named programs · 8 · from sources
What they call their work
DEUMM Online
Digital extension of the Dizionario enciclopedico universale della musica e dei musicisti, the most extensive modern music dictionary in Italian, enhanced with search, translation, and linking capabilities.
MGG Online
Online version of Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, featuring over 20,000 articles with continuous updates, multilingual translation, version control, and annotation tools.
Pan-African Conference on Music Studies
Biennial conference series convening scholars on Africa and the African diaspora, with linked gatherings in Tunis and Kenya to promote African-led scholarship and transnational collaboration.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
Comprehensive global bibliography of writings on music with citations, abstracts, and indexing covering over 1.8 million publications from the 19th century to present across all music genres and disciplines.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text
Enhanced version of RILM Abstracts including full text of articles from over 300 periodicals, most available as full runs, with searchable content including reviews, editorials, and news.
RILM Archive of Popular Music Magazines
Digital archive of over 130 independently published popular music magazines and fanzines from the late 1960s to present, with a focus on punk and DIY counterculture publications.
RILM Index to Scores and Collected Editions
Digital finding aid providing detailed metadata for individual musical pieces published in complete works, anthologies, and scholarly editions, with over 590,000 entries.
RILM Music Encyclopedias
Full-text collection of over 70 multilingual music encyclopedias with more than 350,000 entries, covering historical musicology, ethnomusicology, theory, and related fields.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Musicological Research and Scholarly Editions 6 activities
- Index individual musical works in published collectionsProvides a digital finding aid for individual musical scores with over 590,000 detailed records, indexing pieces in complete editions, anthologies, and scholarly collections. Includes data on performing forces, language, incipits, and links to open-access editions where available.
- Maintain comprehensive music bibliographic databasesCompiles and provides access to a global bibliography of music literature through RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, indexing over 1.8 million publications with citations, abstracts, and subject indexing in more than 140 languages and 184 countries. Includes full-text access to articles, reviews, and news from over 300 periodicals, many available as complete runs.
- Provide access to multilingual music reference encyclopediasMaintains a full-text collection of over 70 music encyclopedias with more than 350,000 entries, covering historical musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory across 12 languages. Offers downloadable lists of included titles and content on diverse topics such as opera, blues, gospel, instruments, performers, and women composers.
- Publish scholarly reference works in musicProduces and maintains authoritative music reference resources, including MGG Online—a digital continuation of Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart—with over 20,000 articles, multilingual translation, version control, and annotation tools. Also publishes updated editions of major reference titles such as the Dizionario enciclopedico universale della musica e dei musicisti (DEUMM), enhanced with digital search and cross-referencing capabilities.
- Publish specialized musicological books and bibliographiesProduces and publishes scholarly books including the third edition of a comprehensive style guide for writers on music, the inaugural volume of RILM Perspectives titled Music’s Intellectual History, and topical bibliographies such as Speaking of Music: Music Conferences 1835–1966 and Liber Amicorum: Festschriften for Music Scholars and Nonmusicians, 1840–1966.
- Steward global music documentation infrastructureDocuments, safeguards, and disseminates global knowledge on all musical traditions through digital collections and advanced research tools. Operates the RILM International Center in New York with a staff of over 40 music specialists from 14 countries, 16 of whom hold doctorates, supporting collaborative production of the world’s largest music bibliography.
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Archival Digitization and Preservation 1 activity
- Support global access to music research resourcesPartners with publishers worldwide to integrate full-text journals, reference works, and popular music zines into RILM’s digital platforms, making them accessible to researchers globally. Archives and preserves publisher content using the Egret™ platform for hosting, editing, and distribution.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Convene international conferences to advance music scholarshipOrganizes pan-African and other international conferences to promote equitable dissemination of music research, strengthen African-led scholarship, and support inclusive knowledge infrastructures. Convened the Tunis leg of a conference on music studies related to Africa and its diaspora, with plans to publish selected papers from the event.
- Deliver educational support for research resource useProvides virtual tutorials, in-class visits, and downloadable teaching materials—including PowerPoint guides with recommended searches—to help users effectively navigate RILM databases and tools.
- Digitize and preserve popular music magazines and fanzinesDigitally archives over 135 independently published popular music magazines and fanzines, primarily focused on punk and DIY music cultures, scanned from original print. Annually adds new titles to the RILM Archive of Popular Music Magazines (RAPMM), with recent additions including 12 new publications.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.14M
Contributions & grants$84K2%
Program service revenue$4.84M94%
Investment income$215K4%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$4.46M
Program expenses86%
Admin / overhead14%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$2.17M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$6.94M
Cash$5.19M
Investments$0
Liabilities$633K
Net assets$6.31M
Liquid reserves14.0 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +3.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 4
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| TINA FRUEHAUF | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $181K |
| L CHARLES FINK | TREASURER, CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST | 40 | $151K |
| ZDRAVKO BLAZEKOVIC | DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE EDITOR | 40 | $148K |
| RICHARD W YOUNG | COUNSEL | 2 | $12K |
board members · 6
- BARBARA DOBBS MACKENZIE — PRESIDENT
- DEBORAH WONG — DIRECTOR
- JOHN P STROOP — CHAIR
- LIZA VICK — SECRETARY
- PHILIPPE VENDRIX — DIRECTOR (THRU 2/2025)
- RICHARD FREEDMAN — DIRECTOR (THRU 2/2025)
relationships · 37
Who they work with
- African Musicological Institute Partner — Co-organizes the 2027 pan-African conference on African music studies with RILM.
- African Musicological Institute Partner — Co-organizes the pan-African conference with RILM, including hosting the Kenya leg at Kabarak University.
- Bärenreiter Partner — Co-develops MGG Online with RILM and J. B. Metzler.
- EBSCO Partner — Hosts RILM products on EBSCOhost platform
- EBSCO Partner — Partnership to provide access to RILM Abstracts through EBSCOhost and EBSCO Discovery Service platforms.
- EBSCO Partner — Provides discovery and access to RILM Music Encyclopedias through EBSCOhost and EBSCO Discovery Service.
- EBSCO Discovery Service Partner — Hosts RISE for discovery through its platform.
- EBSCO Discovery Service Partner — Platform where DEUMM Online is discoverable through integration.
- EBSCO Information Services Partner — Hosts MGG Online on EBSCO Discovery Service for library access.
- Egret Partner — Platform partner for hosting RILM products including individual encyclopedias and MARC records
- ExLibris Partner — Hosts MGG Online on ExLibris Discovery for library access.
- Google Translate Partner — Integrated for automatic translation of MGG Online content from German to over 100 languages
- International Association for the Study of Popular Music Network — Ongoing partner organization in the RILM joint project
- International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres Network — Founding and ongoing partner organization in the RILM joint project
- International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres Partner — Participates in the annual IAML Congress to engage with music library and documentation professionals.
- International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance Network — Ongoing partner organization in the RILM joint project
- International Musicological Society Network — Founding and ongoing partner organization in the RILM joint project
- International Society for Music Education Partner — Collaborates through participation in the ISME world conference.
- J. B. Metzler Partner — Co-develops MGG Online with RILM and Bärenreiter.
- Kabarak University Partner — Co-organizes the Kenya leg of the 2027 pan-African conference on African music studies with RILM.
- Kabarak University Partner — Co-organizes the Kenya leg of the pan-African conference with RILM and the African Musicological Institute.
- MGG Online Partner — Collaborated with RILM to implement customized digital access and preservation on the Egret platform.
- National Endowment for the Humanities Government — Provided initial grant funding for the creation of the Index to Printed Music in 1985.
- OCLC Partner — Hosts MGG Online on WorldCat Discovery for library access.
- OPAC SBN Partner — External library catalog system linked to DEUMM Online for enhanced discoverability.
- RILM Network — Part of the International Repertory of Music Literature (RILM) global network of music research resources.
- RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text Partner — Collaborative program for making music-journal content available to researchers.
- RILM Europe Partner — Part of the organizing committee for the 2027 pan-African conference on African music studies.
- RILM Music Encyclopedias Partner — Collaborative program for making music-reference content available to researchers.
- The Graduate Center, City University of New York Partner — Hosts RILM’s International Center
+ 7 more
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, Decolonial Knowledge Productionmethodology: decolonial_scholarly_practiceBy centering emergent, diaspora-centered methodologies and critically examining dominant narratives in music scholarship, the organization fosters more inclusive and equitable research ecosystems, particularly in African music studies, because this approach challenges epistemic hierarchies and enables locally grounded, sustainable scholarship.
- Digital-First Scholarly Infrastructure with Multilingual Accessmethodology: digital-scholarly-encyclopediaBy digitizing and interlinking comprehensive music reference works and using automated translation tools, the organization enhances global access to music scholarship across linguistic and geographic boundaries, because digital infrastructure with multilingual support reduces barriers to knowledge for non-English and underrepresented scholarly communities.
- Inclusive Curation of Countercultural and Non-Canonical Musicmethodology: inclusive_music_indexingBy prioritizing DIY, punk-related, and non-Western musical works in its indexing and archival practices, the organization expands the scope of recognized music scholarship, because centering marginalized and grassroots movements challenges canon formation and supports a more democratic, representative historical record.
- Interdisciplinary and Transnational Research Integrationmethodology: interdisciplinary_research_integrationBy aggregating scholarship across disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, and art history, and by staging geographically dispersed conferences, the organization bridges epistemological divides, because integrating diverse academic traditions and regional perspectives strengthens the depth and relevance of global music research.