Week 4: What is world music?

There is a general view that ‘world music’ is indigenous music, that is, music that uses sounds and instruments associated with the local culture of a country as opposed to Anglo-American music. Shuker points out that the internationalisation of the music industry has led to cultural imperialism, which could be why the label ‘world music’ has emerged, as different cultures try to retain their original music styles whilst Anglo-American music is imported. This globalisation means that what started out as folk music has taken on a new genre, as Anglo-American music is injected into other cultures and people look to world music as a more authentic, traditional representation of their cultural identity as opposed to imported music. However, inevitably lines have blurred and it is not unusual for a European musician to sing with an American accent, or for imported Anglo-American music to sample instruments traditional to different cultures. The globalisation of the music industry goes hand in hand with the emergence of the ‘world music’ genre.