ABSTRACT

In 1949, immigrant recording engineer Moses Asch embarked on a lifelong project: documenting the world of sound produced by mankind, via a small record label called Folkways Records. By the time of his death in 1986, he had amassed an archive of over 2,200 LPs and thousands of hours of tapes; so valuable was this collection that it was purchased by the Smithsonian Institute. Folkways Records is an account of how he built this business, working against all odds, to create a landmark in the history of American music.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|10 pages

Early Influences

1870s to 1930s

chapter 2|23 pages

Beginnings

Asch Records

chapter 3|19 pages

Broadening the Mandate

DISC Records of America

chapter 4|15 pages

The Birth of Folkways Records

chapter 5|48 pages

The Business of Making Records

chapter 6|33 pages

Finances

chapter 7|17 pages

Easing the Burden

Folkways in the 1960s

chapter 8|5 pages

The Sale of Folkways

chapter |11 pages

Conclusion