Preserving Music
for Future Generations
Our mission is to ensure the preservation and continued availability of musical sound recordings and related media.
A Letter from Our President
Dear Friends,
When we founded the Dust-to-Digital Foundation, we were driven by a simple but urgent mission: that the recordings most at risk of disappearing are often the ones that matter most. The oldest pressings, the most fragile lacquer discs, the home recordings made in living rooms and church basements — these are the sounds that tell us who we are and where we came from.
Over the past fifteen years, we have had the privilege of working alongside some of the most dedicated collectors, archivists, and musicians in the world. Together, we have preserved more than 50,000 recordings — each one a thread in the larger tapestry of human culture. That number humbles and motivates us in equal measure, because for every recording we have saved, we know there are thousands more waiting.
Preservation alone is not enough. Music that sits in an archive, unheard, has not truly been saved. That belief led us to launch Dust-to-Digital Radio — a free, commercial-free stream drawing directly from the music we love and the deep tradition of recordings we have spent years protecting. No algorithms, no advertisements, no interruptions. Just music, curated with care and available to anyone with an internet connection. It is audience-supported, which means the people who listen are the people who keep it alive — a model that feels true to the spirit of the music itself.
We have also taken a major step toward making the archive itself publicly accessible. Through a landmark partnership with the University of California, Santa Barbara, we are building an online database that puts these recordings directly in the hands of scholars, musicians, and curious listeners everywhere. Where the radio lets you hear the music, the UCSB collection lets you explore it — search it, study it, trace its lineage. Together, they represent our fullest vision of what access can mean.
The radio is, in many ways, the Foundation made audible. The UCSB partnership is the Foundation made permanent.
Your support — of the Foundation, of the radio, of this whole improbable project — makes all of it possible. Thank you for believing, as we do, that these sounds deserve to be heard.
Our Impact
Our Mission
To date, we have digitized more than 50,000 rare and historic audio recordings, safeguarding the legacies of artists from around the world. These recordings represent not only the artistry of the past, but the cultural narratives that shaped the music we listen to today.
🎓 Exciting New Partnership with UCSB
Recently, we launched a landmark partnership with the University of California, Santa Barbara to make our preserved recordings accessible online to scholars, music lovers, and the public. Together, we are building a publicly available database that will serve as a cultural and musical resource for generations to come — a true Rosetta Stone of sound.
♫ Browse the CollectionPreservation Success Stories
How We Preserve Music
Discovery & Relationships
We locate historic and traditional recordings through trusted relationships with collectors, researchers, and communities, as well as through archives, estate collections, and private holdings.
Digitization & Preservation
Using specialized equipment, we carefully transfer fragile media — including 78 & 45 rpm records, lacquer discs, reel-to-reel tapes, and cassettes — to high-resolution digital formats, ensuring their survival for future generations.
Process & Documentation
Our process interweaves care, expertise, and a commitment to sharing sound recordings with the world. Preserving music is more than transferring sound from one format to another — it is about ensuring that voices and traditions are not lost to time.
Presentation & Access
We have shared preserved and restored recordings through curated albums, books, exhibitions, and, beginning in Fall 2025, a publicly accessible online database designed for scholars, music lovers, and the general public.
Help Us To Continue To Share Artists' Stories
Every contribution — whether large or small — plays a critical role in ensuring that these invaluable recordings and legacies remain available for generations to come. Your support is a key part of this work.
Tax-Deductible Donations
The Dust-to-Digital Foundation is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to the Dust-to-Digital Foundation are deductible under section 170 of the Code.
EIN: 27-3076188