- WE'VE ERRED ON THE SIDE OF LET'S JUST INCLUDE PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, JUDY GARLAND'S A GREAT EXAMPLE.

YOU KNOW?

>> Cathy: I CAN SEE A LISTENER SAYING, MITCH, DOESN'T THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY DO THIS WORK?

NOT REALLY, RIGHT?

>> THEY DON'T, REALLY, NO.

THEY ACTUALLY GOT US THE GRANT, THEY WERE PART OF THE GRANT THAT WE GOT TO CREATE THE PUBLIC-FACING WEBSITE AND CREATE THE APPLICATION THAT WE USE.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THEY GET HIT WITH A LOT.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE THINK THEY SHOULD BE DOING.

AND I HINK THEY -- CONVERSATIONS I HAVE, THEY APPRECIATE PEOPLE CREATING A WEB OF WAYS THAT THE WORK GETS DONE.

SO WE ACTUALLY SEE THEM AS -- US AS BEING PART OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

>> Cathy: SO ART-A-WHIRL, ARE YOU ASKING FOLKS FOR ANALOG MATERIALS?

>> PRIMARILY.

YOU CAN DONATE DIGITALLY THROUGH THE WEBSITE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT AT FIRST ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE ANALOG BECAUSE THEY'RE MOST AT RISK.

AND, SO, AT ART-A-WHIRL WHEN PEOPLE COME AND DONATE, THEY CAN GET A FREE BEVERAGE FROM FULTON, THEY'RE SPONSORING, AND ALSO PEOPLE WILL BE IN FOR A DRAWING FROM FIRST AVENUE FOR A MEMBERSHIP.

SO IF YOU BRING MUSIC THAT YOU CAN DONATE TO THE ARCHIVE ON SATURDAY, WE WILL PUT YOU IN THAT DRAWING AND YOU CAN GET A FREE BEVERAGE.

BUT ALSO, I'LL JUST TELL YOU, MORE COMPLEXLY, DIGITAL IS ALSO VERY AT RISK.

PEOPLE THINK OF THE DIGITAL AS VERY, LIKE, STABLE AND IT'S OUT THERE ON THE INTERNET.

BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY FINDING THAT THAT MATERIAL CAN -- SERVICES CAN JUST DISAPPEAR OVERNIGHT SO A BAN COULD BE ON A SERVICE AND IT HAD ALL -- A BAND COULD BE ON A SERVICE, THEY HAD ALL THEIR MUSIC THERE AND ONE DAY IT CAN GO OUT OF BUSINESS.

SO THE DIGITAL PRESERVATION OF STUFF RELEASED THAT WAY IS ALSO GOING TO BE AS IMPORTANT FOR US IN THE SHORT TERM.

ANALOG STUFF, BECAUSE T DEGRADES AND IT GOES AWAY, WE ALREADY KNOW WE'VE LOST THINGS THAT WE'RE NEVER GOING TO GET, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET AS MUCH OF IT AS WE CAN.

>> Eric: IS THERE A WEBSITE OR SOMETHING?

>> MINNESOTAMUSICARCHIVE.ORG.

>> Eric: THIS SEEMS A REAL PASSION FOR YOU.

>> Cathy: YOUR FACE IS LIT UP.

>> I LOVE TALKING ABOUT.

THIS IT'S REALLY EXCITING.

YEAH