So good to see the results either way.

If that same survey was given to folks where I live it would be :

1st North American

2nd South American

3rd African

4th British Isles

It's not so much a taste issue, it's because that's the only thing that gets exposure around here.

""I think that people's motives, like those of radiostations and record companies, aren't always musical. Their motives are increasingly financial. I think the reason the music appears to be so bad at this point is that it's corporate-driven.

It's not driven by creativity, as I think it has been from time to time. I don't think audiences are necessarily addressed by things like radio. Vast numbers of people are not having their tastes addressed or satisfied by any given time, because of the nature of media. This could change if you have hundreds of satellite radio stations, or cable radio stations. This could change drastically. People's needs could be addressed, but I don't think they are at the moment".

-Richard Thompson

Also, everything other than corporate radio is aimed at people over 50 here.

Can't we have "All the above"? I've heard wonderful music from every region - it depends more on talent and enthusiasm than on geography.

Well, this is my first post here and I suppose this is as good a thread as any to introduce myself. I suppose I've fairly eclectic musical tastes which are ever expanding. I'm always eager to hear new types of ethnic and traditional music from anywhere. There are very few genres of music that I wouldn't like at least one song or piece of music from.

Naturally, I love Irish and Scottish trad, (the traditional music of my own people) but I think that the music which gives me the most pleasure is from Africa, particularly guitar(-centered) music from South (and) Central Africa (soukous/makossa/jit, etc.). I can't get enough of it - it's like a drug to me (I also get a lot of pleasure from listening to rock-steady reggae and 60's RnB, in particular).

I always get excited whenever I hear interesting fusions of disparate types of music. The range of music played on Western Top 40-type stations is so limited and it's great to see that the interest in 'world music' has increased so much in the last few years particularly and that world music stations (and stations devoted to particular genres of ethnic music) are cropping up all over the place. I think the Internet has been a great boon for exposing people like myself to music they wouldn't normally get a chance to hear.

I suppose I've registered on the forum with the hope of expanding my musical horizons even further and being exposed to new artists and types of music. I'm always open to recommendations concerning good music from any part of the globe.

meas mór,

Ceolchara

Where does IZ fall?

IZ?

I voted for Asia.

I love Gamelan, Indian Classical Music, Japanese Folk Music etc etc.

big fan of irish music, mostly for the drinking songs.

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. We've been over this. Obese hawaiian folk singer. Played ukelele. Died of heart failure in '97. Has famous 'somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful wrold' interpretation. Nickname IZ.

eh strictly speaking North America, as Hawaii is a part of the US, although his music was probably different from the traditional north american music...

What IS traditional North American music?