Until October 22, 1989 the Canadian Society for Traditional Music was known as the "Canadian Folk Music Society" (CFMS), or in French, "La Societe Canadienne de Musique Folklorique". The CFMS was founded in 1956 as a branch of the International Folk Music Council. In 1957 through the efforts of its distinguished founding president and initiator, Dr. Marius Barbeau, the CFMS became an independent organization. Dr. Barbeau remained President until his death in 1966.
In 1967, the CFMS was incorporated as a federally chartered non-profit organization. In 1988, the French name of the Society was changed to "La Societe Canadienne pour les Traditions Musicales"; in October of 1989, for reasons best known only to those who were voting at the time, the English language version of this name (ie "The Canadian Society of Musical Traditions") was adopted as well. As far as the Mail Order Service is concerned, we are still "The Canadian Folk Music Society" at heart, and we try hard to ensure that our Catalogue reflects this view.
In addition to operating the Mail Order Service, the Society publishes the Canadian Folk Music Bulletin (quarterly) and the Canadian Folk Music Journal (annually). All members of the Society automatically receive both of these publications at no extra charge. All members of the Society are also entitled to receive a copy of the printed Catalogue, upon request, at no additional charge. If you are just joining the CSTM, and you include your dues payment with your first order, you qualify for the lower "Member" prices.
If you have not already done so, please consider becoming a Member of the Society. You will be lending your support, not only to our contemporary folk music performers and songwriters, but also to our scholars in their studies and preservation efforts related to this unique part of our Canadian heritage.