Ethnomusicology

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Folkways is dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound. Their mission is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records in 1948. The Smithsonian acquired Folkways from the Asch estate in 1987, and Smithsonian Folkways has continued the Folkways commitment to cultural diversity and education. In 2005 Smithsonian Global Sound was launched, making accessible tens of thousands of audio recordings and hundreds of video, including the published recordings owned by Smithsonian Folkways and the archival audio collections of Folkways Records, Arhoolie, Cook, Dyer-Bennet, Fast Folk, Monitor, Paredon, and other labels, as well as recordings from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections and content from partner archives including the International Library of African Music, the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology of the American Institute for Indian Studies, the Aga Khan Music Initiative for Central Asia of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and others still to come.

The Folkways Collection: A podcast series from Smithsonian Folkways and CKUA Radio. This series of 24 one-hour programs explores the remarkable collection of music, spoken word, and sound recordings that make up Folkways Records (now at the Smithsonian as Smithsonian Folkways Recordings). The music of modern day giants like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Ani Difranco is interwoven with original Folkways recordings to demonstrate the lasting legacy that Folkways Records has on popular music. Recent and archival interviews with Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Mickey Hart, Studs Terkel, and others help reveal the remarkable human stories behind this equally remarkable collection. The series was produced by CKUA Radio in Alberta, Canada and originally aired in 1999.

AIR MAIL MUSIC, specializes in traditional music; its aim is to promote culture, while providing the pleasure of a ‘musical journey’.

Established in 1976, ARC Music specializes in world and ethnic music from all corners of the globe.

Founded in 1975, Bear Family Records specializes in country and bluegrass, as well as boxed set reissues of a variety of genres.

Founded in 1986, Buda specializes in folk, traditional and urban music.

Founded in 1951, Canyon Records produces Native American flute music, pow-wow, Native American Church music, round dance, traditional Native American music from many American Indian and Canadian Indian nations and fusions of Native American music with genres like folk, jazz, country and most recently, classical music.

Founded in 1994, Compass Records specializes in roots music.

Founded in 1968, Documentary Educational Resources (DER) is a nonprofit whose mission is to foster cross-cultural understanding through the distribution and promotion of quality educational ethnographic, documentary, and non-fiction films and videos from around the world.

Founded by Lance Ledbetter in 1999, Dust-to-Digital is the producer and curator of a wide variety of projects, which combine rare, essential recordings with historical images and descriptive texts to create high-quality, cultural artifacts.

Founded in 1987, specializes in world and roots music, esp. music of Central Asia.

Founded in 1976, Green Linnet specializes in Celtic music.

Founded in 1966 in Taos, New Mexico, Indian House specializes in recordings of traditional and powwow Native American Indian music.

Maison des Cultures du Monde was created in 1982 to protect and encourage awareness of cultural diversity; to research and program intangible cultural heritage performing art forms; and to document and record rare and endangered music. The INEDIT series, founded in 1985, is a means for ethnomusicologists to publish field recordings and an active memorial dedicated to the preservation of endangered forms of the world musical heritage.

Founded in 1950, Lyrichord was one of the oldest independent labels featuring traditional world music recordings. Lyrichord, in association with Multicultural Media, has released the Lyrichord Archive Series, which makes many past Lyrichord recordings available for the first time in years.

Mahoor Institute of Culture and Arts was founded in 1987 by Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi to produce and promote original works of and on the music of Iran. It has released more than 600 CDs, 200 titles of books and pamphlets on music.

Founded in 1998, Mhumhi Records is a not-for-profit record label that is dedicated to preserving and sharing the music of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Founded in 1991, Moment! Records specializes in the classical music of India and contemporary world music.

Founded in 1975, Mulligan Records specializes in traditional Irish music.

Founded in 1993, specializes in producing and distributing world music and dance CDs, videos and DVDs. They are the co-producers of the JVC Smithsonian Folkways Video Collections. In 2015, Multicultural Media acquired Lyrichord.

Founded in 1992, Navras Records specializes in classical, instrumental and vocal, devotional, traditional and fusion music from the Indian subcontinent, as well as ragas, rasas, ghazals, bhajans, folk and Bollywood.

Founded in 1979, Network Medien specializes in a wide and resonant kaleidoscope of the most diverse musical cultures on the planet.

New Day Films is a filmmaker-run distribution company providing award-winning films to educators since 1971.

Founded in 1957, Ocora, part of Radio France, specializes in authentic recordings of world music.

Founded in 1968, Ode Records specializes in the music of New Zealand.

Founded in 1976, PAN Records specializes in music of the Pacific, the Caucasus, Central Asia, East and South-East Europe; areas and countries inside the former USSR; ethnic groups in China and East Africa; overtone music; and brass band music.

French World music label founded in 1974 by Alain Normand. Playasound released more than 300 World music records still available today. Playasound is with - Air Mail Music, Manuiti, Crossing Records - one of the four components of Sunset France Productions.

Established in 1993 to introduce people to the music of the world’s cultures

Founded in 1970, Rounder specializes in blues, blues-rock, string band, bluegrass, folk, soul, soca, Cajun, and Celtic music.

Founded in 1975, Shanachie specializes in Jazz, R&B/Soul/Blues, Irish/Celtic, World, Reggae, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, Gospel, Americana and New Age/Funk/Pop.

Founded in 1986, Sharp Wood Records specializes in the music of Zambian-born drummer/composer Michael Baird; music from central, eastern & southern Africa; releases include the 22-CD series "Historical Recordings by Hugh Tracey."

Founded in 1983, Sterns is the largest distributor of African records in the U.K., with a catalog of 3,000 titles, including 100 on their own labels (Sterns and Earthworks).

Founded in 1987, Tayberry Music specializes in hard-to-find Celtic and folk recordings.

Founded in 1978, Temple Records was formed to create an outlet for Scottish music.

Begun in 1939, Topic Records specializes in traditional and contemporary folk music from English, Scottish & Irish folk singers & musicians. The Topic World Series specializes in ethnographic recordings; many releases have been made in conjunction with the International Music Collection of the British Library National Sound Archive.

Tradisom is a small independent label that was set up to try to gather and then disseminate the cultural influences that the Portuguese have had in the world of music.

Founded in 1993, Traditional Crossroads is dedicated to releasing music of various cultures.

Founded in 1968, UCLA Ethnomusicology Publications specializes in field recordings made by UCLA Ethnomusicology faculty and graduates and UCLA Ethnomusicology events and concerts.

Founded in 1989, World Music Network consists of four labels: Music Rough Guides, Think Global, Riverboat Records and Introducing. Music Rough Guides releases the Rough Guide CD compilations and Think Global creates fundraising albums in association with Oxfam and Amnesty International. Established artists are produced on Riverboat Records and less well-known, undiscovered musical talent is featured on the Introducing label.

An independent Berlin-based label under the Piranha Arts umbrella. With more than 150 album releases and 1,200 copyrights to date, it introduces new sounds and artists from the world to the world under the triad of globalisation, tradition & subcultural understanding.

VoxLox was founded in 2003 by Steven Feld to publish CD, DVD, and book projects at the crossroads of anthropology and sound and visual art.