Founded in 1948, Folkways Records was led by Moses Asch. The label sought to document the entire world of sound. The 2,168 titles Asch released on Folkways include traditional and contemporary music from around the world, spoken word in many languages, and documentary recordings of individuals, communities, and current events. Folkways grew to be one of the largest and most influential independent record companies in the world.

In 1987, following the death of Moses Asch, the Smithsonian Institute acquired the label and all of it's files and assets. As one of the terms of that deal, the Smithsonian agreed to keep all 2,168 titles in print, which they continue to do to this day under Smithsonian Folkways.