Currently in its 39th year of operation, beloved non-profit the ARChive of Contemporary Music (ARC) is in great need of support as it faces an uncertain future.
Through a generous donation of facilities by André Balazs the collection has been safe and in storage for nearly three years. Collecting and cataloging has continued, but strict zoning laws prevent ARC’s expansion and public access. Without a new home, more than three millionrecordings, as well as millions of historic materials spanning all cultures and races, could disappear forever.
ARC has already received a generous anonymous donation of one million dollars that will help move their extensive collection out of their current Hudson Valley space, but more is urgently needed. Go to our story to learn more about ARC, or visit our website arcmusic.org.
The non-profit is seeking crucial funding to continue their preservation of music history. Collections that are currently at risk include Keith Richards’ Blues Collection, one of the most extensive collection of blues and R&B recordings in the world, funded by ARC board member Richards for more than 16 years, as well as their Zero Freitas Brazilian Music Collection which has made ARC home to the largest collection of Brazilian music outside of Brazil.
Currently searching for a new, permanent home, ARC is opening a new chapter as an institution. The initial donations provide the first step in constructing a new facility that will allow students, educators, historians, musicians, authors, journalists as well as fans and general public access to the world’s rich musical heritage.
Donations for a new building are not only essential in supporting the archives and collections themselves, but will help the expansion of educational programming, community gatherings, listening events and more towards ARC’s ultimate goal of transitioning from an archive to a thriving, living public institution with the creation of The Center for Popular Music in New York.
