“My Heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion. Courtesy Epic/Columbia. 2025 National Recording Registry.
Each year, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress
chooses 25 recordings showcasing the range and diversity of American recorded
sound heritage in order to increase preservation awareness. The diversity of
nominations received highlights the richness of the nation's audio legacy and
underscores the importance of assuring the long-term preservation of that legacy
for future generations. Currently, there are 600 works/titles on the National
Recording Registry.
Nominate
Everyone is welcome to submit nominations to the National Recording Registry.
Complete National Recording Registry Listing
Sort recordings by title, artist, year of release, year inducted into the Registry, and genre by using the up and down arrows at the top of each column.
Registry Titles with Descriptions and Expanded Essays
A full list of all Registry-named recordings with descriptions noting their aesthetic, historic or cultural significance. For many recordings, nationally-known scholars have kindly contributed short essays describing further the work's importance, and are available as indicated.
Inductee's Gallery
A gallery of artists, composers, producers and other personnel inducted into the National Recording Registry.
Listen to Registry Titles
Due to copyright concerns, the Library of Congress is unable to post even sample audio of most Registry selections. Nevertheless, some clips can be heard via the following resources.
National Recording Registry Radio Features
Since 2006, Ben Manilla Productions and Acompany Studios have produced, for various radio outlets, short documentaries about selected titles from the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. In 2012, the series won the Peabody Award for Broadcast Excellence.
Past Trivia Questions
What was Leonard Cohen talking about when he said, “It’s a good song but too many people sing it”? “Hallelujah” (Jeff Buckley’s 1994 version was added to the Registry in 2013)
