Original DOOM soundtrack added to Library

The Library of Congress added Bobby Prince’s soundtrack for the 1993 video game “Doom” to the National Recording Registry on May 14, placing the score in this year’s class alongside Taylor Swift’s “1989,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and Weezer’s self-titled debut. The Library said the 2026 class includes 25 recordings selected for cultural, historical or aesthetic importance. The addition makes “Doom” the latest video game recording to enter the registry and brings the total number of titles on the list to 700. The announcement was published by the Library on Thursday and was picked up in coverage on Friday by gaming and technology outlets. ### When did the Library of Congress actually announce the “Doom” selection? The Library of Congress announced the 2026 National Recording Registry class on May 14, 2026, in a newsroom release and a blog post. The release said the class spans 70 years of recorded sound, from Spike Jones’ 1944 recording of “Cocktails for Two” to Swift’s 2014 album “1989.” The Library’s release described “Doom” as a 1993 soundtrack that brought “heavy metal energy” to MS-DOS systems and said Bobby Prince’s score was central to the game’s popularity. Several outlets including Engadget and Shacknews published follow-up reports later on May 14 and May 15. ### What exactly was added — the game or the soundtrack? The registry entry covers the soundtrack from “Doom,” not the game software itself. The Library said the selected recording was the soundtrack created by freelance video game composer Bobby Prince for the original 1993 release. The Library’s wording matters because the National Recording Registry preserves recorded sound. Under the governing program, the registry selects 25 recordings each year, and the Library says nominations come from both the National Recording Preservation Board and the public. ### How unusual is it for video game music to make the registry? The Library said the “Doom” soundtrack was selected “for the third time” that video game music has been chosen for the registry. That places it in a small group of game-related recordings recognized by the program. Heise, citing the Library’s announcement, said two other game soundtracks were already in the registry. The Library’s own materials frame the 2026 choice as another expansion of the registry’s coverage of recorded sound beyond conventional albums and singles. ### Who is Bobby Prince, and why did the Library single out his work? Bobby Prince was identified by the Library as a freelance video game music composer who created the “Doom” soundtrack. The release said his score supplied the “adrenaline-fueled” sound that helped define the game’s identity when it was released in 1993. Engadget reported that Prince also worked on other id Software titles and on “Duke Nukem 3D.” The outlet said the “Doom” soundtrack drew openly from heavy metal influences, a point long associated with the score’s reception among players and critics. ### Which other recordings were named with “Doom” this year? The 2026 class includes Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” Swift’s “1989,” The Go-Go’s “Beauty and the Beat,” Weezer’s “Weezer (The Blue Album),” José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” and Ray Charles’ “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” according to the Library’s announcement. The Library said the class also includes Gladys Knight and the Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia,” Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” and recordings by The Byrds, Reba McEntire and Rosanne Cash. The annual list is intended to reflect the range of American recorded sound heritage, the Library said. ### Where does the registry go from here? The National Recording Preservation Board says public nominations for registry consideration are accepted through the Library of Congress program’s nomination pages. The board’s program materials say 25 recordings are chosen each year for the registry, which began in 2002. The complete registry listing and the 2026 induction-year page are available through the Library of Congress recording registry program, where the “Doom” soundtrack now appears as part of the newly announced class.