Hi all,
I just discovered that Smithsonian Folkways is now offering a subscription service called 'Friends of Folkways'. For a donation of $5 a month, or more, you are now able to stream entire Folkways albums as well as albums from subsidiary labels Arhoolie, Folk-Legacy, Paredon, and others. The money, of course, also goes to support the broader cause of carrying on and extending the legacy of the Folkways catalog and mission.
It took me a minute to understand the process, but you basically just set up an account on the Folkways site, then purchase a donation subscription amount. Once that's done you can search the site for an album or artist, click on the album and then hit the 'Play Album' button, at that point a streaming element opens at the bottom of the page.
While they've had the ability to play single songs from albums for awhile now, this new streaming feature is a welcome addition. I've now got a set of tabs in my phone browser set up to save my favorites as I explore the back catalog more. And, of course, I'm dreaming of a day when Folkways is able to create an app dedicated to streaming the catalog, but for now this is the next best thing.
Get more info here:
https://folkways.si.edu/friends-of-folkways
