In the mid-1960s, Hsu, Shih Wei-liang, Lu Ping-chuan and others established various organizations, including the Folk Music Research Workshop. Fighting the reigning bias in favor of musical traditions from the mainland, Hsu led the way in collecting and recording Taiwanese Nanguan music and Hakka eight-tone, as well as the music of the aboriginal tribes. These collections helped to delineate the history of Taiwanese music.
民國五十年代中期，許常惠和史惟亮、呂炳川等人陸續成立「民族音樂研究室」等團體，在當時獨厚中原文化時期，許常惠開風氣之先，進行了台灣南管音樂、客家八音，以及原住民音樂等的採集保存，為台灣音樂史架構出清晰的輪廓。