The Archive of Contemporary Music
JahLarry
62 Posts
NYT Archive Article I seem to remember the idea of a legitimate archive of records being discussed in the Paul Mawhinney thread last year but I didn't see anyone mention this. I'm curious as to what is actually represented here (whether some genres are given shorter shrift than others for example) but it appears they are fighting the good fight. I like the idea that people can donate their collections to an archive rather than have them scattered all over the place by greedy dealers (like myself) or filed away in private by eccentric collectros (like myself). But as a practical matter it seems it would be daunting to really be able to run a place like this well and have it be a useful representation of modern popular music. I'd also be concerned that an institution like this might not last and all the good will (and good records) put into it would be wasted if it was eventually shut down and broken up. But practicalities aside, like I said I really do like the idea of this.
Comments
it's great if david byrne loving arts patrons want to support projects like this. i can't really fathom why it's still in Tribeca when they could have better facilities, security, and funding for more staff (open up the collection for public listening ffs) if they moved it out to long island or the bronx or something. i'd have to imagine they're either getting reamed on rent or sitting on a major real estate holding.