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Exploring The Long-lasting Appeal and Accessibility of Roots Music
Where does the genre stand in today’s music landscape?
Promising Projections For The Genre
Most music headlines are obsessions with artists in pop, rock, or hip-hop music. It’s not a surprise. These are the artists whose albums sell the most, and tours sell the best. According to Billboard, hip-hop, R&B, and rock music hold the lion’s share of the music consumption market in the United States.
Despite the attention those artists are getting, roots or “traditional” music is still making extraordinary gains this decade. In laypeople’s terms, roots music is the traditional music of a region, culture, or country. Therefore, this includes folk, country, classical, and bluegrass music in America. In Mexico, for example, this would consist of regional Mexican music.
Across the world, roots music is on the rise. According to the Traditional Music Market report, roots music consumption will increase by 13.8% to over $34 billion worldwide. Interestingly, globalization, increased interest in heritage, and government-funded preservation efforts drive roots music’s tremendous growth. Therefore, root music growth is a by-product of the internet and the accessibility of music and information.
