Alan Lomax, Harry Smith, and the early study of folk music through digital means such as coding sheets and charts. Lomax pioneered a method called Cantometrics to analyze and code different musical traits of folk songs from around the world. This involved creating coding sheets to categorize songs based on traits like social organization, vocal qualities, and melody. Smith compiled an influential anthology of American folk music called the Anthology of American Folk Music. Their work in the digital study and archiving of folk music through methods like coding sheets helped advance the systematic study of folk music.