philo records was founded in 1973 by half-brothers michael couture and bill schubart to record and distribute folk and traditional music. over the course of its nine-year history, before its sale to rounder records in 1982, philo produced roughly 100 albums of folk, traditional, and later, jazz, world, and new music from a converted barn-studio in north ferrisburg, vermont. philo's allure to many established and emerging artists was its policy of giving them full control over their productions and repertoire.