ARChive of Contemporary Music facts for kids
The ARChive of Contemporary Music (ARC) is a special library and archive in New York City. It's a non-profit place, meaning it doesn't try to make money. ARC is like a giant treasure chest for music, holding over five million items! It helps people learn about and enjoy music from the past.
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Contents
Who Started and Helps the ARC?
The ARC was started in 1985 by B. George and David Wheeler. They created this amazing music library in a part of New York City called Lower Manhattan.
Famous Supporters of ARC
Many famous people have helped the ARC over the years. They are part of a special group called the Board of Advisors. This group includes musicians like Keith Richards (from The Rolling Stones), Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon, and Youssou N'Dour. Famous film director Martin Scorsese also helps out.
Past members of this board included music legends like David Bowie and Lou Reed. Their support shows how important the ARC is to the world of music and arts.
What's in the ARC's Collection?
The ARC focuses on popular music that has been officially released. This includes music from the mid-1940s until today. It's not just about songs, though!
Millions of Music Items
The collection has about two million sound recordings. This means lots of records, CDs, and other ways music is saved. But there's more! ARC also has over three million other items. These include:
- Photographs of musicians
- Videos and DVDs
- Books about music
- Press kits (info for reporters)
- Sheet music
- Cool memorabilia (like concert tickets or posters)
The ARChive is so big it takes up three different places in Tribeca. It has grown to hold about three million vinyl records!
Special Collections at ARC
The collection started with 47,000 recordings that B. George himself had. He was a DJ and producer, and he even released Laurie Anderson’s famous song O Superman.
Many other large collections have been given to ARC. These include:
- The Jeep Holland Collection (100,000 recordings)
- The NBC Music Library Collection (10,000 recordings)
- The ABC 45 rpm Record Collection (62,000 recordings)
- The Ron Saja / Footlight Records Collection (35,000 recordings)
One very special collection is the Keith Richards’ Blues Collection. Since 1991, Keith Richards has helped build this collection of early Blues music. It has over 8,000 discs, including a very rare record by Robert Johnson.
How ARC Helps Others
Even though its main job is to keep music safe, ARC also helps many projects. They provide information and materials for films, music projects, and schools.
Helping Films and Music Projects
The ARC has helped famous movies and TV shows. For example, they helped with:
- Ken Burns’ TV series Baseball
- Jonathan Demme's films like Philadelphia and Beloved
- Martin Scorsese’s movies like Goodfellas
- Ang Lee’s film Taking Woodstock
Working with Big Organizations
ARC has also worked with big groups like Microsoft for their music projects. They helped the Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame in New York and the Grammy Hall of Fame and Museum in Los Angeles.
In 2009, ARC teamed up with Columbia University. This partnership helps students learn more about the arts and use ARC's amazing resources for their studies.
Celebrating World Music
The ARC also creates special online events called "World Music Days." These days celebrate music from different countries, cultures, or styles. For example, they had a "Muslim World Music Day" and a "Brazilian Music Day." These events help people discover new kinds of music from all over the world.
See also
- List of record collectors
- List of music museums
