About

Our Mission

Music is Culture is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people worldwide conduct and publish their own music preservation work within their community or tradition. We seek to publish and republish works related to music of cultural significance that might otherwise be lost, destroyed, or forgotten. We also encourage the release of contemporary works by artists and authors continuing musical traditions.

Our Values

• Music is important to the people who make it. We want to ensure that our projects and publication first and foremost operate within their community, and that community members have every opportunity to engage with them freely.
• Preservation is more than just documentation. It includes tool building, education, and continuous sharing.
• No one tradition is of more inherent value than another, some are just rarely centered.
• Anybody is capable of being a caretaker of their heritage.
• Celebrating heritage brings the world closer together.
• We should honor the power, strength, and value of oral history and tradition

Why Support Us?

Just like there are species in danger of environmental extinction, some cultural practices are disappearing. One of these practices is music, and once the melodies are lost, they cannot be found again. We want to help prevent that fate, but never at the sacrifice of community voices and free community access. In order to do so, we need your help. A donation today can keep songs alive for generations to come.

Who We Are

Zack Youcha (Founder and Executive Director) is a New York based writer, editor, translator, musician, and researcher. His work focuses on the songs of his Sephardic Jewish ancestors and the bluegrass of his Virginia childhood. Zack’s had the opportunity to lecture and sit on panels at universities, cultural centers, and conferences across the US and Europe. His projects have sparked collaborations with the United Nations, museums, archives, and governments around the world.

Board Officers

Ara Dinkjian: Musician, Composer, Historian.

Daniel Elias: Musician, Culture Bearer, Lawyer.

John Passacantando: Environmentalist, Activist, Nonprofit Expert.