OK Les, just what is 'world music'?

And why is it 'bollocks' or 'trolling' to discuss the race and class implications of the term in a music forum that uses said term all the time?

I notice no one attacked the only known person of color contributing to this forum and thread, who said essentially the same thing I am saying?

Why is that? Because the forum dynamic makes it easy to attack an anonymous poster, which makes you feel safe and brave in attacking someone who says they think something is racist?

People here sure are paranoid about any and all frank discussions of race and class in this forum.

FWIW, I heartily agree with this statement by Penguin Egg, the originator of the thread:

"This middle class fraud has rambled on like an old jalopy for the best part of 25 years and yet has failed to fire the imagination of anyone except white middle class journalists and DJs who tirelessly peddle this "music" to an uninterested public."

I believe one of the reasons why the public is disinterested in 'world music' is because they have become much more knowledgeable and educated consumers of music, hence don't require labels like this.

Not only do I think the label itself is racist, I also think it has failed to capture the imagination of music lovers and the music buying public.

They are seeking out and buying a lot of music that has been labelled 'world music' but I would argue it isn't 'world music' they go looking for. They go looking for music by artist and genre, certainly. But as others have pointed out, one is just as likely to hit upon New Age music when one goes in search of 'world music' as they are the Mahotella Queens.