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Re: [ARSCLIST] Ringtones, etc.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karl Miller" <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> As for regrets...I am saddened that there are so many personal collections
> of composers and collectors that won't find worthy (if any) homes. I still
> think we need to have some sort of national archive of American Music, a
> place for recordings and manuscripts of American composers and musicians.
> A place administered by those who love, know and respect the material,
> and understand the needs of those wanting to access the material. There
> are so many musicians who aren't, or weren't "big names" who maybe could
> have been had they been say, working in one of the major cities, or had
> the exposure needed to have a greater impact. Yet, because they aren't
> "names" no collection is interested...of course these days, so few
> collections are interested in collecting much of anything...unless of
> course it can get them written up in the Times.
>
Actually, as I recall Bowling Green State University (Ohio) which has an
extensive interest (and classes) in "popular culture" is also trying to
amass a collection of 78's (and probably 45's and LP's?). I have also
heard that at least two Canadian schools are also planning archives of
pop-music sound recordings...and the NLC is trying for as nearly complete
a collection of Canadian recordings (or Canada-related...artists, composers
and so on) as possible.
Given a choice, I would like to see my archive (accumulated with discography
in mind) in a location where it could be used for research as well as
listening (it includes very little in the way of valuable rarities...no
Robert Johnson originals or one-off jazz items...).
The problem is that many...possibly most...archivists think in terms
of what is already viewed as "worthy"...fine art, fine literature
and so forth. Whit is more likely to be of interest to future folks
(assuming there are such?) are the "facts of everyday life" of
their previous generations...
Or at least that is how it seems to me...
Steven C. Barr