Moses Asch's drive for sheer authenticity is what I found most interesting in this episode. Folkways was an amazing label, one I'm surprised I've never heard of before. It's definitely one of a kind in the fact that the recordings reflected perfectly the time and culture of the music that was being made. Asch didn't care about the money that was brought in from the recordings, he cared about the simple fact that the music was getting out there, and that it would be preserved for future generations. He seemed to realize perfectly how important this music was in defining American culture at the time.
Asch was amazing because he realized that "the 'meat' of the records was in the music, not in the cover art". The presentation of the records meant nothing to him compared to preserving exactly the way the music was being played.
I sincerely wish that there was a modern day version of the Folkways label. I don't really believe that "authenticity" is a popular term in today's music industry.
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