Folkways Records is a
record label that documents folk and world
music.
It
is now owned by the Smithsonian Institution
.
History
The
Folkways Records & Service Co. was founded by Moses Asch and Marian
Distler in 1948 in New York City
. Asch sought to record and document sound
from the entire world. From 1948 until Asch's death in 1986,
Folkways Records released 2,168 albums. The albums are very diverse
in content including traditional and contemporary music from around
the world; spoken word, poetry, and multi-lingual instructional
recordings; and field recordings of communities, individuals, and
natural sounds. It was also an early proponent of the singers and
songwriters, such as
Woody Guthrie,
Pete Seeger, and
Leadbelly, who formed the center of the American
folk music revival.
The label became very influential on a generation of
folk singers because of its release of a great
number of
old-time recordings by
re-discovered performers from the 1920s and 1930s like
Dock Boggs and
Clarence Ashley, as well as contemporary
performers like the
New Lost City
Ramblers. The
Anthology of American Folk
Music originally appeared on the Folkways label. Folkways
was also one of the earliest companies to release albums of
world music, including the
Music of
the World's Peoples collection edited by
Henry Cowell. They also released many spoken
word albums, and other unusual repertoire. The albums always came
with a pull-out leaflet containing extensive sleeve notes.
Smithsonian
The
Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
in Washington,
D.C.
acquired Asch's Folkways recordings and business
files after his death in 1986. This acquisition was
initiated by
Ralph Rinzler, of the
Smithsonian, before Asch's death and completed by the Asch Family
to ensure the sounds and artists would be preserved for future
generations. As a result, it was agreed to continue Asch's policy
that all of the 2,168 titles would stay in print indefinitely
regardless of market sales. The Smithsonian Folkways website uses
the internet to make the recordings available as streaming samples,
DRM-free digital downloads
in
MP3 and lossless
FLAC format, and on CDs via mail
order.
Asch also
donated a complete set of the Folkways recordings to the University of
Alberta
; FolkwaysAlive, a joint initiative between
the University and the Smithsonian, is involved in digitization and
archiving of the collection as well as maintaining a research
center and sponsoring student research scholarships and an annual
concert series.
Since acquiring Folkways, the Smithsonian has expanded Asch's
collection by adding several other record labels, including
Cook,
Monitor,
Fast Folk,
Dyer-Bennet, and
Paredon. They have also released over 300
new recordings.
The mission statement of Smithsonian Folkways states that their
mission "is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records
in 1948 to document 'people's music.'" They "are dedicated to
supporting
cultural diversity and
increased understanding among peoples through the documentation,
preservation, and dissemination of sound", and that "musical and
cultural diversity contributes to the vitality and quality of life
throughout the world." By making these recordings available, they
intend "strengthen people's engagement with their own
cultural heritage and to enhance their
awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of
others."
References
External links
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