Library of Congress Adds Doom’s 1993 Soundtrack to National Recording Registry

Overview

• The Library of Congress selected Bobby Prince’s 1993 Doom score as one of 25 recordings chosen this year from more than 3,000 public nominations.
• The Registry, which preserves works it deems culturally, historically or aesthetically important, called the soundtrack central to Doom’s impact.
• Officials highlighted Prince’s use of MIDI and his method of assigning sound effects to different MIDI frequencies so effects cut through the music during play.
• Doom becomes only the third video game recording in the Registry, following the Super Mario Bros. theme in 2023 and Minecraft: Volume Alpha with the Microsoft reboot chime in 2025.
• Other 2026 inductees include Weezer’s Blue Album, Taylor Swift’s 1989, and Beyoncé’s Single Ladies, reflecting the Registry’s span from video game music to major pop releases.