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Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is 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. We believe that musical and cultural diversity contributes to the vitality and quality of life throughout the world. Through the dissemination of audio recordings and educational materials we seek to strengthen people's engagement with their own cultural heritage and to enhance their awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of others. Smithsonian Folkways is part of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

Our mission is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document "people's music," spoken word, instruction, and sounds from around the world. The Smithsonian acquired Folkways from the Asch estate in 1987, and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has continued the Folkways commitment to cultural diversity, education, increased understanding, and lively engagement with the world of sound.

Our History

Folkways Records & Service Co. was incorporated in 1948 in New York City by Moses Asch (1905–1986) and Marian Distler (1919–1964). Under Asch's enthusiastic and dedicated direction, Folkways sought to record and document the entire world of sound. Between 1948 and Asch's death, Folkways' tiny staff released 2,168 albums. Topics included traditional, ethnic, and contemporary music from around the world; poetry, spoken word, and instructional recordings in numerous languages; and documentary recordings of individuals, communities, current events, and natural sounds.

As one of the first record companies to offer albums of "world music," and as an early exponent of the singers and songwriters who formed the core of the American folk music revival (including such giants as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly), Asch's Folkways grew to become one of the most influential record companies in the world.

Following Asch's death, in 1987 the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington D.C. acquired Folkways Recordings and the label's business papers and files to ensure that the sounds and genius of its artists would continue to be available to future generations.

As a condition of the acquisition, the Smithsonian agreed that virtually all of the firm's 2,168 titles would remain "in print" forever—a condition that Smithsonian Folkways continues to honor through its custom order service. Whether it sells 8,000 copies each year or only one copy every five years, every Folkways title remains available for purchase.

In the years since 1987, Smithsonian Folkways has continued to expand on Asch's legacy, adding several other record labels to the collections—including Arhoolie Records and Folk-Legacy Records—and releasing over 500 new recordings that document and celebrate the sounds of the world around us. Currently, the collection consists of more than 4,500 albums and 65,000 tracks along with playlists, artist profiles, and online resources for teachers.

Smithsonian Folkways Educational Materials

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has been on the cutting edge of music access, offering online access to its catalog since 2005. The entire Smithsonian Folkways catalog is now available for streaming online through Friends of Folkways.

SFR has continued in the spirit of Folkways Records in our dedication to supporting education through our extensive catalog. We have impactful and award-winning children’s music from Ella Jenkins, Liz Mitchell, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie and many more artists. Our 2020 acquisition of the Educational Activities label increased our range of learning material specifically for early and middle childhood audiences, and the 2025 addition of Young People’s Records furthers our commitment to providing timeless materials geared toward child development.

Through online Lesson Plans and thematic Music Pathways, leading scholars and artists have worked with us to create interdisciplinary online resources that use music from our vast collection to meet music education, common core, and commonly used social studies standards in K–12 classrooms. We also have a searchable website containing thousands of primary sources (recordings), extensive liner notes with each album educating listeners on the cultural and historical significance of the music, as well as articles and videos about their impact. You can also find our content via institutional subscriptions (via Alexander Street Press) to Music Online/Smithsonian Global Sound® for Libraries.

The revenue received from streaming Friends of Folkways, individual downloads, and institutional subscriptions supports our artists as well as the creation of new educational content.