We safeguard and sustain our musical heritage, ensuring its legacy endures for future generations.
Our Mission.
Who are we?
Red-Winged Blackbird Records is an arts organization devoted to the protection and preservation of our musical heritage for future generations.
What do we do?
We act as a vibrant bridge between the American musical traditions of our shared past and its promising future. We execute our mission of bridge-building with a 3-pronged approach integrating past, present, and future.
Past: Paying homage to our heritage through education
We honor the legacy of folk, country, bluegrass and Appalachian music, embracing and celebrating our shared culture.
Present: Creating connection + community through events.
We curate unforgettable live experiences, showcasing living songwriters and musicians who carry on the tradition with passion and authenticity.
Future: Looking toward the future, we leave a legacy.
We commit to capturing and preserving the soulful essence of today’s music through timeless recordings–albums, videos, photos, publications, and beyond–so that future generations can revel in the beauty of our evolving musical landscape.
Who do we serve?
We serve both audiences and artists alike, dedicated to discovering, developing, and promoting authentic talent that resonates with the soul of our collective heritage and connecting that talent with a community of appreciative listeners.
Culture Meets Music Industry
You will find us at the intersection of our musical culture and the music industry. Through educational events, impactful live performances, and meticulously crafted albums, videos, and multimedia experiences, we aim to weave a tapestry that not only reflects the current musical landscape but also stands as a timeless testament for generations to come.
Careers in Music Beyond the Stage + Studio
But our mission extends beyond the stage and studio, as we create careers in music that are sustainable in the long-term from an economic standpoint, while simultaneously fueling the fires of creativity and passion.
Financial Sustainability
Financial sustainability is essential for us to execute our mission. Therefore, we are committed to balancing our artistic vision with sound business practices to achieve our objectives.
We Succeed Together: Strategic Partnerships
Our approach combines passion, innovation, and strategic partnerships to curate exceptional live experiences, create enduring recordings, and engage with audiences across diverse platforms.
To remain solvent, we leverage public and private partnerships to conserve traditional American music including bluegrass, folk, country, and Americana with an emphasis on original songwriting and live and recorded performances.
Why do we do what we do?
Our mission is driven by a deep reverence for the cultural tapestry woven by diverse communities, whose musical traditions have shaped our nation's unique sound. By preserving these traditions and fostering new talent, we create a living legacy that honors our past, enriches our present, and builds a harmonious future.
Join us in this vital endeavor to keep the heart and soul of America's music alive.
FAQs
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At Red-Winged Blackbird Records, we are committed to protecting and preserving the rich musical traditions of bluegrass, folk, country, Americana, and Appalachian music, with an emphasis on original songwriting and the continuation of traditional tunes from Appalachia and beyond.
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Because they’re uniquely American and part of our story as a nation.
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These genres of music originated as one consequence of the textured interfacing of various racial and cultural groups during the historically fraught period of American colonization and the years since.
The result of these encounters includes but is not limited to:
A) the creation of a broader narrative and cultural conversation in the form of songs, and
B) an amalgam of musical influences born from the conflict and confluence of our nation’s diverse racial and cultural populations interacting.
These factors gave birth to styles of music uniquely indigenous to The United States. And these songs are a vital part of our story. -
These forms of music are seldom taught in schools, are are predominantly learned by ear and word of mouth.
We place a strong emphasis on the continuation of traditional tunes from Appalachia and beyond.
We have a responsibility to carry on these enduring traditions and to honor the skilled folks who know how to play and sing these songs of our shared history. -
We place a strong emphasis on original songwriting.
We celebrate the contemporary songwriters who document the events of today through their music. -
Contrary to popular belief, creating music to share with a broader audience than one’s own bedroom comes with a lot of associated costs.
Those costs are prohibitively expensive to many talented and worthy individuals.
What are the large-scale implications of a culture in which only the wealthy can afford to record, release, promote, and tour in support of their songs?
Whose voices are omitted from that conversation and what are the unquantifiable losses we all suffer as a result of only hearing the music of those with resources, and not necessarily the folks with the most impactful or challenging message?
We enable the underdogs to have a chance to have their songs showcased and documented.
In short, Red-Winged Blackbird Records is more than a record label or events company; we are an arts organization acting as archivists as a form of devotion, creating a tribute to the musical roots that define our collective heritage.
