Alan Lomax Database

Audio Clip Information
Why are free full-length audio downloads unavailable on this site?
In 1996 Rounder Records made an extraordinary commitment to publish and distribute over 100 CDs drawn from the recordings of Alan Lomax, accompanied by extensive booklets and with customized transfers and mastering. Since then, Rounder has invested a great deal in the preservation, manufacture, and marketing of The Alan Lomax Collection. They are licensed to administer the audio recordings made by Alan Lomax from 1946 onwards; free downloads would impair their ability to issue them commercially, and artists and their heirs would receive no income from them. Furthermore, the server size and bandwidth requirements needed to maintain the entire collection online exceed the resources of the Association for Cultural Equity. We are exploring ways to offer full-length versions as downloads, but download fees would be necessary. For now, the many tracks that have been released on Rounder Records are available though commercial download services.
Full Item Access for Research Purposes:
Organizations or individuals interested in requesting full versions of the audio files represented on this website for research purposes may contact:
American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. folklife@loc.gov reference desk: 202-707-5510 (All collections)
Association for Cultural Equity / Alan Lomax Archive New York, New York request@lomaxarchive.com (All collections)
Additional Repositories:
We are disseminating copies of collections of Alan Lomax’s recordings to regional repositories in the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. In the future it will be possible to access these materials through these institutions.
Available Now:
Adams Music Research Institute P.O. Box 11357 St. Thomas, VI 00801 (Caribbean collection)
Coming Soon:
Alabama Center for Traditional Culture Montgomery, AL (Alabama collections)
Avery Research Center College of Charleston Charleston, SC (South Carolina and Georgia Sea Island-related collections)
The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum Ferrum College Ferrum, VA (All Appalachian-related collections)
The Blues Archive University of Mississippi Oxford, MS (Mississippi Delta and blues-related collections)
Folk Research Center Castries, St. Lucia (St. Lucia recordings)
Hogan Jazz Archive Tulane University New Orleans, LA (All jazz-related collections)
Irish Traditional Music Archive Dublin, Ireland (Irish collection)
Mediatheque Caraibe Guadeloupe (F.W.I.) (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and St. Lucia recordings)
Music Library Hunter College New York, NY (All audio collections)
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts New York, NY (All collections)
The Robinson Library at Newcastle University University of Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (All audio collections)
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Head of Traditional Music Glasgow, UK (Scottish collection)
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture New York, NY (African American and Caribbean collections)
School for Scottish Studies University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK (Scottish collection)
University of Louisiana, Lafayette Edith Garland Dupre Library Lafayette, LA (Louisiana collections)