Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Preface, Michael Asch Introduction 1. Early Influences: 1870s to 1930s The Phonograph and Sound Recording Youth and Family Influences 2. Beginnings: Asch Records The Deal with Stinson First Recordings by Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie 3. Broadening the Mandate: DISC Records of America New Products and Directions Bankruptcy 4. The Birth of Folkways Records The Business Model Overview of Asch's Businesses Building the Catalog 5. The Business of Making Records Manufacture Domestic Distribution Foreign Distribution Marketing and Sales Exploiting the Catalog: Licensing and Contracts 6. Finances Folkways Pioneer Record Sales Moe's Money 7. Easing the Burden: Folkways in the 1960s Reaching the Educational Market Reaching the Pop Market The Folk Revival and New Opportunities: RBF, Broadside, and the revival of DISC Records Return to Normal Operations 8 The Sale of Folkways Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author

Tony Olmstead is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta, Canada. He has presented several papers on the music business, and is the recipient of several academic awards and fellowships.