Statement of Purpose - Music For Little People / EarthBeat! Records is dedicated to creating entertainment of the highest quality, challenging boundaries and accepting responsibility artistically, socially, environmentally and in business, while maintaining a commitment to human rights and culturally diverse values.

Music For Little People

Located in the coastal redwoods of northern California, Music for Little People is an award-winning producer of music as well as the premier catalog resource for families searching for the best in music and musically related product for children.

Music for Little People began as a mail order catalog in 1985, quickly emerging as the leading resource for quality, alternative musical product with an educational, multi-cultural orientation. The creation of the record label followed close behind, furthering the vision of founder and record producer Leib Ostrow to develop children's recordings that enhanced and expanded children’s musical experiences (and were also "easy on the ears" of parents). Now, 16 years and 85 releases later, our label has garnered 140 awards including 3 Grammy® nominations (see Awards & Recognition) and was most recently honored with a gold record for "Toddler Favorites." We also offer a variety of songs for licensing usage. From original music to classic covers or perennial favorites, we have a full catalog of over 100 songs and we create custom compilations for specific needs. Our music has been featured in the movie Down In The Delta, on the television series "Clueless", Lifetime's "Any Day Now" and various television commercials, as well as many custom compilations, software programs and publishing add-ons.

Music For Little People has developed into one of the country’s largest and most respected sources of educational and multicultural recordings for children and families, working with highly regarded artists including Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Los Lobos, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Buckwheat Zydeco, Andrew Gold, David Lindley, Mimi Bessette, Ric Louchard, Catfish Hodge, Joanne Shenandoah, Michelle Shocked, Shelley Duvall, The Persuasions and Grammy award-winners Sweet Honey In The Rock.

We have also produced themed collections featuring such diverse artists as Raffi, Paul Simon, Pete Seeger, Burl Ives, Michelle Shocked, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Bobby McFerrin, Joni Mitchell, John McCutcheon, Doc Watson, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina, James Taylor, Charlie Daniels, Tom Paxton, Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, Faith Hill, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Julie Andrews, Chuck Berry, Loreena McKennitt and John Lennon.

What some folks in media are saying about Music For Little People...

"...the label has evolved into a showcase for established pop and ethnic music artists who wish to release children’s albums." --BILLBOARD

"One of the most remarkable things about Music For Little People is that it’s not. Just for little people, that is. The acclaimed record label has produced exceptional music for kids of all ages for many years..." --SACRAMENTO BEE

Music For Little People continues to create excellent recordings of music from around the world." --CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"Using music to teach children about cultural heritage is a coherent way for them to enjoy the learning process and to study history. EarthBeat!,...Music For Little People, offers a variety of "world music" for children and their families and teachers." --MULTICULTURAL REVIEW

"Music For Little People makes kids’ albums that big people also can appreciate. Believe it." --HOUSTON CHRONICLE

"...if a small-turned-large company can be this devoted and conscientious...just imagine what huge conglomerates could be doing..." --LIFESTYLES

"Music For Little People has built a solid reputation releasing multicultural product for the youth market..." --CASHBOX

"…a musical oasis for the entire family. Our world is a rainbow and MFLP has beautifully depicted every color from this brilliant spectrum, incorporating them into the universal language which binds us ALL…music. For a truly entertaining and educational respite for kids, parents and educators, MFLP is just the place." --PARENTING PLUS

Music for Little People offers an always-eclectic assortment of holiday-season audio products…" --BILLBOARD Magazine

"In pursuit of ‘edutainment’...Little People has released albums of Cajun and swing music, among others. The approach has worked so well that sales are up 35% compared with last year, and 19 releases are scheduled for 1999, VS only 12 in 1998." --MIAMI HERALD

"Music For Little People... has taken the concept of family music to new heights." --The Argus, The Review, The Tribune, The Herald, The Times Star, Bay Area Living (ANG Newspapers)

"Relief is on the horizon. Music for Little People... is turning out quality CDs and tapes for children and their parents. Baby boomers’ favorite artists and newer groups are putting a fresh spin on old standards, as well as charting new ground in children’s music. Bye-bye Barney, hello Choo Choo Boogaloo. Multi-cultural music is a specialty." --Tribune News Services

"MFLP…produces or promotes some of the best music for children. Full of spirit and diversity, it’s recordings invite singing and dancing in the kitchen or the classroom. …high-quality productions appeal to all ages." --SACRAMENTO BEE

"Music For Little People has been a powerhouse in the children’s music industry for ten years now. ...MFLP has continued to release diverse and spiritually centered material that can be appreciated by young and old alike." --ANTHEM MONTHLY

"...parents can find everything they need to raise a musically hip, globally conscious child." --DESERET NEWS

"Music for Little People has long understood what the vast majority of children’s music producers never understood: Children aren’t stupid, and parents are listening along. The group produces smart CDs for growing minds…" --SUN NEWS

"The folks at Music for Little People think of everything when it comes to pleasing little ears." --OUR KIDS

"Your label is an absolute treasure." --WXPN RADIO

"You guys put out the best stuff!" -- KPFA RADIO

EarthBeat! Records

EarthBeat! continues to gain recognition for its "world" and "progressive" recordings. Dedicated to the representation of progressive, culturally diverse music for adults, our eclectic label produces a wide variety of musical genres including folk, acoustic, blues, world, new age, Native American and urban music from a distinctive artist roster that includes Grammy award-winner Alex deGrassi, Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir, Sweet Honey In The Rock, renowned mandolin player Mike Marshall, Dominic Miller (co-writer & guitar player for Sting), Kevin Locke, Obo Addy, The Persuasions and new acoustic blues-folk artist Eric Bibb. Numerous artists have been featured on EarthBeat!’s compilations including Bruce Cockburn, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Cliff, Hank Williams, Jr., Bela Fleck, Buffy Sainte-Marie, John Trudell, Jello Biafra and R. Carlos Nakai.

Uniting For This Millennium

Our two diverse labels unite for the new millennium distinguished by an outstanding wealth of multicultural, world-friendly music and musically related product. With a common goal to maintain a consistent standard of musical excellence that invites listener participation whether young or old, we invite you to become our partner in a future filled with music, songs and the laughter of children.

Awards and Recognition

Music For Little People has garnered over one hundred forty awards, including fifty-three Parents' Choice awards (twenty Gold and two Classic Gold), sixteen American Library Association "Notable Children's Recording" awards, ten Oppenheim Toy Portfolio awards (including four Gold and six Platinum), nineteen National Association of Parenting Publications (NAPPA) awards (including eleven Gold) and two Grammy® nominations in the "Best Children's Recording" category. We have also received Parents' Magazine Parents' Prize awards and National Association of Independent Record Distributors "Indie" awards. EarthBeat! Records has received several awards including a Grammy®nomination for "Best New Age Album". Our seasonal mail order catalogs have also won numerous Parents' Choice awards. We also had the #1 Children's record nationwide in November 2000, on Billboard's chart, Toddler Favorites, which went Gold in 2001 and Platinum in 2003! For a complete listing of awards click here

Reviews and feature articles about our recordings have appeared in both the national print and electronic press receiving significant recognition and praise from USA Today, as well as The New York Times and Parenting Magazine. We have maintained a high media profile with Newsweek, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and The Wall Street Journal to name a few.

Staff Information - Meet the 'big folks' behind "Little People"
Leib Ostrow, CEO, founder, Chief Executive Officer and primary producer, helps to direct long-term strategic planning and artistic development while overseeing the creation of product that supports the company's mission statement. The many award-winning projects he has produced are listed as part of the company's award section.

Maureen McCready, Independent Business Affairs Consultant. To license music released on the Music For Little People or EarthBeat! labels, please contact Maureen at momusic@sbcglobal.net. You may also visit her website at www.maureenmccready.com.

Our dedicated support staff also includes:
Dixie Hamilton, Executive Assistant & Accounting Supervisor
Gayle Peterson, General Manager & Merchandising
Yvonne Hendrix, eCommerce Manager

In most cases we ship in-stock merchandise within 48 hours and you should receive your package within 2 weeks. Please use a street address where possible .

If you are shipping to Canada or Overseas, please email customerservice@mflp.com
call us at
1-800-409-2457 or 1-707-923-3991 for rates.

To check the status of an internet order please email customerservice@mflp.com
or call 1-800-409-2457 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST