Resources / Links
American Musicological Society
The American Musicological Society's purpose is to advance scholarship in the various fields of music through research, learning, and teaching. To do this, it publishes a Journal, holds an Annual Meeting, supports books in musicology, and offers a broad array of grants, fellowships, and awards throughout the year.
The Americana Music Association is a professional trade organization whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American Roots Music around the world.
The Archives of Traditional Music, Indiana University
An audiovisual archive that documents music and culture from all over the world. With over 100,000 recordings that include more than 2,700 field collections, it is one of the largest university-based ethnographic sound archives in the United States.
Its holdings cover a wide range of cultural and geographical areas, vocal and instrumental music, linguistic materials, folktales, interviews, and oral history, as well as videotapes, photographs, and manuscripts.
Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC)
The Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and study of sound recordings, in all genres of music and speech, in all formats, and from all periods. ARSC is unique in bringing together private individuals and institutional professionals—everyone with a serious interest in recorded sound.
Berea College Sound Archives and Special Collections
It is the primary purpose of the Special Collections & Archives to collect and make accessible to researchers materials relating to the history of Berea College, the Southern Appalachian region, and the Berea community. A secondary purpose of the department is to collect and preserve other selected historical materials that complement the department’s primary collecting focus and enhance the College’s liberal arts education
Birthplace of Country Music Alliance
The Birthplace of Country Music seeks to perpetuate, promote, and celebrate Bristol’s rich musical heritage; to educate and engage audiences worldwide regarding the history, impact and legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions from which we derive our name; and to create recognition, opportunities, and economic benefit for our local and regional communities.
"Celebrating the arts, music, and heritage of the South from the cultural crossroads of Memphis" is best served by enjoying, living and breathing the very things we are sworn to preserve and protect. We believe that by providing a platform for art, music, and culture we encourage its growth and evolution. When you visit the Center, you visit a stage that comes alive with every show.
The Center for Popular Music, Middle Tennessee State University
The Center holds over one million items related to American vernacular music traditions, encompassing the full range of styles in popular music, folk and traditional music, sacred music, and community band music. The materials are wide-ranging and include, in part, early American sheet music, songsters, and broadsides; sound recordings in all formats; published scholarly books and periodicals; unique archival collections; multi-media digital collections; and databases that offer the latest marketing statistics.
Country Music Association [United States]
CMA is dedicated to bringing the poetry and emotion of Country Music to the world. We will continue the tradition of leadership and professionalism, promoting the music, and recognizing excellence in all its forms. While fostering a spirit of community and sharing, we will respect and encourage creativity and the unique contributions of all. CMA will be a place to have fun and celebrate success. We will take risks, embrace change, and always exceed the expectations of those we serve.
Country Music Association of Australia
The CMAA is the peak organization for country music artists and related industries in Australia. Key activities include administration of the Golden Guitar Awards and the CMAA Snr Academy of Country Music and CMAA Jnr Academy of Country Music.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum seeks to collect, preserve, and interpret the evolving history and traditions of country music. Through exhibits, publications, and educational programs, the museum teaches its diverse audiences about the enduring beauty and cultural importance of country music. For their digital archive: https://digi.countrymusichalloffame.org/
Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University has one of the most successful folklore programs in the United States. Western's Programs in Folk Studies place special emphasis on public folklore and the related areas of folklore and education and historic preservation.
International Bluegrass Music Association
IBMA is the trade association that connects and educates bluegrass professionals, empowers the bluegrass community, and encourages worldwide appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
International Bluegrass Music Museum
The mission of the International Bluegrass Music Museum is to gather, preserve, exhibit and disseminate artifacts, history, collections and performance art of the global history of bluegrass music through an educational experience.
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum Oral History Project
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Video Oral History Project (VOHP) includes oral history interviews documenting the history of Bluegrass Music. The project includes life stories of many musicians known as "Bluegrass Music's First Generation," as well as those who have carried the genre around the world.
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with the Nashville music community. Its purpose is to educate, celebrate and archive the achievements and contributions made by members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame to the world.
The National Museum of African American Music
MISSION: To educate the world, preserve the legacy and celebrate the central role African Americans play in creating the American soundtrack. VISION: The National Museum of African American Music is the premier global destination for music lovers of all generations that inspires, educates and transforms your appreciation of American music.
For 28 years the Old-Time Herald magazine has been dedicated to American old-time music, highlighting string band traditions of the Southeast and related traditions. This website includes links to back issues.
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.
The Society was founded in 1975 and was first named in honor of Oscar G.T. Sonneck, early Chief of the Music Division in the Library of Congress and pioneer scholar of American music. The Society for American Music is a non-profit scholarly and educational organization.
The Southern Folklife Collection is an archival resource dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating vernacular music, art, and culture related to the American South.
Southern Cultures, Center for the Study of the American South at UNC-Chapel Hill
Southern Cultures is an academic quarterly about the history and cultures of the U.S. South, published by UNC Press with the Center for the Study of the American South for readers in the South and beyond
The Tennessee Folklore Society is a statewide organization of professional folklorists, arts presenters, community, scholars, and others who share an interest in preserving, studying, and celebrating the rich folk arts and cultural traditions of the mid-South.
The Texas Heritage Songwriters Association
The mission of the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association, in the interest of Texas Cultural preservation, is to honor and celebrate Texas songwriters who have played an important role in defining and interpreting Texas’ distinctive culture.
Other Online Resources that may be helpful:
An online searchable collection of digitized trade magazine relating to music, radio and broadcasting. You will find Billboard Magazine, R&R magazine, Record World Magazine and many others.
The Country Music Archive (incorporating the British Archive of Country Music)
A non-profit organization, set up by Dave Barnes in 1987 to catalogue and preserve what had already become a large and ever growing collection of music, magazines, books and other country music items some of which were rarities of great historical interest.
Founded by Lance Ledbetter in 1999, Dust-to-Digital is currently operated by Ledbetter and his wife April in Atlanta, Georgia. Dust-to-Digital’s mission remains the same as when it began: to produce high-quality, cultural artifacts.
It's about the people, the music, the history.
Ted Lehmann's Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms
Write primarily about bluegrass music and the bluegrass experience. I also review books I read as well as offering road notes and travel entries.
etree.org is a community committed to providing the highest quality live concerts in a lossless, downloadable format. The Internet Archive has teamed up with etree.org to preserve and archive as many live concerts as possible for current and future generations to enjoy. All music in this Collection is from trade-friendly artists and is strictly non-commercial, both for access here and for any further distribution.
The Judith McCulloh Fund for American Music, University of Illinois Press
The University of Illinois announces the launch of the Judith McCulloh Fund for American Music. This endowed fund honors the legacy of Judy McCulloh, long-time University of Illinois Press editor. Judy’s academic passions and keen eye as an editor put Illinois on the map as the leading publisher in the field with the creation of the cornerstone series Music in American Life. The fund will help ensure the ongoing vibrancy of publications in American music at Illinois.
From Austin to Tennessee: The History of Country Music
A brief overview introduction to the history of country music put together by Austin, TX realtor, Jim Olenbush.