The Definition of Venerable

Today we feature Smithsonian Institution's nonprofit record label, Smithsonian Folkways. SF's mission of "supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound" began with the efforts of Moses Asch and Marion Distler to document the world's cultures through the sounds--music, spoken word, noises, calls, and general racket, all of which Asch adored. This was the beginning of what we now know as "world music" (About Folkways: Smithsonian Folkways--Our Mission and History,

World music is now an important part of virtually every library's collection of recorded sound. And Smithsonian Folkways has grown beyond anything Asch and Distler could have envisioned when they started the record label in 1948. Significantly, the Smithsonian Institute agreed in 1986 to keep virtually all of the label's 2000+ titles perpetually in print; and since then, over 300 new recordings have been issued.

SF is a partner with Smithsonian Global Sound in creating a worldwide network of music and sound archives. An RSS feed from SGS's site will help keep us abreast of what's going on with them, who is featured, and what is available from the archives.

Keep listening.