In Conclusion
The taxonomy of music, as illustrated by Cantometrics and the Music Genome Project has given us a more robust understanding of the families of music beyond genre. Mr Lomax used world music as a source for his study, but his ideas were based on human emotion and his experiences as a folklore field worker. He wanted to affect music theory and move past pythagorean music theory to make a statement about music that was cultural and quite human. I propose that his work was influential on the development of the Music Genome Project as created by Tim Westergren. Westergren’s motivation was marketing music and helping listeners find music that fits their tastes, which, one must say, is both culturally driven, and quite human. Both systems used the technology available at both Lomax’s and Westergen’s time, and as technology advances, what may become for music taxonomy of the future? Because of the work of both Lomax and Westergren, we can see the roots of Dubstep in the United Kingdom and its historical roots in Jamaican sounds system house music, which was influenced by American garage drum and step music. From 37 codes to 1000 genes, music and culture and their importance to field workers or club kids with smartphones and speakers is the heart of folk music.