How A NASA Record Is Exploiting Indigenous Performers

By Anthony Michael Morena

Last month, a new Kickstarter campaign was launched by Ozma Records to fund the first-ever release of a vinyl version of the Voyager Golden Record: the collection of sounds, music, images, and greetings that were launched into space on the twin Voyager space probes in 1977. If any extraterrestrial intelligence discovers either Voyager in space, the records are there to help the aliens learn something about the Earth; our bodies and our cultures and our art. The box set’s release will coincide with the 40th anniversary of Voyager’s launch, late next summer. In just under a month, over a million dollars have been donated to fund the project, far exceeding the Kickstarter’s original $198,000 goal.

There are reasons for the project to be a huge success. Most of these songs have been unavailable commercially in any format for more than 25 years. Though available on YouTube videos and torrent sites, the prospect of playing the music that was sent with Voyager on vinyl appeals to hi-fi purists and nostalgia buffs alike. Plus, as a design object, the box set looks gorgeous.

Ozma Records, the company responsible for the Kickstarter, has some impressive names behind it, including Boing Boing editor David Pescovitz, Amoeba Records manager Timothy Daly, and designer Louis Azerrad. Even…