Minecraft Soundtrack To Be Preserved In The U.S. Library of Congress

Minecraft: Volume Alpha is one of the few pieces of music media that will be preserved in the Library of Congress. It’s the second album from the video games industry to join the classics such as Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” and Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

On April 9, the Library of Congress released the 25 recordings joining media preserved by the institution:

• “Aloha ‘Oe” – Hawaiian Quintette (1913) (single)
• “Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949) (single)
• “Happy Trails” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952) (single)
• Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series – Chuck Thompson (1960)
• Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)        
• “Hello Dummy!”– Don Rickles (1968) (album)
• “Chicago Transit Authority” – Chicago (1969) (album)
• “Bitches Brew” – Miles Davis (1970) (album)
• “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” – Charley Pride (1971) (single)
• “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972) (single)
• “El Rey” – Vicente Fernandez (1973) (single)
• “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John (1973) (album)
• “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender (1975) (single)
• “I’ve Got the Music in Me” – Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975) (album)
• “The Kӧln Concert” – Keith Jarrett (1975) (album)
• “Fly Like an Eagle” – Steve Miller Band (1976) (album)
• Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
• “Tracy Chapman” – Tracy Chapman (1988) (album)
• “My Life” – Mary J. Blige (1994) (album)
• Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime – Brian Eno (1995)
• “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion (1997) (single)
• “Our American Journey” – Chanticleer (2002) (album)
• “Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse (2006) (album)
• “Minecraft: Volume Alpha” – Daniel Rosenfeld (2011) (album)
• “Hamilton” – Original Broadway Cast Album (2015) (album) 

Those that will be preserved are a mixture of singles and albums, but Minecraft: Volume Alpha is the only one here coming from the video games sector. According to the library, they’re adding the Minecraft soundtrack due to it growing into a cultural phenomenon.

They’ve even acknowledged the phenomenon of “lo-fi hiphop” and mentioned that the genre shares calming and nostalgic musical aesthetics similar to Minecraft.

The Library of Congress selects 25 titles each year to be preserved. These titles have been deemed by them as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” They should also be at least 10 years old.

Recently, the best-selling video game of all time has gone past just video games and dominated even the film industry. A Minecraft Movie has become the number one video game adaptation movie in terms of revenue. The record was previously held by the Super Mario Bros. Movie. Coincidentally, the Super Mario theme is the other video game music that is being preserved by the Library of Congress.