World Music or Reggae Music?

Perhaps someone can clarify this, probably not. Is this festival a World Music Festival or a Reggae Music Festival? I would assume a true world music festival would seek diversity in both audience and performers. Before you begin please I am not bad mouthing the festival in any way shape or form. It just seems as though Reggae dominates the line up and Rasta themes seems to be more frequent than not. Just a question and a topic.

Well I have been advocating to change the name of this festival to SIERRA NEVADA ROOTS MUSIC FESTIVAL for years.

It is primarily a reggae festival, mostly roots music at that, with a little 'world music' thrown in for taste. I would guess that probably 90% of the atendees come primarily for the reggae. You should check the archives of prior festivals for a complete list of who performed and then decide for yourself....

I have decided, I just wanted to get some other thoughts. It seems like this festival and ROTR should switch names. Except for the river part, welll you know what I mean....

snwmf should be rotr (rednecks object to reggae) festival.

who initiated this term, 'world' music anyway?
when?
why?

what does it really mean?
isn't all music 'world' music?

it is at the least very confusing in a babylon world, isn't it?

it is a wonder that the terminolgy got introduced and actually has become
a 'normal' part of the music culture.

its a marketing term meaning "anything we cant otherwise classify"

one love
jah bill

yep...as opposed to say, Venusian or Martian music I guess...

"World Music" derived from the moniker "Third World Music" that black artists concocted back in the 70s. At some point the music press dropped the "third" from the name and it became "world music".

Black music scholar Kwaku Person-Lynn is an authority on the subject. Google him.

>"its a marketing term meaning "anything we cant otherwise classify""

haha - pretty much yeah. But there is a "sound" getting attached (if vaguely) to the moniker. You will never hear Black Sabbath on a world music station for example, although last I checked Birmingham was indeed a part of this world.

Much in the same way, "alternative" music originally meant something you were likely to hear on a college radio station - which back then was, as it still is, pretty much everything, including world music. Eventually alternative was a more refined sound all it's own, but it sure didn't start that way.

SNWMF always has some great world artists too, and I sure don't mind a roots predominance. I wouldn't mind seeing some Rai artists next year (Khaled, Taha or Saadoun). Rai is a sound that fits right in under the whole world music umbrella, and it's fun to dance to..! Check out the track Abdel Kader off of 1, 2, 3 Soliels (featuring 2 of the artist's I just mentioned) - or even the original by Khaled - great stuff.

And I'm still hoping for Tevaka (Polynesian flava world beats) one of these years...