Without Moe Asch, folk-music collections would look – and sound – very different. The founder of Folkways Records (later Smithsonian Folkways) captured the sounds of cultures throughout America and around the world. But 60 years after he started the influential label in New York, the search for traditional music and culture still continues. Richard Carlin, author of "World of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways" and New Yorker staff writer Burkhard Bilger join us to talk about how Asch’s work continues in the digital age.

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer asks: "What's a folk song, anyway?"