Recordings Collection
The Recordings Collection contains over 72,000 sound recordings, focusing on musical recordings, with some spoken word, as well as audio recordings accompanying print items shelved in Regenstein and Mansueto.
The Collection primarily supports coursework and research at the University. It includes musical recordings of classical (art) music, ethnic music, jazz, blues, rock and roll, R&B, hip-hop and electronic music; spoken word recordings cover subjects in the humanities and social sciences, as well as business, divinity, and area studies.
Various audio formats are represented in the Collection: compact discs (CDs), vinyl records (both LPs and 45s) and audio cassettes.
Requesting Items from the Recordings Collection
The Recordings Collection is located in the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library.
All items with a "Mansueto, Recordings" location may be requested via the Library Catalog and available for pickup within 15 minutes of request during the hours Mansueto is open.
See Requesting Mansueto Items for more information.
Search Recordings by Label
Online Audio
- DRAM: Database of Recorded American Music This link opens in a new windowDRAM's collection contains nearly 2,300 albums worth of recordings from a distinctive set of 15 independent labels. From folk to opera, Native American to jazz, 19th century classical to early rock, musical theater, contemporary, electronic and beyond.
- Music Online This link opens in a new windowSelect American Music, Classical Music, Dance, Film, Jazz, Popular Music, Theater or World Music from the tabs. Or select "collections" on the right to see the full suite of resources.
- Music Online: American Music This link opens in a new windowAmerican Song is a historical database featuring music from America's past. Included are songs by and about Native Americans, miners, immigrants, African slaves, children, pioneers, and cowboys. Unlimited simultaneous users.
- Music Online: Classical Music Library This link opens in a new windowClassical Music Library, which is part of Music Online by Alexander Street Press, includes over 90,000 individual tracks and nearly 6,000 full albums. Classical Music Library, which is part of Music Online by Alexander Street Press, includes over 90,000 individual tracks and nearly 6,000 full albums. The largest portion of the database covers classical or "art" music, although some traditional and popular music is also included. Unlimited simultaneous users.
- Music Online: Smithsonian Global Sound This link opens in a new windowSmithsonian Global Sound for Libraries, produced in partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, is a virtual encyclopedia of the world's musical and aural traditions. The collection provides faculty and students with an enormous variety of online audio resources that support the creation, continuity, and preservation of worldwide musical forms. The database currently includes about 41,000 individual tracks and 2,800 full albums. Unlimited simultaneous users.
- Naxos Music Library This link opens in a new windowNaxos Music Library offers over 820,000 streamed audio tracks of classical music from nearly 700 different labels. Naxos Music Library offers over 820,000 streamed audio tracks of classical music from nearly 700 different labels such as Albany, Cedille, EMI, Hungaroton, Naxos, Nimbus, Vanguard. etc. Limit of 8 simultaneous users; must log-off when finished.
- Internet Archive: Live Music (Free - Open Source)Provides high quality live concerts in a downloadable format. The Internet Archive has teamed up with etree.org to preserve and archive as many live concerts as possible for current and future listeners.
Jazz
- Music Online: Jazz Music LibraryJazz Music Library is the largest and most comprehensive collection of streamed jazz audio files available online, including thousands of jazz artists, ensembles, albums, and genres. Jazz Music Library is the largest and most comprehensive collection of streamed jazz audio files available online, including thousands of jazz artists, ensembles, albums, and genres. At this point there are 131,431 individual tracks and 10,601 albums. The database will continue to grow over the next several years. Unlimited simultaneous users.
Opera
- Music Online: Opera in Video This link opens in a new windowOpera in video contains approximately 250 important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries. Selections represent the world's leading performers, conductors, and opera houses and are based on a work's importance to the operatic canon.
- Met Opera on Demand This link opens in a new windowMet Opera on Demand: Student Access, includes 86 selections from the company's Live in HD series, which uses multiple cameras, advanced technology, and innovative direction to capture the excitement and power of live opera. With these 86 selections, Met Opera on Demand contains a total of 550 performances, some being varying stagings of the same opera with different casting.
Popular and Contemporary Music
- Music Online: Contemporary World Music This link opens in a new windowContemporary World Music, part of Music Online by Alexander Street Press, includes music from multiple regions and from every continent. The database contains reggae, worldbeat, neo-traditional, world fusion, Balkanic jazz, Bollywood, Arab swing and jazz, and other genres such as traditional music. Contemporary World Music includes just under 1 million tracks and nearly 16,000 full albums. Unlimited simultaneous users.
- Music Online: Popular Music Library This link opens in a new windowPopular Music Library from Alexander Street contains a wide range of popular music from around the world, including hundreds of thousands of tracks from major genres in pop music, including alternative, country, Christian, electronic, hip-hop, metal, punk, new age, R&B, reggae, rock, soundtracks and many more. --
