To bring this back to an earlier point, I don't blame libraries and archives
for embracing new media, but it does leave decades of recordings painfully
unavailable to the margin for whom they're interesting and important.
I wish that all of the original LP reissue labels' back-catalogs were on
Itunes and Amazon too (and congrats/thanks to Folkways, County, Yazoo, etc.
who have done so), but there comes a point that you have to stop wishing and
start doing. I'm not going to say MP3 blogging will solve everything, but
it's sure more accessible than private collections or ILL (most libraries
won't lend sound recordings).
I've been hesitant to suggest this on this list because I know some people
aired concerns over my decision to scan and distribute my copies of "Record
Research" magazine, but FMiA has had a fairly positive reception, so here
goes: If any of you have recordings (78 or LP), or small books or magazines
that you think should be available, but are out of print / off-market, email
me off-list and we can talk about getting them online. I have all the time
in the world, but few resources, and think that the reward is worth the risk
and effort.
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