International Musical Palates
Updated:2006-08-30 11:07:39
Michel De Bock, Putumayo Records
Dobet Gnahore, from the Ivory Coast, is one of the headliners of Putumayo's Acoustic Africa Tour. The singer-songwriter, who may not be familiar to many Americans, is well known in Africa for both her music and political activism.
It used to be that mainstream America's familiarity with world music began and ended with
Bob Marley's 'Legend' album.
But as the world grows smaller, it's obvious that Americans are taking cues from Jiminy Cricket -- you know, "it's a small world after all..." Consuming everything from the zest of Zap Mama to popular new hybrids such as
reggaeton (a mix of Jamaican reggae and Latino hip-hop), Americans are proving that their musical palates are not just white bread.
The type of music that goes by many handles -- international, folk, indigenous -- can pretty much be defined as any local music that originates outside of the United States. If combined with
Latin music, world music now accounts for about seven percent of the $13.7 billion U.S. music market, whereas jazz stands at a paltry one percent.
According to market rag 'Advertising Age,' world music is the fastest growing music genre in America, with sales rising 20 percent each year. World music rakes in $143 million annually and world music buyers are some of the most loyal, purchasing an average of 46 CDs per year.
Enter Dan Storper and his Putumayo World Music empire. Storper began his business career in merchandising, scouring the world for exotic finds which stocked his trendy East Village store, which he opened in 1975. By 1983, Storper had three New York City stores whose wares were found on the backs of in-the-know celebs such as Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow.
He brought back the music from the places he went to and played them for shopper's pleasure. When people in the store began to consistently ask where the music he was playing came from, Storper knew he was onto something. Eventually Storper closed his stores to focus exclusively on the music, and since 1993 Putumayo has been one of world music's most vocal proponents and innovators.
"Ten years ago there was barely a world music section in major music chains," explains Alecia J. Cohen, founder and associate publisher of
'Global Rhythm' magazine, a publication whose goal is to broaden the reach of world music. "Today in Tower, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Virgin Megastore there are large sections featuring a variety of world music titles from Afropop to Latin salsa."
Some of this can be credited to Putumayo, which puts out about 13 imprints per year, and since the company's inception, has released over 150 titles and sold nearly 15 million records. Often, product is grouped around a theme such as 'Music from the Coffee Lands,' 'Blues from Around the World' or 'Acoustic Africa.'
The 'Acoustic Africa' series, which features Habib Koite from Mali, Vusi Mahlasela from South Africa and Dobet Gnahore from the Ivory Coast, showcases three of Africa's most prolific and gifted singer-songwriters, in whose stripped down sounds lay their magic. In addition to the disc's Sept. 5 release, the trio will hit over 40 North American and European cities on the
'Acoustic Africa' tour.
Like the world's largest diamond unearthed in South Africa over a century ago, the Motherland is still producing shining gems, dazzling the world with their brilliance.
Meet the Stars of Africa
The audience for the show should be one of the most integrated gatherings around, as the world music audience continues not only to expand but to diversify, though many African Americans still do not embrace world music in the same ways as their white peers. In fact, the new face of world music is young, hip, and white. Much in the same way that young whites have embraced the blues, while African Americans have all but abandoned the music they created.
"Our audience has expanded both in terms of people and the types of people," notes Storper. "Initially, they tended to be more of an Anglo, well traveled, creative, curious group -- doctors, lawyers or teachers. But I think what's happened is that we've reached more people."
"A world music fan is either a young, hipster in his or her early to mid 20's who is interested in the electronic aspects of world music that merge with old world traditions from culture," agrees Cohen. "Or a savvy, sophisticated and educated 40-plus year old who is interested in global politics,
human rights, and music that offers a unique sound," she says.
A master marketer, Storper sells about sixty percent of his music through non-traditional outlets such as health food stores, clothing stores or museum gift shops. Since world music is such a fluid term, Storper has been bringing his "world music" back home, producing albums such as 'Blues Around the World' and 'New Orleans,' doing what he likes to term "cross-fertilization."
Artist
Eric Bibb, who is featured prominently on the album, says that this type of collaboration is a beautiful thing.
"I got wind of Putumayo wanting to include a track from one of my earlier compositions for one of their very exciting compilations called from 'Mali to Memphis' which was tracing the roots of the blues," recalls Bibb. "I like the fact [Putumayo] has really been a front runner in exposing many listeners to world music sounds who probably on their own wouldn't seek out music that they make so readily available."
As for the future of world music, Storper, who likens himself as more of a curator than a producer, thinks he has a winning formula: "If you took 100 people at random in New York or L.A. and you played them a couple of world music songs and you played them a couple of pop songs from the radio, I would venture to guess that a majority would pick the world music over the pop songs because it's just catchy, infectious, uplifting, upbeat music."
For more on Putumayo World Music, go to www.putumayo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment