1. Dear Audiophile: Allow us to introduce ourselves.

We are Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the United States. We are dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound, both musical and spoken word. Our recordings collection includes traditional American folk, blues and jazz, children’s music, and world music.

The Smithsonian Folkways catalog consists of more than 3,000 recordings available in compact disc and digital download in MP3 and FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) formats. We also have a small, but growing vinyl collection. Our catalog contains the complete recordings of the Smithsonian Folkways, Cook, Collector, Dyer-Bennet, Fast Folk Musical Magazine, Folkways, and Paredon labels. Our recordings have won a number of awards including 16 GRAMMY, 17 Children’s music, and 10 Independent music awards.

Through our website, www.folkways.si.edu , you are able to view our entire catalog of recordings. All performances are available via digital downloads. Customers can download Smithsonian Folkways recordings directly from our website in 256K MP3 or lossless FLAC format for the same price ($.99 for most songs or $9.99 for most single-disc albums). Both formats are DRM-Free. MP3s are compatible with all digital music players while FLAC is compatible on many conventional and wireless audio systems. Full-album downloads also include high resolution album artwork and liner notes. For more information about our download support, see www.folkways.si.edu/customer_service/download_support.aspx. You will also find our recordings at digital download retailers such as iTunes, eMusic, Amazon.com, and Classical.com.

We invite you to visit our site and to explore our catalog using online search, podcasts, and streaming radio feeds. As our “thank you” for visiting our site, you are invited to download a free recording at www.folkways.si.edu/promos/festival_free_downloads.aspx.

Sincerely,

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Smithsonian Institution

email me here