The ARChive of Contemporary Music (ARC), which safeguards over three million sound recordings in addition to millions of historic memorabilia, is currently accumulating relocation funds for a new and permanent home.
ARC was founded in 1985 by current director B. George and the late David Wheeler in an apartment loft in Tribeca, New York, staying there for over 30 years before moving into its current facility in Hudson Valley.
The storage facility was originally donated by hotel owner Andre Balazs and is where ARC collected and preserved millions of important records for the past three years. However, the not-for-profit organization is in danger of losing its unique physical collection of contemporary music due to the strict zoning laws of the city.
According to George, in a statement to Billboard, the current space they are in is "zoned for agricultural storage" which prevents ARC from expanding or providing the public access to its collection.
"We could be forced to move at any time," George adds.
ARC's Extensive Collection Helping Out Musical Legends
The ARC also has copies of each version of its preserved records in all known formats and has electronically cataloged over 400,000 records, digitizing an additional 200,000 with the help of its partner Internet Archive. This amount of musical preservation trumps any other public university or private library in America.
One of the most valuable in ARC's catalog at risk is Keith Richards' 18,000-piece blues collection, the most extensive assemblage of blues and R&B recordings in the world. ARC also houses the South American mogul Zero Freitas' enormous Brazilian music collection, placing them second only to Brazil in terms of having the largest collection of Brazilian music.
Over years of operations, ARC had support from big names like the legend David Bowie, record producer Nile Rodgers, director Martin Scorcese, and American rapper Q-Tip. It was the key provider of musical research for famous films such as "Goodfellas."
Most recently, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has even turned to ARC's archive for research on his film "Taking Woodstock."
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The Next Steps for the ARChive of Contemporary Music
The archive has already received $1 Million from an anonymous donator, but according to George, they would need at least $10 Million in order to securely relocate. For ARC's founder, access to the archive is important which is why a location near the Hudson or Harlem train lines would be best.
George says it is the intention of the organization to not solicit established record companies for any financial assistance despite its connections, having been the recipient of donations from established major and independent labels.
"We wish to remain independent. Our collection and focus is on all forms of popular music from every culture and nation," George shared.
"The goal is to be a free, welcoming place for research," he added.
