The continual rise of globalization has had an instrumental impact upon world music, as music from around the globe can now be shared, distributed, and inspire a wealth of aspiring and respected musicians. It allows people who were once isolated within their nation’s own music to now indulge and enjoy music that is foreign and new. Almost all music lovers can see within our music society today that musician compositions are continuously influenced by world music, and within in this paper we will explore the extent that musicians are being inspired by world music. Therefore we ask, how globalized has world music become, and is globalization the only reason for the expansion of world music?

Turning on mainstream radio globally, you can always expect the same thing: popular music. That same, repetitive beat, which has been only slightly tweaked in order to create a new multi-million dollar winning single, blasts through car speakers as popular music will forever remain as one of the highest grossing forms of music. For for most of us, it will never be memorable, for this form of music will never be enough. For true music lovers, it is the music which is new, raw, challenging, and inspiring that makes us continue our passion for sound. And how do we find this music? Well the answer is simple – from all over the world.

It’s extraordinary to think that a mere few decades ago, the thought of deeply analyzing and exploring new music from remote parts of the world could be impossible unless you found yourself venturing to these isolated places alone. But now, individuals with a fantastic array of technologies can access these remote parts of the world, while sitting comfortably in their living rooms. This is how world music has been globalized – we now live in a world that any form of music, which was once restricted to a single nation can be celebrated and enjoyed globally. Today, a young boy from, say, the corner of India, can access music that comes from the streets of Chicago, an Irish countryman can listen to Italian Opera, and an Australian mother can listen to the rhythms of African beats. This globalization of world music therefore opens a world of musical expression, where cultural barriers are broken down in order to showcase and share each others work.

So what do we mean by ‘world music’? Music within each nation is diverse and in some cases completely unalike. However, as globalization connects the world and links unlikely countries, we can also see world music as music which is inspired globally, that being a musical composition that is inspired by an array of global music styles. Within Bohlam’s “Global music’s, post-colonial worlds, and the globalization of world music”, he explores this exact concept of world music, and whether globalization has been at the forefront of creating this. In exemplifying the cultural barrier break down that music has had the power to do with the example of Eastern Europe, he showcases how national music can become global music. Firstly focusing on European street musicians, this example is used to highlight on a small scale the beginning of world music development, as these musicians perform both their national music, and globally inspired music. “These street musicians are both world musicians and traditional folk musicians, but rather that they have collapsed the difference between the two” (Bohlman, 2002). With this cultural barrier breakdown that musicians are capable of, Bohlman continues to explore the idea that European musicians therefore “form complex affiliations that cut across socioeconomic, religious and ethnic boundaries” (ibid).  

Each of us ... will encounter the music of the world in a growing variety of ways, drawing us into a world, the identity and culture of which is no longer separable from our own lives

It could be argued that this cultural breakdown through music has occurred due to globalization; nevertheless, it is important to remember that this is but one reason. Globalization in a modern sense has linked countries and their musical diversity technologically, however if we look at world music on a small scale, we can see that it has begun also through face-to-face interaction, as Bohlman explores by giving us insight into the street market of Cluj Napoca. Bohlman describes the street market of Cluj Napoca as “ world music in the most modern sense” as “the modern city gave the individual a greater degree of freedom to move about in he public spaces of the metropolis, and one of the most common forms of encounter is between the individual and the public spaces through which she or he has the freedom to move”. Bohlman therefore gives us both the option of questioning whether world music has been a conclusion of globalization, or because of interpersonal, face-to-face relations.

“World music has, today, become inseparable from our everyday worlds” (Bohlman, 2002) and it’s true, so much so that in order to be new and relevant in music composition, many artists are relying on world music and global music diversity to create new and intricate beats. This has been exemplified in such works of Popular Music musicians such as Beyoncé, who recently moved away from her popular synthesized beats, to traditional African Drum beats in songs such as ‘Grown Woman’ and ‘End of Time’, as well as acclaimed DJ and Producer Nicolas Jaar, who defines world music within his compositions by incorporating American synthesized chord progessions, accompanied by Chilean drum beats, with this music inspired by his diverse heritage.

Beyonce – Grown Woman:

Nicolas Jaar – Mi Mujer: 

Artists using a diverse range of national music within their songs to create world music are also explored by John Rockwell in his article ‘Music: Keeping the National in International’. Exploring the integration of pop music within national music, Rockwell uses examples such as artist Youssou N’Dour to exemplify the “balancing of internationalized pop music and indigenous roots”, which is a clear example of world music in our contemporary music scene today. He also explores the popularity that third world country musicians are receiving, which would not be possible today without globalization which has allowed for the growth in music discovery and world music.

It’s an interesting concept in determining whether world music has been a result of globalization, or due to face-to-face interaction, however what is not debatable is the fact that current music is continuously being influenced by the largest diversity of cultural music. Music which is not from your own culture is unique, intriguing and inspiring, so there is no question that artists continue to respectively use it within their own creations. Therefore world music, both in the forms of cultural diversity within music and worldly inspired music, will continue to rise and develop, especially as our access to it grows, and our interest within it grows.

Written by: 

Lily O'Harte

Gabriella Lloyd

Gledis Zoto

Questions:

• Do you believe globalization is the reason of growth within world music?
• What countries have had the most influence upon world music?
• Despite considering ourselves to be heavily influenced by globalization, why is it, as Bohlman suggests, that “world music intensifies in immigrant and exile communities”?
• Are music festivals merely a case of glocalisation and appreciation for world music, or do they have problematic elements, such as that of appropriation? – think not of costumes and outfits but the benefits musicians receive from producing music with foreign influences

References: 

Bohlman, P. (2002). "World Music. A very short introduction". Global musics, post-colonial worlds, and the globalisation of world music, 130-150.

Rockwell J. (2003, January 19). Music; keeping the national in international. New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2017 from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/19/arts/music-keeping-the-national-in-int....