World music is a term used to describe music from countries where English is not the main language. It includes traditional music, music that blends different cultural styles, and music that is similar to traditional forms. Because world music covers a wide variety and is flexible as a category, it is difficult to define clearly. However, its focus on music from other cultures is shown in the description from Roots magazine, which calls the genre "local music from out there."

There are different ways people define world music. Music that is not part of North American or British pop and folk traditions was called "world music" by music companies in Europe and North America. The term became widely used in the 1980s as a way to market music from non-Western cultures. Over time, the term has come to include types of music such as ethnic fusion (examples include Clannad, Ry Cooder, and Enya) and worldbeat.

Lexicology

The term "world music" is often given to ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown, who created it in the early 1960s at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. There, he developed programs for students from undergraduate to doctoral levels in the field of music. To help students learn better, he invited over a dozen performers from Africa and Asia and started a series of world music concerts. The term became widely used in the 1980s as a way to market and categorize music in the media and music industry.

Forms

Popular types of world music include non-European classical music, such as Chinese guzheng music, Indian raga music, and Tibetan chants. Other examples are Eastern European folk music, like the village music of the Balkans and "The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices," Nordic folk music, Latin music, Indonesian music, and folk and tribal music from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central America, and South America.

World music is a broad category that includes unique types of ethnic music from different parts of the world. These different kinds of music are often grouped together because they originate from local traditions. In the 20th century, inventions like sound recording, cheaper international air travel, and better communication allowed musicians and people around the world to share music more easily. This led to the creation of "crossover" music, where artists from different cultures blended their styles. Musicians could listen to and learn from music from other regions, travel to perform, and mix influences from many places. While technology has made it easier to discover rare types of music, the push for commercial success can also cause music to become more similar, reduce the uniqueness of regional styles, and lead to the loss of traditional music practices over time.

Hybrid examples

The music industry introduced the term "world music," and over time, the way people today understand this term has expanded. It now includes mixes of traditional music from different cultures, styles, and interpretations. New types of music, such as ethnic fusion and worldbeat, have been created to describe these mixed styles. Examples of these mixes include the blending of Irish and West African music by the group Afro Celt Sound System, the diverse sounds of AO Music, and the mix of jazz and Finnish folk music by Värttinä. These examples often include influences from modern Western music, which is becoming more common in world music. Worldbeat and ethnic fusion can also combine specific traditional sounds with clear elements of Western pop music. Examples include Paul Simon’s album Graceland, which features South African mbaqanga music; Peter Gabriel’s collaborations with Pakistani Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; the Deep Forest project, which blends West African vocal loops with Western rhythms and harmonies; and Mango, who mixes pop and rock with global music elements.

Depending on the style and setting, world music can sometimes overlap with new-age music, a category that includes ambient sounds and textures from traditional cultures. Examples of this include music from Tibetan singing bowls, Tuvan throat singing, Gregorian chants, and Native American flute music. When world music is combined with new-age music, the result is often called the hybrid genre "ethnic fusion." Examples of ethnic fusion include Nicholas Gunn’s song "Face-to-Face" from Beyond Grand Canyon, which blends Native American flute with synthesizers, and "Four Worlds" from The Music of the Grand Canyon, which includes spoken words from a Navajo musician.

The subgenre "world fusion" is sometimes incorrectly thought to mean only a mix of Western jazz fusion with world music. While this is one type of world fusion, the word "fusion" in "world fusion" does not always refer to jazz fusion. Western jazz combined with strong elements of world music is more accurately called world fusion jazz, ethnic jazz, or non-Western jazz. World fusion and global fusion are similar to the term "worldbeat" and are considered subgenres of popular music. However, they can also represent broader expressions of the general term "world music." In the 1970s and 1980s, the term "fusion" in jazz music referred to blending jazz with rock, which is where the confusion about "world fusion" comes from.

Precursors

Millie Small released the song "My Boy Lollipop" in 1964. Her version became a hit, reaching number 2 on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100. During the 1960s, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela had popular songs in the United States. In 1969, Indian musician Ravi Shankar played the sitar at the Woodstock festival.

In the 1970s, Manu Dibango's funky song "Soul Makossa" (1972) became a hit, and Osibisa released "Sunshine Day" (1976). Fela Kuti created Afrobeat, and his sons Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti, along with musician Tony Allen, continued his style. Salsa musicians such as José Alberto "El Canario," Ray Sepúlveda, Johnny Pacheco, Fania All-Stars, Ray Barretto, Rubén Blades, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Roberto Roena, Bobby Valentín, Eddie Palmieri, Héctor Lavoe, and Willie Colón helped develop Latin music.

In 1979, the American group Libana was formed by Susan Robbins to share world folk traditions through music, dance, storytelling, and chants. The group started with 25 women but later became a smaller group of 6 members who could travel worldwide. These members performed in America, Canada, Bulgaria, India, Greece, and Morocco. Libana musicians played music from many cultures, including the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. They used instruments such as guitars, hammered dulcimers, ouds, bağlamas, pan flutes, charangos, djembes, davuls, frame drums, double bass, clarinets, dumbeks, accordions, and naqarehs. They are still active as of 2024.

The Breton musician Alan Stivell helped connect traditional folk music, modern rock music, and world music through his 1972 album Renaissance of the Celtic Harp. Around the same time, Welsh singer-songwriter Meic Stevens made Welsh folk music more popular. Neo-traditional Welsh music, which blends modern and traditional instruments like the pibgorn and Welsh harp, was further developed by Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion.

Popular genres

The world music category mainly includes traditional music, but it also covers popular music from non-Western cities (e.g., South African "township" music) and non-European music styles that have been influenced by other non-European music forms (e.g., Afro-Cuban music).

Zimbabwean musician Thomas Mapfumo inspired others by mixing the Mbira (finger piano) style with the electric guitar. This led many Zimbabwean musicians to improve the genre, with The Bhundu Boys being the most successful. Their music, called Bhundu Jit, became very popular in Europe in 1986, especially with radio hosts Andy Kershaw and John Peel.

For many years, Paris has drawn musicians from former colonies in West and North Africa. This is helped by the many concerts and organizations that support and promote this music.

Algerian and Moroccan music plays an important role in Paris. Many Algerian and Moroccan immigrants live there, bringing with them the sounds of Amazigh (Berber), raï, and Gnawa music.

The West African music community in Paris is also large, including people from Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Guinea.

Unlike other regions, the American music industry often groups Latin music into its own category, defining it as any music from Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries.

This type of music is sometimes called "folk music," but it is also referred to as "contemporary folk music" or "folk revival music" to make a distinction. This change started mainly in the United States and is known as the American folk music revival. Fusion styles like folk rock also developed during this time.

On June 29, 1987, a meeting was held to use the marketing of non-Western folk music. Earlier, in 1986, Paul Simon released the album Graceland, which was influenced by world music. The album used sounds from Southern African artists like Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Savuka. This project, along with the work of Peter Gabriel and Johnny Clegg, helped introduce non-Western music to more people.

In a new effort, all world music labels worked together to create a compilation cassette for the music magazine NME. Each package included a small catalog showing other available releases, and the total playing time was 90 minutes.

At a later meeting, it became clear that a successful campaign needed a dedicated press officer. This person would manage deadlines and promote the music as a concept—not just to national radio stations, but also to regional DJs who wanted to expand their music choices. DJs were important because they could help make "world music" popular in areas outside London, where many people had similar cultural backgrounds. A cost-effective way to spread this message was through a flyer campaign.

The next step was to create a world music chart by collecting sales data from about 50 stores. This would show which songs were popular in the genre, helping new listeners discover what was trending. It was agreed that NME could print the chart again, along with Music Week and the London listings magazine City Limits. It was also suggested that Andy Kershaw might regularly feature the chart on his radio show.

Relationship to immigration and multiculturalism

In many wealthy industrialized countries, large numbers of people have moved from other regions over many decades. This movement has brought non-Western music to Western audiences, both as foreign music and as music made by people living in the West. This process continues today, creating new musical styles. In the 2010s, musicians from immigrant communities in the West became popular worldwide. Examples include Haitian-American Wyclef Jean, Somali-Canadian K'naan, Tamil-Briton M.I.A., and Cuban-born singer Addys Mercedes, who began her career in Germany. These artists often mix music from their heritage with hip-hop or pop.

In the past, well-known Western artists might work with well-known African artists to create a few albums. Today, new bands and musical styles are created by young performers from diverse backgrounds. For example, the Punjabi-Irish fusion band Delhi 2 Dublin is based in Vancouver, Canada, not in India or Ireland. Another example is "Country for Syria," a music group in Istanbul, Turkey, that blends American country music with Syrian refugee music and local Turkish music. Musicians also create original songs using combinations of Western and non-Western instruments.

The introduction of non-Western music into Western culture led to new musical styles that influenced both cultures. (Feld 31) As demand for new music grew, questions about ownership of music also arose. Feld explains on page 31: "This complex exchange of sounds, money, and media is based on the process of renewal through borrowing." Collaborations between African and American artists sometimes raise questions about who benefits. (Feld 31) Feld mentions the song "That Was Your Mother," written by Paul Simon with help from Alton Rubin and his band the Twisters. The song has a zydeco style, which is linked to Dopsie’s band. Even though the Twisters helped create the song, the copyright belongs only to Paul Simon. (Feld 34) Cases like this show how some people gain more from using non-Western music than others.

Immigration has greatly influenced world music, offering new choices for people around the world. In the 1970s, Punjabi music became popular in the UK because of the growing Punjabi community there. (Schreffler 347) Bhangra music also became popular in cities like New York and Chicago, thanks to Punjabi communities living there. (Schreffler 351) To reach a wider audience, Punjabi music began working with rappers. One example is a remix of the song "Mundiān ton Bach ke," called "Beware of the Boys," by Panjabi MC featuring Jay Z. (Schreffler 354) These collaborations helped integrate music from outside the mainstream into popular culture.

Immigration plays a major role in how music is shared globally and how it shapes cultural identity. Immigrant communities use music to feel connected to their home countries and to help future generations learn about their heritage. In Punjabi culture, music has helped spread traditions around the world. (Schreffler 355)

Radio programs

Today, world music radio programs often play music from different cultures, such as African hip-hop, reggae, Bhangra, and Latin American jazz. Common ways to listen to world music include public radio, online streaming, the BBC, NPR, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Music that is not specific to one region or culture is usually grouped under the general category of world music.

Examples of radio shows that feature world music include The Culture Cafe on WWUH West Hartford radio station, World of Music on Voice of America, Transpacific Sound Paradise on WFMU, The Planet on Australia's ABC Radio National, D.N.A: DestiNation Africa hosted by DJ Edu on BBC Radio 1Xtra, Adil Ray on the BBC Asian Network, Andy Kershaw's Show on BBC Radio 3, and Charlie Gillett's Show on the BBC World Service.

Ethnomusicological Perspective

Ethnomusicology scholars have studied the "world music" concept, saying it is more than just a music label. They argue it shows how power is shared between Western and non-Western traditions. Kofi Agawu explains that the term keeps old systems of power from colonial times by treating African and other non-Western music as less important than Western classical music. Many different local music styles are grouped into one large, sellable category. Timothy Rice points out that "world music" mixes academic study with commercial use because the same music can be seen as a subject for research, a cultural symbol, or a product for sale, depending on the situation. Deborah Wong says listening to music can also be political. Using the term "world music" can make some voices louder while making others quieter, affecting how power and identity shape musical spaces. Melonee Burnim highlights that researchers and performers must respect and value the views of the communities that created the music, not just for their own goals. Steven Feld connects these ideas to problems about who owns music and who benefits from it. Music shared globally often helps Western businesses more than the communities where the music originated. Overall, these scholars suggest that "world music" shows how ideas about ethics and cultural sharing are changing over time.

Awards

The BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music was an award given to world music artists from 2002 to 2008. It was supported by BBC Radio 3 and created by Ian Anderson, the editor of fRoots magazine. The idea for the awards came from the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The awards had several categories, including Africa, Asia/Pacific, Americas, Europe, Mid East and North Africa, Newcomer, Culture Crossing, Club Global, Album of the Year, and Audience Award. Each year, a group of thousands of music industry experts chose nominees for each category. A group of twelve people, called a jury, voted to select winners for all categories except the Audience Award. The BBC chose and managed the jury members. The awards ceremony was held at the BBC Proms, and winners received an award called a "Planet." In March 2009, the BBC decided to stop the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music.

After the BBC ended its awards program, the British world music magazine Songlines started the Songlines Music Awards in 2009. This new award was created to recognize excellent talent in world music.

The WOMEX Awards were started in 1999 to celebrate the best in world music globally. These awards honor musical excellence, social importance, commercial success, political influence, and lifetime achievements. Every October, during the WOMEX event, an ancient statue of a mother goddess from the Neolithic age (about 6,000 years old) is given as an award to a deserving person in the world music community.

Festivals

Many festivals are known as "world music" festivals. Here is a list of some examples:

• The WOMAD Foundation organizes festivals in countries around the world.
• The Globe to Globe World Music Festival happens in Kingston, Melbourne, for two days each year in January.
• The Dhaka World Music Festival takes place in Dhaka.
• The Sfinks Festival in Boechout, Belgium, is a four-day world music festival.
• Sunfest is an annual four-day world music festival in London, Ontario, usually held the weekend after Canada Day in early July.
• Ethnoambient is a two- or three-day world music festival held every summer since 1998 in Solin, Dalmatia, southern Croatia.
• The Festival de l'Inde takes place in Evian, Haute-Savoie.
• In 1982, Fête de la Musique ("World Music Day") was started in France. World Music Day is celebrated on June 21 every year.
• The TFF Rudolstadt takes place annually on the first full weekend of July in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany.
• The German World Music Festival der Klangfreunde happens every first weekend of August at Schlosspark Loshausen. Klangfreunde e. V. is a non-profit organization.
• Wilde Töne, Festival für Folk- und Weltmusik, takes place in Braunschweig, Germany.
• SUNSET MUSIC FESTIVAL (Free Electronic Dance Music Festival) was created in 2020 at Busua Beach in the Western Region of Ghana by Djsky S K Y M U S I C.
• WOMUFE (World Music Festival) in Budapest, Hungary (1992).
• The WOMEX festival was held in Budapest in 2015.
• Fest Afrika Reykjavík happens every September.
• Udaipur World Music Festival.
• The Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) takes place annually during December–January, often in several major cities in India. The LGMF has also traveled to 22 countries.
• Matasora World Music Festival is held in Bandung, West Java, and Jakarta.
• Toba Caldera World Music Festival in Lake Toba, Toba Regency, North Sumatra.
• Canang World Music Festival in Riau.
• The Fajr International Music Festival is Iran's most important music festival, started in 1986. It is connected with UNESCO and includes competitions for both national and international musicians. Many musicians from countries like Austria, Germany, and France have taken part since it began. Asian countries also have a strong presence at the festival.
• Some festivals take place in every region of Italy.
• OFFest is a five-day world music festival held every summer since 2002 in Skopje.
• The Rainforest World Music Festival is an annual three-day music festival in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
• The Festival au Désert was held every year from 2001 until 2012 in Mali, West Africa.
• Mawazine is a world music festival in Rabat, Morocco, featuring Arab and international music artists.
• A world music festival is held in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in early March each year.
• World Music Day is usually celebrated for one week in Lagos, Nigeria, at different locations around the state.
• Poland's Cross-Culture Warsaw Festival is held in September each year.
• Brave Festival in Wrocław, Poland, takes place in July.
• Ethno Port in Poznań, Poland, happens in June.
• Ethno Jazz Festival in Wrocław, Poland, has events throughout the year.
• Different Sounds (Inne brzmienia) in Lublin, Poland, is held in July.
• Nowa Tradycja (New Tradition) in Warsaw, Poland, is held in May.
• Siesta Festival in Gdańsk, Poland, began in April or May 2011.
• Festival Músicas do Mundo in Sines, Setúbal District, is a world music festival first held in 1998.
• Méra World Music Festival takes place annually at the end of July or the beginning of August in Méra village, Romania. It was first held in 2016 and is the only world music festival in Transylvania.
• "Plai Festival" in Timișoara.
• The Serbia World Music Festival is a three-day event held every summer in Takovo, a small village in central Serbia.
• Spain's most important world music festivals include:
• Etnosur in Alcalá la Real, Jaén (Andalucía region).
• Pirine