Apply to Spotlight Program

Application Closed

The 2025 Spotlight Application is closed. View the timeline for more information.

By applying, musicians/songwriters give the City of San Antonio the right to use their music as part of the Local Music Spotlight Program.

The City has non-exclusive use. Musicians/songwriters in the program remain free to use the same music outside of it.

Timeline

June 24, 2025

Application opens at 8 a.m. CST

July 8, 2025

Application closes at 5 p.m. CST

July 8 - August 2025

Application Review

September 2025

Notify Applicants of song selection

Apply

Step 1.Eligibility

  • Only San Antonio-based musicians/songwriters ages 18 and over can apply.
  • The music submitted must be your original work. This means you must have the legal authority to license the song to the City of San Antonio. Please do not submit songs that have sampled the work of other artists or cover songs.
  • All genres qualify, including music in languages other than English and instrumental only.
  • Applicants who join must follow the City of San Antonio's Non-Discrimination Policy.
  • The content of submitted work must follow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. The rules cover obscene, indecent and profane content.

Step 2.Create a Profile

To be considered for the Local Music Spotlight Program create a San Antonio Artist Registry Profile.

Create a Registry Profile

NOTE: New profiles may take up to three business days to review/approve. You will need to provide a link to your active Artist Registry Profile when submitting your application.

Step 3.Apply

Login to GO Smart and apply.

Apply

You will need these assets to complete your application:

  • One song (must be in MP3, MP4, or WAV format)
  • One to two photos (JPEG format, hi-res preferred for social media promotion)

How It Works

Licensing

By applying, the applicants confirm that they own the copyrights to all music submitted. They also confirm they have the legal power to license the City of San Antonio to use the music to promote the city's arts.

Selection

Song submissions will be reviewed and scored by a pool of panelists from the creative community. Learn more about the Panelists program.

Applicants will be notified if selected and when/where music will be used.

Selected song will be featured for a specified length of time.

NOTE: City reserves the right to remove the song from the program at any time for any reason, without providing notice to the musician/songwriter.

Honorarium

Selected songs will be awarded an honorarium of $250. If multiple artists collaborated on the song, distribution of the money will be the responsibility of the applicant. Selected applicants will need to sign up as a vendor with the City of San Antonio to receive the honorarium.

Resources