Because it was committed to being a non-commercial magazine, in 1948, due to financial difficulties, People's Songs was forced to close.

[4] One defining feature of the magazine was the inclusion of 15 or more songs with lyrics and music within the pages of each issue—supplemented with an illustrative CD from 2001 until it ceased publication in 2014.

The magazine also contained in-depth articles profiling musicians and musical traditions, "teach-ins," reviews of recordings and print publications, a comprehensive festival and camp listing, and columns covering topics such as songwriting, storytelling, children's music, and the folk process.

The magazine was distributed by mail subscriptions, and could be found in some North American bookstores and libraries.

In addition to the quarterly magazine, the corporation also offered an extensive mail order catalog of printed material on folk-music and folklore.

Resource Center (SORCe) is a collection of recordings, photos, books, periodicals and other items.