Apr 09, 2020
For the moment, you might not be able to head out to a concert, dig through a record store, or browse OPL’s CD collection, but your favourite music is still instantaneously available through Hoopla!
With over 100,000 albums in its collection - and more being added every day - Hoopla allows you to stream or temporarily download music by artists from across the pop spectrum and beyond: from rock to rap; country to blues; movie soundtracks to musicals; jazz, R&B, reggae, and so much more.
Get started by creating an account with your email address and library card. You’ll then be able to borrow up to 8 albums per month (recently increased from 4), each of which you’ll have full access to for 7 days. Listen as many times as you’d like! Best of all, there are no holds or waiting lists with Hoopla; all titles are accessible for as long as they’re in the collection.
As an added benefit, Hoopla has temporarily supplied a list of Bonus Borrows, albums you can access that don’t count against your monthly limit. Included are greatest hits albums from perennial favourites like Tom Petty, Prince, Madonna, as well as recent hits from BTS, Taylor Swift and others.
Since Hoopla’s collection stretches far and wide, here are a few suggestions to get you going:
- You might want to start with the newest of new releases: albums from Pearl Jam, Jessie Reyez, Pomme, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Soolking, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Imen Es that are just hitting the (virtual) record store shelves.
- Or maybe you can catch up on some recent albums by emerging and well-known Canadian artists: Sarah Harmer’s Are You Gone, Geneviève Jodoin’s J'ai toujours su, Solo by Gordon Lightfoot, Loud’s Tout ça pour ça, Alan Doyle’s Rough Side Out, or the self-titled debut of Montreal’s Eli Rose.
- When it comes to classic artists with extensive catalogues, you could spend hour-upon-hour digging deep into albums new and old from musicians like James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Marie Laforêt, Marc Lavoine, The Tragically Hip, or Jay-Z.
- Many of us are sorely missing the live music experience. If you haven’t already attended a virtual show, you can also get your concert fix by streaming live albums from the likes of Florence K, Lionel Richie, Johnny Hallyday, Ibrahim Malouf, Coldplay, and so many others. Or even experience the entirety of Woodstock, spread over 3 albums right from the first note all the way to the last!
- If you’ve been spending some time exploring the movies, television, and other streaming video that OPL has on offer, Hoopla’s also got a great selection of soundtracks. Included are songs from recent hits like Frozen II (in English or French!) and Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as award-winning musicals like Hamilton and Hadestown, and compilations from TV shows like La Voix.
- Although OPL’s always-growing collection of CDs by Indigenous artists is temporarily unavailable, with Hoopla, you’ve still got access to innovative and exciting work by Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Jeremy Dutcher, among others.
- While the music highlighted here can definitely bring some joy to your day, if you’re looking for some extra levity, it’s worth noting that Hoopla also has a growing collection of stand-up comedy albums that can help uplift you.
And if you’re still not sure where to start, Hoopla has created helpful category lists that organize albums by genre or theme.
Lastly, it’s worth spotlighting the Ottawa musicians who have been working hard to support themselves and make every day a little more enjoyable for music fans by live-streaming concerts from their homes to ours. A couple of Facebook groups are working to spotlight these concerts, and if you do a quick search online or start following your favourite local artists on social media, you can undoubtedly uncover and support lots of great music still being made in our city. You can do the same with Hoopla: check out albums from local artists like Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, Buck-N-Nice, Steve Adamyk Band, or Night Lovell.
Start digging into Hoopla’s music collection today and let us know what albums you’re loving in the comments below!
Blog post contributed by Daniel from out Content Services department.