Citizen DJ

The National Jukebox: Folk Music

The Library of Congress presents the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center and other contributing libraries and archives. This sub-collection contains American folk music of various forms.

Content warning: These selections are presented as part of the record of the past. They are historical recordings which reflect the language, attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The Library of Congress does not endorse the views expressed in these recordings, which may contain content offensive to users.

View this collection on the Library of Congress website

Download files in bulk

A set of 6590 audio samples have been automatically generated from this collection for use in your favorite music production software. It contains 393 audio segments and 6197 one-shot audio clips, ideal for use in samplers.

Rights & access

The works in this collection have been identified to be in the public domain and are free to use and reuse without restriction. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the works, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. These selections are presented as part of the record of the past. They are historical recordings which reflect the language, attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The Library of Congress does not endorse the views expressed in these recordings, which may contain content offensive to users. The Library of Congress asks that artists approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Artists are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material. Attribution is recommended but not required.

Why is this free to use?

Under the Music Modernization Act, items in this collection that were published prior to 1923 entered public domain on January 1, 2022, and became free to use and reuse.

Suggested credit line

Citizen DJ Project, Library of Congress, National Jukebox.

Browse & preview files

Click the files below to preview the audio segments: