What Is World Music?

World Music is a broad genre of music that is often hard to categorize and is easily misunderstood. In general, the term refers to music that is not part of the Western Classical, Folk and Pop traditions. More specifically, “world music” is used to talk about music that has a distinct cultural tie to a place, region or country and often draws on rich traditions and Folk music from that place. For example, Indian Raga, Colombian Cumbia or Ghanaian Highlife are all region-specific music genres based on Folk traditions that would fall under the “world music” umbrella. However, some music genres, like Korean K-Pop or South African Amapiano, are less tied to traditional forms but may still be referred to as World Music.

It is important to note that all genres within the World Music sphere are unique and important standalone genres in their own right; from globally recognizable styles such as Jamaican Reggae to genres with less mainstream recognition like Congolese Soukous. The term “World Music” should not be used to replace these genres, but instead it can be used to draw connections between cultures and musical themes, helping to improve access to lesser-known music and traditions.

Whether you’re working on a big budget action thriller featuring far-flung, exotic locations, broadcast sports highlights of a global competition like the soccer FIFA World Cup, or a travel documentary or vlog, you will need music that helps set the scene and captures the culture and people of your locale. Making sure your music is accurate, authentic and professionally produced can be time consuming and that’s before you begin to worry about acquiring all the clearances required to properly license its use.

At Universal Production Music we own 100% of the rights to all our music and only work with professional musicians who know what it takes to create authentic background music that can be used in any kind of production, from a short digital ad to a Hollywood production or a blockbuster video game. We offer class-leading, flexible music licensing designed to meet your project demands and budget. Register today to make use of our free tech tools like AI-powered Similarity Search, or contact us for a quote on single-use or subscription music licensing. #MusicIsUniversal