As a child growing up in rural Kentucky, Lisa Kahlden loved to check out records from her local library. The records she was drawn to were part of a collection from a label that began with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. The label, founded in 1975, was called New World Music, and its mission was to produce a one-hundred-album anthology of the history of America through its music in celebration of the Nation’s bicentennial. “Each explored a unique genre or style of music,” explains Lisa.
The albums were given to 7000 libraries and public institutions to create an educational foundation. “The albums had very extensive liner notes,” Lisa recalls, “and you could learn a great deal by reading about each track on an album.”
At the time, she was listening to the albums and reading those interesting liner notes, but Lisa had no idea how they came to be. She just knew she liked listening to the music. “I grew up in a musical area where folks would pull out instruments and play when our family got together. I always loved music, and kind of thought that someday I may want to find work in the music business.”
The folks at New World Records had a big surprise when they realized there was an unexpected commercial market for the records. “With the continued support of the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as the support of Frances Goelete, a philanthropist who was interested in investing in American composers, more records were recorded.” The company was founded by Herman Krawitz, who met Goelete when he was in the Metropolitan Opera. Goelete commissioned more symphonic and operatic works in his lifetime than any American citizen, financing the staging of many productions at the Metropolitan Opera.
“None of the music produced by New World Records since the original 100 albums has ever been recorded before,” says Lisa. Over 400 albums have been released by artists with diverse musical backgrounds over the years. In addition to jazz, the recordings represent classical music, traditional music, including bluegrass, popular songs, and even experimental music. Much of the music is largely ignored by big-label record companies.
New World Records began doing interesting cover art and continued their practice of including extensive liner notes. “The records took off,” Lisa says. “They had real commercial appeal.”
In the meantime, Lisa had grown up and was working in the dot.com industry. Her work took her on the road a good bit, and she ended up in Ashville, North Carolina, where she visited a used record store. “They had some of the original 100 records. I had never really thought about who produced them – I guess I kind of assumed it was the Smithsonian or some other entity who did field recordings to preserve America’s music history. I read the name New World Records and started looking into the company.”
Surprisingly, she knew someone who worked at New World Records in New York. Her friend told her there was an opening at the company, and in 2000, the company hired her to digitize everything in its collection. Lisa now serves as president and CEO of New World Records, and it is apparent she is proud of the work the company does.
Much like a university press, New World works to preserve the “neglected treasures of the past” while nurturing the creative future of American Music. The 400 recordings they have produced represent 700 American composers. “In an industry obsessed with million-unit sales and immediate profits, New World chooses artistic merit as its indicator of success.” The company currently releases eight to ten new albums each year and accepts proposals from any source.
“I have been involved with the company’s online streaming services, which are now available to libraries and public academic institutions.” A subscription service provides four shipments annually with the company’s new releases at a discounted rate. All New World subscribers may purchase recordings in the company’s catalog for a deeply discounted rate of $10 per disc.
Lisa says Goelette’s legacy lives on with the recordings made at New World Records. “When he died, he left money to his estate for sponsorships and other projects with New World.”
The New World Records website is like a master class in musical composers and American music history—a fascinating collection of essays, articles, and interviews on various people and topics available to read. And, of course, the album covers and liner notes of the first 100 album anthology are available for download.
Comments