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April 2017

ARSC New York Chapter April Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents An interview with Gunther Schuller on his Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee., presented by Tom Fine and Dennis Rooney, April 20th, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

Call for Applications: ARSC Web Manager
ARSC is now seeking applicants for the role of Website Manger! This is a great opportunity for a creative person to take a leadership role in ARSC, make significant contributions to ARSC's growth, exercise your writing and coding skills, and play an active role in initiatives across the organization! Please read the full position description here.

March 2017

ARSC New York Chapter March Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents In Memoriam: Max Wilcox (1928-2017), moderated by Joseph Patrych and Jon Samuels, (POSTPONED: See Flyer) March 23rd, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

February 2017

ARSC New York Chapter February Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents Richard Pryor's Laff Recordings, presented by Dan Blazek, February 16th, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

December 2016

ARSC New York Chapter December Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents Sixty Years of the Vocal Record Collectors Society, moderated by Joe Pearce and Seth Winner, December 15th, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

December 2016

ARSC Grants for Preservation of Classical Music Historical Recordings Applications are now being accepted! Grants generally range from $2,000 to $10,000 are available for projects to preserve and promote access to recordings. The deadline for applications is December 15th. For details and application instructions click here.

ARSC Annual Conference Travel Grants Applications are now being accepted! Grants are designed to support professional development and encourage active participation in ARSC with financial assistance for conference attendance. The deadline for applications is December 16th. For details and application instructions click here.

November 2016

ARSC New York Chapter November Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents Forgotten Crooner: The Extraordinary and Short-lived Career of Russ Columbo, presented by Dennis D. Rooney, October 20th, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

October 2016

2016 ARSC Grant Recipients Announced!
ARSC Grants for Preservation of Classical Music Historical Recordings have been awarded to Interlochen Public Radio to support the digitization of open-reel recordings of performances at the Interlochen Academy of the Arts, and to Professor Jordi Roquer Gonzalez, of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, to support playback and recording of piano rolls recorded by Catalan composers Federico Mompou and Manuel Blancafort between 1914 and 1929.
Read more about these projects here.
ARSC Research Grants go to Ian Eagleson, ethnomusicologist and independent scholar, for travel to study the recording industry in Kenya,
and to Filip Sir, librarian and sound specialist at the Moravian Library in Prague, Czech Republic, for travel to US repositories to collect information on recordings made for Czech immigrants,
and to Matt Swiatlowski, doctoral student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to conduct research in the archives of New World Records.
Read more about these projects here

September 2016

ARSC New York Chapter September Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents Uncommon Encores of the Great Pianists, presented by Donald Manildi, September 15th, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

The ARSC Summer Newsletter, Number 141 has arrived with a message from ARSC's new president, Matthew Barton, recaps of ARSC's 50th Anniversary Conference and Pre-conference Workshop, the latest initiative from the Radio Preservation Task Force, grant announcements, and more!

Uncle Dave Lewis is on a mission to document the complex history of a group of three related record labels: Regis, Manor, and Arco. He shares what he has learned in this detailed guest post to the ARSC Blog: My Record Will Be There : Regis-Manor-Arco in a Spreadsheet. Check it out to learn more about these "fuzzy" labels and how you can help by contributing directly to the spreadsheet Uncle Dave has created to document Regis-Manor-Arco releases.

Check out the ARSC Spring Newsletter! Get the latest on the ARSC 50th Anniversary Conference, a recap of AES, and more!

May 2016

ARSC New York Chapter May Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents Stinson Records: A look at the label from its founding in 1939, the collaboration with Moe Asch of Folkways during the war years, and its subsequent history and influence in the late 1940s and early 1950s, presented by Matthew Barton, May 19th, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

2015 ARSC Award Recipients Announced!
ARSC Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research recognize outstanding published research in the field of recorded sound. View winning publications.
The 2015 ARSC Service Awards go to Tony Russell (Lifetime Achievement Award), and Marcos Lacerda (Distinguished Service to Historical Recordings Award). Read more...

April 2016

Women in Recorded Sound
With the overwhelming expression of interest, the new collective, Women in Recorded Sound, is moving forward! Stay tuned for more information on a kickoff event at the 50th Annual ARSC conference in Bloomington. Follow WRS on Twitter @WomenRecSound, Facebook, or email womeninrecordedsound@gmail.com.

Ever wonder how records were depicted in silent movies? Silent film accompanist, David Drazin has! ARSC Blog is delighted to present Drazin's entertaining and image-rich guest post on the topic: Silent Records, Silent Movies, by David Drazin.

ARSC New York Chapter April Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents Tales from the Desk: The Vicissitudes of Music Producing, A Round Table Discussion with Record Producers Moderated by Joseph Patrych, April 21st, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Panelists will include, Susan Del Giorno, David Frost, Dennis D. Rooney, Jon M. Samuels, Jonathan Schultz, and Judith Sherman. Read more...

IASA Call for Papers Deadline Approaching
The extended deadline to submit presentation proposals for the 2016 IASA conference is March 31st. This year's conference will be held in Washington, DC. The theme is A World of Opportunity: Audiovisual Archives and the Digital Landscape. Read more... Please submit your proposals using the online form on the conference website at: http://2016.iasa-web.org/call-for-presentations

CLIR Digitizing Hidden Special Collections
CLIR is now accepting applications for the 2016 Digitizing Hidden Special Collections Awards in support of digitizing collections of rare and unique content in cultural memory institutions. Proposals for 2017 projects are due April 5, 2016. Informational webinars for applicants will be held Feb. 2nd, March 2nd, and March 16th. See this press release for more information.

March 2016

ARSC New York Chapter March Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents "I May Be Crazy but I Ain't No Fool": The Legacy of Funnyman "Ragtime Bob" Roberts, presented by David N. Lewis and Rebecca Forste, March 17th, 7:00pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

FY2015 Preservation Statistics Survey
This survey, to document and analyze the preservation activities of cultural heritage institutions in the United States, is now open. Any library or archives in the United States conducting preservation activities is encouraged to participate in this survey which will be open through March 4, 2016. For more information, visit the Preservation Statistics website.

February 2016

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UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive Launched!
The University of California Santa Barbara has launched its new Cylinder Audio Archive. Read more here.

Radio Preservation Task Force Conference
Saving America's Radio Heritage: Radio Preservation, Access, and Education is the theme of this two day NRPP conference to be held Friday, Feb. 26th, at the Library of Congress and Saturday, Feb. 27th, at the University of Maryland College Park. For more information go to www.radiopreservation.org.

   Deadline Approaching!    ARSC Research Grant Applications are being accepted through Feb. 29th. Application guidelines are available here.

January 2016

ARSC Research Grant Applications Invited
The ARSC Grants Committee is now accepting applications for the ARSC Research Grants Program. Application guidelines are available here. The deadline is Feb. 29, 2016.

ARSC New York Chapter January 2016 Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents Milestones of Achievement by WNYC and WQXR, moderated by Andy Lanset, Director of the New York Public Radio Archives, Jan. 21st, 6:30pm at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, NYC. (Note change of time and venue!) Read more...

December 2015

ARSC New York Chapter December Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter presents The Art of Recording the Big Band, presented by Robert Auld, Dec. 17th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

2016 Joint Technical Symposium Early-Bird Registration Extended to December 18th!. JTS 2016 is organized by the Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) and will be hosted by SEAPAVAA and the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), March 7-9, 2016. To register or to find more information, see the JTS website: www.JTS2016.org.

ARSC Preservation Grant Applications Invited
The ARSC Grants Committee is now accepting applications for the Preservation of Classical Music Historical Recordings Grants Program. Application guidelines are available here. The deadline is Dec. 15th.

November 2015

The Fall 2015 Issue of ARSC Journal is Now Available! View the Table of Contents. And remember - print copies of ARSC Journal and online access is a benefit of ARSC membership! Don't forget, it's time to renew!

WORLD DAY for AUDIOVISUAL HERITAGE
10th ANNIVERSARY ·  OCTOBER 27th

Archives at Risk: Protecting the World's Identities

ARSC President Signs CCAAA Declaration in Honor of WDAVH 2015
ARSC President, Patrick Feaster signs the Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) declaration, “Safeguarding Endangered Archives: A Shared Vision” in honor of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2015. See the full announcement and declaration here.

The Phonautograms of Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville
In observation of this year’s World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, and in celebration of the succcessful nomination of "Humanity’s First Recordings of its Own Voice: The Phonautograms of Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville (c.1853-1860)," to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, First Sounds and ARSC are releasing a facsimile edition of Scott de Martinville's own definitive anthology. See the full announcement and access the facsimile here.
ARSC celebrates WDAVH 2015 with release of AMP! In celebration of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2015, ARSC has released AMP! - ARSC Media & Publications, a searchable database of over 2000 articles, reviews, and columns published in the ARSC Journal since 1967, and over 500 audio recordings of ARSC Conference presentations since 1994! Try it out here!

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October 2015

The 2015 ARSC Fall Membership Directory
is Published!
This annual publication provides contact information for members, as well as, occupation, works published, recording format expertise, and other areas of interest and research. (Access limited to current members.)

ARSC Video Production Guidelines.
You may have noticed ARSC now has a YouTube Channel! The ARSC Online Media Committee (OMC) is developing this platform to promote ARSC and share the expertise of our community. The guidelines outline procedures for proposing and creating video projects for ARSC. Please consider proposing a project! Contact the OMC with any questions.

The 49th Annual ARSC Conference Audio Recordings are here! The ARSC community recognizes the research value of these recordings and we take pride in making them available to members. Special thanks to all of this year's fantastic presenters for sharing their work!

Members can access recordings here.
Read presentation abstracts here.
Not a member? Join today!

Grammy Foundation Grant proposals are being accepted until October 1, 2015. Application instructions are available at https://www.grammy.org/grammy-foundation/grants.

AVPreserve has released its Guide to Developing a Request for Proposal for the Digitization of Audio in association with ARSC's new publication...

   NEW ARSC PUBLICATION!  
Image: guide cover ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation
Sam Brylawski, Maya Lerman, Robin Pike, Kathlin Smith, editors
May 2015, 240 pp.
ISBN 978-1-932326-50-5
CLIR pub 164
PDF Download of Report

September 2015

ARSC New York Chapter October Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter, with the NY section of AES, presents Revisiting the Legendary 1938 Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert, or "The Greatest Broadcast That Never Happened", hosted by Robert Auld, with Vincent Pelote and Seth B.Winner, Oct. 6th, 7pm at The New School for Jazz Performance, NYC. Read more...

The theme of the 2016 Joint Technical Symposium is Sustainable Audiovisual Collections Through Collaboration. JTS 2016 is organized by the Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) and will be hosted by the South East Asia Pacific Audio Visual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA) and the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), March 7-9, 2016. The website is www.JTS2016.org, and a Call for Papers is here. Proposals are due by September 19, 2015.

ARSC Ohio Chapter chair, Uncle Dave Lewis, presents History of Cincinnati Music: The 'Other' King Records, Saturday, Sept. 26th, 3pm at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Read more...

ARSC New York Chapter Videos!
We're very pleased to present the first in our next series of video recordings created by the ARSC NY Chapter. We begin with The Columbia Recordings of Fritz Reiner and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 1940-1947, presented by Dennis D. Rooney, recorded at CUNY on April 16, 2015.

ARSC New York Chapter September Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter hosts Joseph Patrych and Jon M. Samuels presenting, Earl Wild at 100: The Man; The Musician; The Personality, Sept. 17th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

AVPreserve has released its Guide to Developing a Request for Proposal for the Digitization of Audio in association with ARSC's new publication...

   NEW ARSC PUBLICATION!  
Image: guide cover ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation
Sam Brylawski, Maya Lerman, Robin Pike, Kathlin Smith, editors
May 2015, 240 pp.
ISBN 978-1-932326-50-5
CLIR pub 164
PDF Download of Report


ARSC Blog features an entertaining article by Uncle Dave Lewis describing his detective work to uncover a 1920's female musical group. Check out Found at Last: The Orloff Trio.

August 2015

ARSC is excited to present this video recording of Recent Developments in Cylinder Audio Preservation, presented at the 2015 ARSC Annual Conference by David Giovannoni, Rebecca Feynberg, John Levin, and Nicholas Bergh!

IN THE NEWS: Former ARSC President, Vincent Pelote, Director of Operations at the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University. Read article here!

The Summer 2015 ARSC Newsletter is here!

July 2015

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Open Source Digital Preservation Tools
Check out these new free resources:
 Indiana University has released a media preservation prioritization software package: MediaSCORE (Media Selection: Condition, Obsolescence, and Risk Evaluation) and MediaRIVERS (Media Research and Instructional Value Evaluation and Ranking System). Available here.
 AMIA has made its 2014 Open Source Digital Preservation and Access Stream presentations available online.
 NEH has made this video addressing the urgency of AV preservation, the importance of access, and NEH grant programming to support action. View it here.

Rest In Peace Harold Battiste, 1931-2015
ARSC members had the privilege of hearing from Mr. Battiste in a panel discussion at the 44th Annual ARSC Conference in New Orleans, 2010: New Orleans Veteran Record Makers Panel Dave Bartholomew, Harold Battiste, Bob French, Wardell Quezergue Ira "Dr. Ike" Padnos, moderator Listen now...

Announcing the 2015 ARSC Research Grant Recipients! Grant projects range from the portrayal of environmental sounds, Sun Ra recordings, musical pantomime, to music and the cultural diplomacy. Read more...

The 2015 ARSC Preservation Grant has been awarded to The National Library of Serbia for digital preservation of cassette tape recordings of opera performances recorded by Professor Husnija Kurtovic between 1969 and 1989. ARSC awards preservation grants annually to support preservation of historically significant sound recordings of Western Art Music. Read more about ARSC Preservation Grants here.

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) has launched their new website americanarchive.org, providing access to a digitized collection of American public radio and television content dating back to the 1950s. The website will initially provide access to the 2.5 million records created during the American Archive Content Inventory Project. By October, video and audio content will be publicly accessible online.

June 2015

ARSC New York Chapter June Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter hosts Uncle Dave Lewis and Rebecca Forste presenting, "When Summer Is Gone: The Life & Legacy of Bandleader Hal Kemp," June 18th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

May 2015

The National Recording Preservation Board has announced the 2014 Recording Registry - a selection of recordings deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to American heritage. Congratulations to ARSC members Donald Hill, David Giovanonni and David Seubert for their work on UCSB's Vernacular Wax Cylinder Recordings which have been selected this year!

Catching Waves: A Panel Discussion on Sustainable Digital Audio Delivery at Harvard Library, May 8, 2015 at 3pm. Click here for more info. A recording of the event will be available on Harvard Library's YouTube channel sometime after the event.

DAS 2015
Registration is open for AMIA's Digital Asset Symposium (DAS) 2015 to be held May 8, 2015 in New York, NY. Read more...

NEH and the Preservation and Access of Audiovisual Cultural Heritage A new resource from the NEH, this video addresses the significance of audiovisual heritage, NEH grant programming that supports the preservation and access of audiovisual humanities collections, and a brief summary of the crisis of audiovisual preservation and access. View it here.

Please join us in thanking Journal Editor, Barry Ashpole for his 21 years of service to ARSC as the ARSC Journal Editor! He has announced he will be standing down from the editorship this year. Thank you Barry, for your immense contributions to ARSC and recorded sound research!

The Spring 2015 Issue of the ARSC Journal is published! View the Table of Contents here. Don't forget! A print copy and online access is a benefit of ARSC membership! Be sure to check out Charles E. Sykes' article about the Black Forum Label and the many other fine peer-reviewed articles and reviews.

April 2015

The Spring 2015 ARSC Newsletter has arrived!

The Sound of Edison's Talking Doll presentation at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Joan and Robin Rolfs, authors of the book "Phonograph Dolls and Toys", will discuss the history and sounds of Edison's "Talking Doll" invention of 1888-1890. Friday, April 17, 2015 at 1:00pm. Reservations required. Read more...

2015 Reactions to the Record Symposium will focus on Stanford University's recent Player Piano Project. It will take place April 17-18 in Braun Music Center on the Stanford University campus. Read more...

ARSC New York Chapter April Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter hosts Dennis Rooney presenting, "The Columbia Recordings of Fritz Reiner and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 1940-1947," April 16th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NY. Read more...

Call for Applications
ARSC is looking for a creative and social-media-savvy member to make a big impact on ARSC's future in this new committee positon - ARSC Social Media Editor.

March 2015

ARSC New York Chapter March Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter hosts Gary Galo presenting, "The Unknown Nadia Boulanger: Recordings from The Crane School of Music Archives," March 26th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NY. Read more...

 Deadline Extended Count what you do and show preservation counts!
The FY2014 Preservation Statistics Survey, a project of the American Library Association to document and analyze the preservation activities of cultural heritage institutions in the United States, is open until March 20th. Any library or archives in the United States conducting preservation activities is encouraged to participate in this survey. For more information visit the Preservation Statistics website: www.ala.org/alcts/resources/preservation/presstats.

February 2015

Have a mystery sound recording? Submit it for "Audio Archaeology: Identifying Unknown and Unidentified Sound Recordings", a session chaired by ARSC members Thom Pease (Library of Congress) and Sandy Rodriguez (UMKC, Marr Sound Archives) at the Music Library Association's conference in Denver, CO, 2/25-3/1/2015. Read more...

The Music Library Association is offering free LIVE STREAMING from their 84th Annual Meeting on February 26, 27, and 28! Tune in here! See the schedule here.

The program for the 19th SEAPAVAA Conference in Singapore, April 22-28, 2015, is now available: www.seapavaaconference.com. Earlybird registration has been extended to Feb. 28th!

ARSC New York Chapter February 2015 Meeting
The ARSC NY Chapter hosts Tom Fine presenting, "Mercury Living Presence: A Technical History," Feb. 26th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NY. Read more...

Call for Nominations: 2015 SAA Waldo Gifford Leland Award This annual award, sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, recognizes writing of superior excellence and usefulness in the field of archival history, theory, and practice. Nomination instructions are at www2.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-leland. Deadline Feb. 28th.

January 2015

ARSC 2014 Fall Membership Directory is now available to ARSC members online. The directory lists the collecting areas, research interests, publications, and contact information for individual and institutional members of ARSC. For more information and to request access to the members-only section of the website, read more here.

The Fall/Winter 2014 ARSC Newsletter
is here!

46th Annual IASA Conference will be held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris Sept.27-Oct. 1, 2015. The deadline for submitting presentation proposals has been extended to February 13, 2015. Check the IASA website for more information.

Registration is now open for the 19th SEAPAVAA Conference hosted by the Asian Film Archive April 22-28, 2015, in Singapore. This year's theme will be Advocate, Connect, Engage. Register online at www.seapavaaconference.com.

ARSC is on YouTube: ARSC Member Testimonials and NY Chapter Meetings
Help your organization grow by promoting our new ARSC YouTube Channel. The channel features videos of recent ARSC NY Chapter meetings and testimonials from fellow members on how ARSC has enriched their work with historical sound recordings. See the playlists here and distribute to your friends!

Press Release from the GHB Jazz Foundation: Third Man Records and Revenant Records enter into a license agreement with GHB Jazz Foundation for release of Paramount titles. Read more...

The 1st Europeana Sounds International Conference will be held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris immediately after IASA, Oct. 2, 2015. This one-day conference celebrates Europeana Sounds, a ground-breaking project of the European Commission and the Europeana Sounds Consortium to provide access to Europe's sound heritage.

ARSC New York Chapter January 2015 Meeting The ARSC NY Chapter invites you to their first meeting of the new year, with Gary Thalheimer presenting "The 'Unknown' Richard Strauss," Jan. 15th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NY. Read more...

Membership Drive 2015: Refer-A-Friend
We are asking YOU to help grow our organization! How? Distribute the email template sent to you by the Executive Director, compose your own email, make a phone call, write a letter, suggest your friends "like" the ARSC Facebook page, send out the link to the ARSC Member Benefits page, and/or post the ARSC Member Testimonials on your social media sites. Every effort is appreciated!

Membership Drive 2015: New Member Benefits Page
Know someone who might be interested in joining ARSC? Check out the new Member Benefits page which provides a nice breakdown of what ARSC is about, what you get for joining us, what you support with your dues, and a link to the new ARSC YouTube channel. Grab the link and forward it to your friends!

December 2014

Deadline for Awards Nominations Approaching! Nominations for the 2015 ARSC Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research are due by December 31st. Eligible publications include any original work first published in 2014. View guidelines for submitting your nomination here.

ARSC Grants Deadlines Approaching!
 Preservation of Classical Music Historical Recordings Grants View application guidelines here. The deadline is Dec. 15th.
 ARSC Research Grants View application guidelines here. The deadline is Feb. 28, 2015.

The ARSC NY Chapter December Meeting
Matthew Barton presents, "Hollywood Two Step: How Bob Wills and his Friends Made Western Movies Swing," 7pm, Dec. 18th, at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

The 78 Project Movie
Check out upcoming screenings showing around the country now through November. The 78 Project is a documentary of today's musicians recording with yesterday's technology. "Musicians are given one take to cut a record anywhere they choose."

Handling and Storage of Audio and Video Carriers (IASA-TC 05), edited by Dietrich Schüller and Albrecht Häfner has been published by the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA). Click here for details.

2014 Conference Audio Available! Audio recordings from the 2014 ARSC Conference in Chapel Hill, NC are now available online. (Current ARSC membership is required for access.) Click here to review the conference program abstracts.

ARSC Launches New Diversity Committee The Diversity Committee will work to further enrich ARSC by cultivating diversity in its leadership, membership, scholarship and all activities. The Diversity Committee is currently recruiting members to assist in this mission. Please contact committee chair, Bill Doggett, if you're interested!

ARSC Audio Preservation & Restoration Directory UPDATED!
The ARSC Technical Committee has released its latest edition of the Audio Preservation & Restoration Directory. Keep this valuable resource handy for your projects and for referring others.

19th SEAPAVAA Conference and General Assembly, 2015 will be held in Singapore, hosted by the Asian Film Archive April 22-28, 2015. This year's theme will be Advocate, Connect, Engage. Watch for the Call For Papers and more conference information to be posted on the SEAPAVAA Website www.seapavaa.com.

November 2014

Call For Papers: The International Council on Archives Section on University and Research Institution Archives (ICA-SUV) is accepting proposals for its conference to be held July 13-16, 2015 at UNC, Chapel Hill. The deadline for proposals is December 1st. Read more...

October 2014

ARSC 2014 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
ARSC is pleased to recognize outstanding published research in the field of recorded sound with our annual Awards for Excellence. Congratulations to all of this year's recipients on their exceptional work! And the winners are...

An Evening at the New York Philharmonic Archives The ARSC New York Chapter is kicking off its fall season with an event at the New York Philharmonic Archives on October 16th at 7pm. Speakers will discuss the recently completed GRAMMY Foundation Grant to digitize and preserve 36 radio broadcasts from 1932-1948 on lacquer discs. Sorry, reservations are closed. Click here for details.

World Day for AudioVisual Heritage October 27, 2014
ARSC WANTS YOU to celebrate World Day for AudioVisual Heritage by sharing your passion for saving recorded sound. This year's theme is "Archives at Risk: Much More to Do." Check out the World Day Website to find an event or post one you're hosting. Read more...

Marching to Zion: Celebrating and Preserving Black Sacred Music is the theme of the 2014 Pruit Symposium hosted by Baylor University from October 23-25, 2014. Read more...

August/September 2014

IASA Annual Conference
Early Bird Registration is ending August 31st for the 2014 conference to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, October 5-9. View the preliminary program here.

Grammy Foundation Grants
The deadline to apply to the Grammy Foundation's 2015 grant cycle for audio preservation and research projects is approaching! Letters of Inquiry are due October 1, 2014. For more information or to apply go to the Grammy Foundation Website.

The Summer ARSC Newsletter is HOT off the press!

June/July 2014

ARSC 2014 Research Grant Recipients
Congratulations to the recipients of this year's Research Grants awarded by ARSC:
Josh Garrett-Davis for his project titled, "Resounding: American Indians and Audio Technology, 1890-1969"
Jeff McMillan for his project titled, "Discovering Edison's Grand Opera series 1905-1907"
Daniel Margolies for his project on Texas conjuto recordings
Read more...

ARSC President, Tim Brooks, elected 2014 President and Chairman of CCAAA
Formed by UNESCO, the Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) is an international coalition of eight organizations (including ARSC!) representing the interests of professional archivists who work with audiovisual materials of all kinds. The goal of the CCAAA is to promote the preservation of and access to audiovisual materials worldwide. It is a U.N.-accredited NGO and is involved in projects such as UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, the World Day of Audiovisual Heritage, the Archives at Risk project, and WIPO copyright conferences. It also organizes a Joint Technical Symposium of A/V experts every few years. Read more about CCAAA here.

Did Bix Record a Film Soundtrack?
ARSC is pleased to announce guest blogger David Drazin's entertaining investigative article detailing evidence that maybe that "hot jazz" sound is a previously unknown recording of Bix Beiderbecke! Check out this multimedia post on the ARSC Blog and share your thoughts!

The ARSC Board is proud to announce the recipient of the 2014 Award for Distinguished Service to ARSC, which recognizes exceptional contributions to the association. Dr. Michael "Mike" Biel is one of ARSC's best known and longest-serving members, having joined in the early 1970s and served as President, Program Chair, and in numerous other positions. He wrote a long-running column for the ARSC Journal between 1977-1986, and he has presented engaging and informative papers at virtually every ARSC conference for the last 30 years, on a variety of subjects. He has also recorded, on his own initiative, virtually every presentation given by anyone at the conferences since the late 1970s, first on audio, more recently via video. In recent years he has been assisted in this project by his daughter, Leah Biel. ARSC and Dr. Biel are currently working on a plan to digitize this treasure trove of learning in order to make it available to all.

ARSC 2014 Preservation Grant Recipients
Congratulations to the recipients of this year's Grants for Preservation of Classical Music Historical Recordings:
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Dr. Jorge Antunes
Carol Seymour and David Drazin
Read more...

Proposed changes to ARSC Bylaws: Electronic Voting The Ad Hoc Committee on Online Elections proposes to revise the Bylaws to remove language that restricts voting to mail-in ballots and allow for the option of electronic voting. Certain other minor changes are also proposed. See the full Proposal and instructions for members to cast their vote on the changes, here.

May 2014

Thank You to our host, the Southern Folklife Collection at UNC, for a great conference in Chapel Hill, May 14-18, 2014!! Welcome new ARSC president Patrick Feaster and all new committee members and chairs. We'll be posting session recordings to our Members-Only page in the coming weeks. For now, check out some conference pictures on our Facebook page...more to come!

April 2014

A Circle and a "C": One Hundred Years of Recorded Music in American Copyright ARSC is sincerely grateful to guest blogger, Bruce Epperson, for his year-long, 35 part series of posts to the ARSC Blog. We have enjoyed his informative and entertaining rendering of the long and winding road of copyright in the 20th century. The final segment has just been posted! Thank You Bruce!

ARSC N.Y. CHAPTER APRIL MEETING
Dennis D. Rooney will present Liberace: Entertainer at the Piano, Thursday, April 24th, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

March 2014

The Spring Edition of the ARSC Newsletter has sprung!

Nominations for Award for Distinguished Service to ARSC
Each year the ARSC Board presents this award to a member (or members) who has "over an extended period, contributed significantly to ARSC and the furtherance of its goals." Past recipients are longtime ARSC Journal review editor, Gary Galo and former Executive Director, Peter Shambarger. Members are encouraged to submit nominations for this year's award to Executive Director Nathan Georgitis. Nominations should be received by March 15, and the recipient will be honored at the annual conference in May.

ARSC New York Chapter March Meeting
"The Two Gary's," - Galo and Thalheimer - reprising their gala presentations of recordings by Lauritz Melchior and German singers in Verdi roles. March 27th, 7pm at the Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

February 2014

ARSC New York Chapter February Meeting
"American Classical Recording: From 1 Microphone to Multi-Tracks," presented by Tom Fine, Feb. 20th at the Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

Call For Papers - International Council on Archives
The Archives and Cultural Industries Conference will be held in Girona, Spain, October 13-15, 2014. The deadline for proposals is Feb 28th. Read more...

Call For Nominations - Society of American Archivists
Waldo Gifford Leland Award for writing of superior excellence and usefulness in the field of archival history, theory, and practice. Read more... and Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award for increasing public awareness of a specific body of documents through compilation, transcription, exhibition, or public presentation. Read more... Due Feb. 28th.

Congratulations to ARSC members nominated for 2014 Grammy Awards!
*BEST FOLK ALBUM NOMINATION: They All Played For Us: Arhoolie Records 50th Anniversary Celebration, Chris Strachwitz, Producer, Label: Arhoolie Records
*BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM NOMINATION: Pictures Of Sound: One Thousand Years Of Educed Audio: 980-1980, Patrick Feaster & Steven Lance Ledbetter, Compilation Producers, Michael Graves, Mastering Engineer, Label: Dust-To-Digital

Be sure to check the Copyright Committee's series, A Circle and a "C": One Hundred Years of Recorded Music in American Copyright," by Bruce Epperson on The ARSC BLOG! This series of weekly articles describes the evolution of copyright law as it applies to recorded music from its beginnings through today.

PETE SEEGER, 1919-2014
Read Cary Ginell's Tribute on the ARSC Blog.
Statement from The White House: Once called "America's tuning fork," Pete Seeger believed deeply in the power of song. But more importantly, he believed in the power of community - to stand up for what's right, speak out against what's wrong, and move this country closer to the America he knew we could be. Over the years, Pete used his voice - and his hammer - to strike blows for worker's rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation. And he always invited us to sing along. For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Pete's family and all those who loved him.

January 2014

New York Chapter presents "Getting Back to the Source (or as close as possibe)," with Seth Winner, Jan. 16th at the Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

December 2013

The 2013 Fall Membership Directory has been published! This is a service available to members only under the Member Resources section of our website.
Click here to log-in.

National Recording Preservation Foundation Executive Director, Gerald Seligman, announces a generous gift from Jack White enabling the Foundation to begin its work. Read more...

November 2013

The ARSC BLOG is here! Our new blog is created to showcase the short works of ARSC members on topics related to recorded sound. Through original postings submitted to and curated by ARSC Committee Chairs, the ARSC Blog is a valuable communication tool aimed at increasing the sharing of our membership's rich expertise. The blog format allows readers to leave comments on the works posted and receive notifications of new posts. The Copyright Committee is kicking-off the launch of ARSC Blog with a multipart series by committee member Bruce Epperson beginning with, "A Circle and a "C": One Hundred Years of Recorded Music in American Copyright."

Call for Papers: ARSC invites presentation submissions for our 48th Annual Conference, to be held in Chapel Hill, May 14-17, 2014. Share your special interests with our engaged community of collectors, historians, musicians, preservationists, and archivists. Deadline for submissions is Jan. 6, 2014. [pdf] [rtf]

Congratulations to ARSC Service Award Winners, 2013:
Allan Sutton, Mainspring Press: ARSC Lifetime Achievement Award
Steven Lasker: ARSC Distinguished Service Award
Peter Shambarger: Distinguished Service to ARSC Award

ARSC member and recent conference presenter, Jon Samuels, discusses the challenges of his recent large remastering project--the 41 CD set: "Vladimir Horowitz--Live at Carnegie Hall", in this interview on Classicalite.com.

ARSC NY Chapter presents A Belated Centennial Tribute to the Australian Soprano, Dame Joan Hammond by Gary Thalheimer Thursday, Nov. 21st, 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

Survey - Call for Participants
A pair of surveys created by several ARSC members working on a project directly responding to the call for a Sound Recording Collections Directory, as outlined in the National Recording Preservation Plan, are currently accepting responses to gather information about sound recording collections held by individuals, institutions, and organizations. Nov. 11th Deadline. For more information, and to take one or both surveys, please click here. Thank You!

October 2013

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage will be celebrated this year on October 27, 2013. The purpose is to build global awareness of issues on preserving audiovisual material, such as sound recordings and moving images. Among the events are competitions, local programs, discussions and conferences, and special film screenings. The 2013 theme is "Saving Our Heritage for the Next Generation." ARSC strongly supports this annual event, which is sponsored by UNESCO and the Coordinating Council for Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA), of which ARSC is a member. ARSC President Tim Brooks is the current chair of CCAAA. For further information, or to have your institution participate, click here.

Audio Preservation? A "GENIUS" Idea!
Carl Haber, Senior Scientist in the Physics Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, and a principal researcher on non-contact reproduction of historical sound recordings, including early tinfoil recordings, has recently been named one of 24 winners of the 2013 MacArthur "Genius Awards." Dr. Haber worked closely with the First Sounds project initiated by several ARSC members, and talked about his work at the 2013 ARSC Conference in Kansas City. Watch him interviewed here. Congratulations Dr. Haber!

ARSC NY Chapter presents Joseph Patrych and Jon M. Samuels discussing the production of the 41-CD Set "Vladimir Horowitz: Live at Carnegie Hall", Thursday, 10/17 at 7pm, CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

September 2013

ARSC New York Chapter September Meeting
A two-part Program on The Judy Garland Legacy, with Lawrence Schulman and John Meyer, discussing Judy Garland's place in the history of popular American Music. September 19th at 7pm, CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

ARSC Welcomes and Thanks New Board Members!
Patrick Feaster, as First Vice-president/ President-elect, will take office as President in May 2014 following the term of current president Tim Brooks. Our new Program Chair for the next two years is Cary Ginell. Wendy Sistrunk is Secretary, and Sandy Rodriquez and Will Chase will serve as Members-at-Large, all also for two-year posts. Many thanks go to Steve Ramm for agreeing to serve as Treasurer for an 11th term!

ARSC also welcomes to the Publications Committee, Ted Sheldon as ARSC Publisher and "Uncle Dave" Lewis as Advertising Editor. Also, we're delighted to have past-Executive Director, Peter Shambarger filling the long vacant Chapters Chair position.

Announcing NEW Echoes of History! podcasts produced by Anthony Wellman! Two new historic audio podcasts produced by Anthony Wellman feature one of the earliest exercise phonographs and the sounds of a busy Indianapolis street corner in the 1930s. Listen to these two additions to this ARSC sponsored collection.

New Audiovisual Citation Guidelines have been published by the British Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC). The guidelines cover a very broad range of sound and moving image media types. Read more...

The Library of Congress has released the National Recording Preservation Plan [PDF]. This comprehensive plan makes recommendations for improvements in the preservation and access of our national sound heritage by addressing specific areas such as infrastructure, education, collaboration, and copyright. Read more about it in the New York Times and NPR.

July 2013

The 2013 ARSC Annual Conference conference presentations and audio recordings are now online in the Members Only section. Please log in to view and listen to them.

June 2013

ARSC New York Chapter presents Donn Fileti with author John Broven in a discussion of the fascinating New York independent record scene of the 1950s and 1960s, June 20th at 7PM at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more…

The Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter of ARSC presents Laura Schnitker and Eric Cartier, "Saving Campus Radio: Presenting and Preserving WAMU and WMUC" on Monday, June 17 at 7pm at George Washington University, Phillips Hall, Room B-120 (Basement).

Inside the National Recording Registry wins the Peabody Award! This series of short radio documentaries about recordings added to the National Recording Registry were produced by Ben Manilla Productions/ Media Mechanics with support from the Library of Congress. Don't miss the segment on Phonautograms featuring interviews with ARSC members who helped reveal the recordings! Listen here...

May 2013

2013 The ARSC Annual Conference
Registration is open! The 47th Annual Conference will be held in Kansas City, Missouri on May 15-18, 2013. Register by April 23rd to save! Click here to view the Program Schedule and click here to read the session abstracts!

The ARSC 2013 Pre-conference Workshop: "Discovery Access Methods for Sound Recording Collections" will be held May 15th in Kansas City and will once again be available to virtual attendees via webcast. Read more...

ARSC NY Chapter presents Joe Patrych moderating a discussion of 5 extraordinary, supercentenary pianists. Join the discussion on Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

The Finalists for the 2013 ARSC Awards for Excellence have been announced. Read more...

The ARSC Newsletter, Winter 2013, Number 131 is in the mail and now available online. Don't miss reading about the excitement coming this May in Kansas City, several new developments in audio preservation and archiving, tributes to colleagues we've recently lost, and more.

ARSC member and 2013 Grammy nominee, Lance Ledbetter of Dust-to-Digital discusses his recent work in the March 9th issue of the Economist. Read more...

ARSC Member and 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Chris Strachwicz, was interviewed about his record label, Arhoolie Records, in the Wall Street Journal this month. Read more…

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives receives the 2013 ARSC Grant for Preservation of Classical Music Historical Recordings to support digital transfer, storage, and management of 47 reel-to-reel tapes of live concert recordings featuring interviews with notable conductors, musicians, and composers. Read more...

The Members-Only Resources are now available, including the Membership Directory and the 2012 ARSC Conference audio recordings. Please contact Nathan Georgitis for your log-in information and password.

April 2013

In Memoriam Elwood McKee (1928-2013)
The ARSC community deeply mourns the passing of Elwood McKee, at the age of 85. Elwood McKee played a significant role in ARSC from its earliest days to the present, playing a key role in in the modernization of the ARSC Bylaws and the formation of the Associated Audio Archives (AAA) project, serving in numerous board and committee positions, and writing more than 70 reviews and articles for the ARSC Journal, the most recent appearing in 2012. In 1988, he and his wife Joan were named "ARSC Members Extraordinaire."

ARSC NY Chapter presents Dennis Rooney discussing "Eugene Goossens: Conductor of the Future", April 18th, 7:00pm, at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center, NYC. Read more...

March 2013

ARSC NY Chapter presents "The Two Gary's": Gary Thalheimer on Jürgen Grundheber, the "Archivist/Pirate" and Gary Galo on Tenor, Helge Rosvaenge, "The Other Great Dane". Join the discussion on March 28th at 7pm at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more…

In Memoriam: David Hamilton
ARSC is deeply saddened to receive news of David Hamilton's passing. David was an ARSC member since our founding year and enriched our organization through his service and exceptional music scholarship. Read Gary Galo's Tribute to Hamilton

February 2013

ARSC New York Chapter presents Tom Fine on The Dawn of Digital, Feb. 21 at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

January 2013

ARSC New York Chapter presents Matthew Barton on Sports Broadcasting Highlights at LC and Gary Thalheimer on The Literature of Record Collecting, Jan. 17th at the CUNY Sonic Arts Center. Read more...

December 2012

Special Copyright-themed Issue of Popular Music and Society features article by ARSC President, Tim Brooks: "The Association for Recorded Sound Collections and the Movement to Reform Copyright in the United States". Available at your local library via subscription database. Read more...

If you've never visited WNYC's Archives and Preservation Blog, waste no more time and check it often. The Archives staff achieves what many of us strive for in combining preservation with outreach to great effect. From a recently discovered Eisenhower speech on lacquer disc, to the always colorful Mayor LaGuardia Twitter Feed, the blog is rich in content and a great example of the potential in sound archives.

The ARSC New York Chapter presents "David Hall: In Memoriam" and "New York Public Radio Archives Online" for their December 20th meeting, at 7pm. Read more...

 

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