Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsYes. The Library of Congress selected both the Microsoft Windows 95 start-up chime and Daniel Rosenfeld’s Minecraft: Volume Alpha in the 2025 National Recording Registry class, recognizing technology sounds as part of America’s recorded-sound heritage.
What exactly was selected?
The Library of Congress announced its 2025 National Recording Registry class on April 9, 2025. The class contains 25 recordings, including two closely associated with modern computing and games.
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The Windows 95 reboot/start-up chime
The Windows 95 entry is Microsoft’s brief 1995 reboot and start-up sound, composed by Brian Eno. It was commissioned as a compact system signature with a distinctive, childlike musical character. Windows 98 later superseded it.
The Minecraft soundtrack
The Minecraft entry is music by German producer Daniel Rosenfeld, professionally known as C418, as compiled on the 2011 album Minecraft: Volume Alpha. The Library of Congress describes the album as a soothing backdrop to Minecraft’s open-world environment and as a source of lasting nostalgia.
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- Genre: Soundtrack
- Number of Discs: 1
- Number of Tracks: 12
- Album Title: Minecraft Volume Alpha
- Music Artist/Band: C418
Why can a computer sound enter the National Recording Registry?
The Registry preserves recordings judged to have “cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.” The National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 established the governing framework, and an eligible recording must be at least 10 years old.
That standard is broader than conventional music-industry awards. A short operating-system sound can matter because millions of people encountered it repeatedly, while a game soundtrack can become central to how players remember a digital world. The 1995 Windows sound represents a formative era of personal computing; Rosenfeld’s Minecraft music represents the musical identity of a widely experienced virtual environment.
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Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden described the selections this way: “These are the sounds of America — our wide-ranging history and culture.”
Windows 95 chime and Minecraft: Volume Alpha compared
| Comparison | Windows 95 chime | Minecraft: Volume Alpha |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Brian Eno, commissioned by Microsoft | Daniel Rosenfeld, professionally known as C418 |
| Release year | 1995 | 2011 |
| Original function | Operating-system reboot/start-up signature | Ambient soundtrack for Minecraft’s open-world game environment |
| Form | Brief system chime; runtime is not stated in the Library of Congress entry | Album-length soundtrack compilation; exact runtime is not stated in the Library of Congress entry |
| Cultural role | A sonic marker of Windows-era personal computing | A defining musical backdrop for Minecraft and a source of player nostalgia |
Does the Registry preserve every Minecraft track?
No. The named recording is the 2011 Minecraft: Volume Alpha compilation. Its inclusion should not be read as a blanket preservation of every piece of music used in Minecraft or of every later soundtrack release.
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What the 2025 class puts in context
The two technology recordings are part of a 25-recording national preservation class rather than a separate technology-only category. Their selection places a familiar operating-system cue and a video-game album alongside recordings chosen for their wider cultural, historical or aesthetic significance.
In practical terms, the answer to the common questions is straightforward: Brian Eno composed the Windows 95 chime; C418’s Minecraft: Volume Alpha is the Minecraft recording named by the Registry; and both were selected in 2025 under the preservation framework created by the 2000 act.
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