Martin Luther King - March on Washington

The National Recording Registry is a list of

sound recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording ...

s that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the

National Recording Preservation Board The United States National Recording Preservation Board selects recorded sounds for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. The National Recording Registry was initiated to maintain and preserve "sound recordings that ...

, whose members are appointed by the Librarian of Congress. The recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry form a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. The National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 established a national program to guard America's

heritage. The Act created the National Recording Registry, The National Recording Preservation Board and a fund-raising foundation. The purpose of the Registry is to maintain and preserve sound recordings and collections of sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Beginning in 2002, the National Recording Preservation Board has selected recordings nominated each year to be preserved. On January 27, 2003, the first 50 recordings were announced by James Billington, the then Librarian of Congress. The first four yearly lists each had 50 selections. Since 2006, 25 recordings have been selected annually. , a total of 600 recordings have been preserved in the Registry. Each calendar year, public nominations are accepted for inclusion in that year's list of selections, which are announced the following spring. Registry title works, original or copies, are housed at the Library of Congress
Packard Campus for Audio Video Conservation
Each yearly list typically includes a few recordings that have also been selected for inclusion in the holdings of the National Archives' audiovisual collection. Recordings on the National Recording Registry that are of a political nature tend to overlap with the audiovisual collection of the National Archives.

Selection criteria

The criteria for selection are: * Recordings selected for the National Recording Registry are "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant", and/or inform or reflect culture in the United States. * Recordings will not be considered for inclusion in the National Recording Registry if no copy of the recording exists. * No recording is eligible for inclusion in the National Recording Registry until ten years after the recording's creation.

Inductees

The list shows overlapping items and whether the National Archives has an original or a copy of the recording.

Notes

Statistics

, the oldest recording on the list is Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville's Phonautograms which date back to the 1850s. The most recent is the Robin Williams episode of ''

WTF with Marc Maron ''WTF with Marc Maron'' is a weekly podcast and radio show hosted by stand-up comedian Marc Maron. The show was launched in September 2009. The show is produced by Maron's former Air America co-worker Brendan McDonald. Background The show's ti ...

'' from 2010. Selections vary widely in duration. The early Edison recordings and the instrumental " Rumble" by Link Wray, as well as " Rock Around the Clock" by

Bill Haley and His Comets Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

clock in at under three minutes. The Edison "Talking Doll" cylinder is only 17 seconds long and some of Scott de Martinville's Photoautograms are just as brief. Meanwhile, Georg Solti's recording of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's complete '' Ring Cycle'' is approximately 15 hours in duration, Alexander Scourby's recitation of the King James Bible is over 80 hours, and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

's recordings are nearly 850 hours in length.

Artists with/people who appear on multiple entries

References

External links

National Recording Preservation Board

Full National Recording Registry

NPR ''All Things Considered''
nbsp;– series spotlighting selections from the Registry
Selectionspotlights
on WNYC
NationalRecording Registryselections videoseach on the officialLibrary of CongressYouTube channel

BMPAudiodocumentariesonselectedinductees

Inductees featured inSounds of Americadocumentarieson 1A
{{Authority control United States history-related lists Library of Congress Music-related lists Reference material lists 2000 establishments in the United States