World Music as a categorization unites a vast, diverse array of place-rooted creative audio practices from every region of the globe, each tied to unique cultural histories, communal values, and longstanding traditions of turning sound into a vessel for shared meaning. Unlike more commercially driven mainstream categories that often prioritize global homogeneity, World Music centers the specificity of the contexts that give each work its identity, framing cultural rootedness not as a niche limitation, but as a source of universal resonance that connects listeners across geographic and cultural divides. This category draws together work that spans every conceivable approach to soundmaking, from practices passed down orally through hundreds of generations of creators to contemporary interpretations that reimagine those traditions for new audiences, all tied by a core commitment to honoring the origins of the craft that shapes each piece.