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Why Awards? by Katharina Lobeck |
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It's never been an easy concept. World Music. Invented as an ostensibly harmless marketing concept in 1987, its whiff of exoticism and paternalism got up the noses of many critics, who instantly sharpened their weapons to defend artists' rights to access the mainstream market. Over the battling noises of the warring factions, the genre quietly enjoyed a steady growth, demanding increasing floor space in record shops and attracting attention from all sides of the music industry.
 Nearly 15 years later, the tag may still not feel comfortable, but it has turned into a solid niche that accommodates some of the most inspired releases from around the globe. The creation of an industry awards is as much a confirmation of the genre's international stature as it is a celebration of the diverse musics huddled together under the World Music umbrella.
As previous attempts of creating such a prize scheme had never moved beyond the drawing board, artists had so far only been acknowledged in the world music sections of other awards and in the ratings of specialist publications. One of the most influential magazine votings has always been the Critics Poll conducted by leading world music monthly fRoots. For fRoots editor Ian Anderson, the thrill of bestowing the award had long been coupled with a regret for its limited impact. When he realised that hours of patient vote counting resulted in little more than pretty CD stickers for the winning artist, he decided that time had come to make a bigger splash for world music. 'I felt it was a shame that the success of the poll didn't really go any further than our pages. It had struck me for a while, that World Music was one of the few markets that didn't have an industry awards. When I then felt the positive effects the Radio 2 Folk Awards had had on the folk scene, a light bulb switched on. I thought, why not propose a World Music Award to Radio 3?'
 After several weeks of refining an initial proposal in consultation with other authorities of the World Music scene, he sent the draft to the head of Radio 3, Roger Wright, who received it with enthusiasm. 'World Music is playing an increasingly important part on the network, so taking the awards on board seemed a very natural step', he reflects.
Once the scheme had found its patron, other partners were identified, whose involvement ensured international acceptance and support. WOMEX, the world music trade fair, became the nomination platform, Rough Guides and Songlines were recruited as additional consultants and Serious International Music Producers took the organisation of the final event on board.
Though the Radio 3 Awards follow in the footsteps of established schemes in structure and voting process, one look at the nomination categories brings home the oddities of the field. Rather than identifying winners in specific genres, the scheme has found a more suitable solution in choosing some geographical demarcations. Thus, Okinawan music occupies the same pitch as Indian classical while Cuban timba competes with Canadian trad for sharing continental ground rather than musical language.
 The world is a large place, and any attempt at drawing conceptual boundaries underscores the vastness of styles and traditions that are bundled together in the World Music store. As creativity stubbornly defies confinement to easy-glide drawers, some of the most imaginative artists will never be at ease in any of the assigned boxes. So far, spillovers are safely caught by the 'boundary crossing' category, which will no doubt expand as margins dissolve within all realms of music.
For the moment, the first Radio 3 Awards for World Music are cautiously exploring their territory, and will surely settle more or less contentedly on the route to an ideal ceremony. The first year of the Awards created a buzz within the industry. Nominees received increased media attention and consumer interest. It is to be hoped, that the prestigious scheme will continue to generate the publicity needed to push some of its winners to the front rows of the music business.
For anybody interested in how the original 1987 creation of World Music as a marketing term came about, read the full story at .
Katharina Lobeck
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AWARDS HOMEPAGE
FEATURES
AUDIENCE AWARD
SCREENSAVER
AWARDS PHOTOS
NOMINEES:
Alka Yagnik
Bembeya Jazz
DuOuD
Eliza Carthy
Ellika and Solo
Gotan Project
Kasse Mady Diabaté
Kayhan Kalhor
Kimmo Pohjonen
Lila Downs
Los de Abajo
Mahwash and Ensemble Kaboul
Mariza
Oi Va Voi
Ojos de Brujo
Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Orchestra Baobab
Papa Noel and Papi Oviedo
Salif Keita
Samira Said
Sergey Starostin
Susana Baca
Te Vaka
Tony Allen
Trilok Gurtu
Yair Dalal
Youssou N'Dour
Yusa
OUR PARTNERS:
OTHER LINKS:
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