Thursday, 13 March 2008
Week 4 – What is world music and why does it exist?
The term ‘world music’ is often applied to music which comes from areas outside the normal Anglo-American source and mainly from tropical countries. World music is well known for its use of rhythm, so the term is also often associated with music from Africa, which rhythm is essential to. It is a term that is frequently used to label music that does not coincide with popular Anglo-American music e.g. traditional music, music with little technology or music that is not in English. It could be said that world music is the product of distressed populations and from disadvantaged population groups. Some would argue that world music is the result of cultural imperialism and that it exists because it has been constructed as a genre in opposition to Anglo-American pop music. It is ironic that ‘world’ music represents such a small subculture in global popular music, with sections in record stores holding very limited variety and amounts compared to the Anglo-American music that is split into even more genres itself. Some would say that world music is purely a term that has been institutionalised within the music and media industries to simplify the marketing of alternative music.
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1 comment:
Hmmm, I am not too sure about the tropical communities, Northern Alaskan Eskimo music would certainly be considered World music but is clearly not from a tropical climate. While I agree that African music is often placed within the World music category it is a mistake to suggest that World music is necessarily African.
Your analysis of the use of World music as a marketing term is well expressed.
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