named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Keith Richards Blues Collection
Specialty collection funded by Keith Richards, focusing on blues recordings, with ongoing annual donations and a dedicated online presence
Muslim World Music Day
Global educational initiative launched in 2011 that aggregated data on 10,000 recordings, inspired academic research, concerts, and media coverage in collaboration with Columbia University
New York Musicians Index and Archive (NYMIA)
Freely accessible online database of New York-based popular music industry figures, created with support from the New York State Music Fund
Research Membership Program
Provides industry professionals and the public with access to the archive's collection for sampling clearance, rights research, and music scholarship
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Archival Digitization and Preservation 3 activities
- Digitize and catalog archival music materialsConducts large-scale digitization of music collections in partnership with the Internet Archive, including 3,000 music books, 150,000 78rpm discs, over 250,000 CDs, and 200,000 electronically cataloged recordings. Also digitized 6,000 LP and CD covers for Microsoft’s Music Central project.
- Preserve and catalog sound recordings and related materialsPreserves over three million sound recordings, including 90+ million songs, and houses over three million pieces of support material such as photographs, videos, books, and press kits. The organization catalogs and manages these collections according to formal acquisition and management policies.
- Support large-scale digitization partnershipsPartners with the Internet Archive to support major digitization initiatives, including book scanning and the Great 78 Project, enabling broader access to historical music recordings and publications.
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Digital Communications and Content Management 1 activity
- Host public-facing digital content and publicationsMaintains an online gallery of photos, logos, and graphics available for public use with attribution. Publishes updates on activities every three days via website and social media, and plans to publish one music-related feature per month by external writers and musicians.
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Cultural Exchange and Community Integration Events 1 activity
- Organize public cultural events and music toursOrganizes public cultural events focused on the music of the greater Muslim world, Brazil, India, Cuba, and Scandinavia, beginning in 2019. Also organized a music tour to Cuba in May 2016 in conjunction with Cuba Music Week and Cubadiscos.
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Used Book and Media Sales for Fundraising 1 activity
- Organize record sales and manage donationsOrganizes and directs the semi-annual ARChive Record and CD Sale and coordinates the majority of material donations to the archive.
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Local History Archival Access 1 activity
- Provide research services using music collectionsOffers free research services online and by telephone, supporting clients with documentation of major research projects. The archive has provided source material for high-profile projects including Ken Burns’ documentary Baseball, the Grammy Hall of Fame and Museum, and Entertainment Weekly Magazine.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Conduct music industry research and cataloging projectsMaintains a Music Index database of over 52,000 individuals in the music industry and conducts comparative assessments of its collection against other institutions every two years. Conducted detailed cataloging of Billboard chart recordings under contract with the Music Publishers Association and The Harry Fox Agency.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$196K
Contributions & grants$196K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$302K
Program expenses90%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$231K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$101K
Cash$83K
Investments$0
Liabilities$48K
Net assets$54K
Liquid reserves3.3 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -51.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert George | Director | 40 | $108K |
board members · 5
- Craig Kallman — Trustee
- Danny Kpillian — Trustee
- Loren Chodosh — Trustee
- Merck Mercuriadis — Trustee
- Peter Wright — Chairman
relationships · 29
Who they work with
- ABC Radio Partner — Donated 62,000 seven-inch singles from its New York and Los Angeles locations to support ARC’s collection growth.
- Andy Schwartz Partner — Longtime supporter and contributor to the guest post series.
- Bill Adler Partner — Longtime supporter and contributor to the guest post series.
- Blaze Javier Mandela Partner — Contributor from FIT writing an investigative essay on Beyoncé’s Elizabethan costuming in “Bow Down / I Been On”.
- Bonnie’s Grill Partner — Provided refreshments and sponsorship for ARC member parties held before record sales.
- Bubble Lounge Partner — Provided refreshments and sponsorship for ARC member parties held before record sales.
- City Winery Partner — Provided refreshments and sponsorship for ARC member parties held before record sales.
- Columbia University Partner — Collaborates with Columbia University Libraries and the Arts Initiative on a cooperative agreement.
- Columbia University Partner — Previously partnered to develop a music hub from 2009 to 2013.
- Columbia University Library Partner — Provided encouragement and partial funding for ARC over the years.
- Eric Zim Partner — Artist who has designed postcards, sale posters, creatures, and newsletters for ARC over many years.
- Gracenote Partner — Provided sponsorship for Music Weeks, donated sound recordings, and exchanged metadata with ARC.
- Greil Marcus Partner — Longtime supporter and contributor to the guest post series.
- Internet Archive Partner — Collaborates on digitization projects, hosts ARC recordings in San Francisco, and co-located curatorial leadership through B. George's role as Curator of Sound Collections.
- Internet Archive Partner — Collaborates on large-scale digitization projects including book scanning and the Great 78 Project.
- Internet Archive Partner — Partners with the Internet Archive to digitize and make thousands of vinyl recordings freely available online.
- Jonathan Demme Partner — Collaborated with ARC on music research for films including Philadelphia and The Manchurian Candidate.
- Library of Congress Government — Donated over 14,000 LPs from its Recorded Sound Division to ARC.
- Library of Congress Network — Used as a comparative benchmark for music collection holdings.
- Microsoft Corporation Partner — Contracted ARC for a year-long project to digitize 6,000 album covers for Music Central.
- Music Publishers Association Partner — Co-contracted ARC with The Harry Fox Agency for detailed cataloging of recordings to monitor royalty payments.
- New York Public Library Network — Used as a comparative benchmark for music collection holdings.
- Open Partner — Design studio responsible for creating the website’s design, look, and feel for ARC.
- Rockmedia Partner — Collaborated with Rockmedia to organize the ARC's music tour to Cuba.
- Royal Wine Merchants Partner — Provided refreshments and sponsorship for ARC member parties held before record sales.
- SER Consultants Partner — Collaborated with SER Consultants to organize the ARC's music tour to Cuba.
- The Harry Fox Agency Partner — Engaged ARC for a long-term research contract to catalog recordings on Billboard charts for rights monitoring.
- Tom Clynes Partner — Longtime supporter and contributor to the guest post series.
- Two Boots Partner — Provided refreshments and sponsorship for ARC member parties held before record sales.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Collaborative Digital Preservation Networkmethodology: institutional_collaboration_for_preservationBy integrating our archival operations with external digital preservation institutions, we expand access and ensure long-term conservation of audio materials, because shared infrastructure and expertise enhance preservation scalability and technological resilience.
- Comprehensive Cultural Preservation through Inclusive Collectionmethodology: cultural_preservation_through_comprehensive_collectionBy systematically collecting and preserving the full breadth of popular music—across genres, cultures, and historical periods—we ensure long-term access and cultural continuity, because inclusive representation strengthens societal understanding of music as a reflection of diverse identities and values.
- Dual-Copy Archival Integrity Modelmethodology: dual_copy_preservationBy maintaining two copies of every version of each recording, we ensure long-term preservation and access, because redundancy mitigates risk of loss due to degradation, technological obsolescence, or physical damage.
- Expert-Driven Content Developmentmethodology: expert-contributor-networkBy engaging established writers and musicians to contribute features, we produce high-quality, credible content on music, because their expertise and networks enhance both the depth of cultural insight and the reach of our mission.