World Music in New York City

World Music in New York City (Steve Ball/Adobe)

World Music in New York City is mostly in night clubs and some theaters.

World Music or Global Music is non-European music. It can include flamenco and Latin, but for our purposes world music is music from Mother Africa and Asia.



World Music News


New York World Music


World Music Producers


World Music Venues in NYC

These producers and venues also present a lot of Latin music.


World Music Festivals in NYC

  • Drums Along the Hudson is a Native American powwow that includes world music drummers.
  • globalFEST is a world music festival at Lincoln Center.

About World Music


World Music in New York City (Steve Ball/Adobe)
World Music in New York City (Steve Ball/Adobe)

The term “World Music” comes from Classical Music, but it’s current meaning (non-European Diaspora music) didn’t enter popular usage until the late 1980s. The Recording Academy (Grammys) struggles to wrap its head around this because the great majority of music on Earth is not European.

The Grammys started their “World Music” category in 1992. In 2020, they changed the term from “World Music” to “Global Music.” The idea is that “World Music” put “us” against the world, whereas the term “Global Music” is inclusive. At least the Recording Academy is trying. Anyway, Global Music is Great!