How Music Moves from Intangible Heritage to Global Industry

From our earliest days, we often meet music through a parent’s lullaby. In communities where sound matters deeply, such songs pass naturally from one generation to the next — a process that mirrors how intangible cultural heritage travels.

UNESCO’s 2003 Convention defines intangible cultural heritage as “the oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events” handed down across generations. Since 2008, the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage has grown steadily. Of the 584 elements now included, 304 (52 percent) mention music or song, either alone or linked to dance and poetry. Well-known examples include Argentina and Uruguay’s Tango, Spanish flamenco, Portuguese fado, and Jamaican reggae.

What qualifies these forms as heritage worth protecting? Each acts as a powerful marker of identity for a particular community. Tango’s nomination, for example, ties it to inhabitants of the La Plata region, while flamenco defines identity across Andalusia, Murcia, and Extremadura. The convention acknowledges that communities are more fluid than static territories — people move to other countries or cities — yet heritage still anchors itself in a physical place. In all these cases, local communities join with national and local authorities to safeguard the traditions and transmit them through education and festivals. UNESCO insists on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), a United Nations framework that ensures communities play a genuine role in the nomination process.

A crucial part of safeguarding is documentation. Creating an inventory and making it publicly available helps preserve the heritage. Digitisation has expanded this work: sound archives can now be stored, shared, and passed to future generations. Museums dedicated to musical expressions such as fado, reggae, flamenco, and tango collect and preserve audiovisual records, introducing younger audiences and tourists to the tradition.

Preservation alone is not enough — transmission requires active tools. Record labels and companies in the music industry’s value chain can support inventory and safeguarding. In several cases, the UNESCO nominations note that listed expressions have influenced other musical styles. When artists and bands become internationally famous, their music — and the style they represent — is more likely to be recorded and protected. Universal Music Group, for instance, owns recordings by Bob Marley, ensuring that reggae stays available. By working with UNESCO, labels can expand the range of styles in their catalogues, especially those needing urgent protection.

Genres like fado and reggae gain wider audiences through three channels: listeners choosing them on streaming platforms, labels adding them to catalogues, and travel experiences that package local music and culture. These experiences include festivals, live concerts, and offerings designed by local hosts for visitors.

The influence of music reaches far beyond heritage lists. In Spain, 70.6 percent of people — and 90 percent of students — listen to music every day. The most common devices are the radio (65.7 percent) and mobile phones (48.5 percent).

Mexico: Mariachi, flamenco is heard by 22.3 percent of the Spanish population, while reggae is at 10.7 percent. In Colombia, Vallenato was the most-listened-to recorded genre in 2017 — despite being on the UNESCO List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding since 2015. In Argentina, tango sits tenth in the listening charts, with 34.5 percent of the population tuning in, far behind rock (68 percent) and reggaeton (54.2 percent). These numbers show how music from one territory spreads across the globe.

Distribution happens through streaming platforms, radio, television, and podcasts. In 2019, 21.4 percent of Spaniards paid for a streaming service (10 percent with a premium tier). Of those subscribers, about one in five streamed flamenco and 16 percent listened to reggae. Worldwide, the IFPI reported that 89 percent of people use streaming services to hear music, a figure that drops to 54 percent for those aged 35 to 64. As the number of platforms grows, genre diversity increases — including the heritage styles featured on the UNESCO list.

Today, experience — not just the music itself — is central to the value proposition of many tourism businesses. Hotels, record labels, airlines, and festivals now integrate local musical heritage into the guest journey. Hard Rock Hotel revolves around rock. Disney Resorts present mariachi. Universal Music Group has proposed hotels in the United States combining accommodation with its own music venues. Travel platforms such as Airbnb and Tripadvisor offer music experiences showcasing tango in Buenos Aires, fado in Lisbon, reggae in Jamaica, and flamenco in Spain. Studies confirm that guests often perceive a deeper immersion in local culture — and a more authentic experience — through share-economy accommodation than through standard hotels.

Certain destinations practically bounce with music. Ibiza’s brand image is inseparable from electronic music. Anyone who pictures Jamaica likely hears Bob Marley’s voice. International visitors to Spain unfailingly associate the country with flamenco.

Festivals and live concerts serve as powerful tools for transmitting intangible heritage. They engage local residents while attracting audiences from other towns and countries. Buenos Aires’ Tango Festival drew 600,000 people in 2017. In Spain, flamenco concerts were the second most attended live performance type in 2019. Portugal welcomed about 417,000 concertgoers to fado shows — 2.4 percent of total live performance attendance.

Every example in this introduction points to the same insight: music matters deeply to people across the world. It offers countless styles and varying degrees of involvement, able to engage nearly anyone. Intangible heritage and commercial music are not opposites; they can reinforce each other, making heritage more familiar and reminding listeners why safeguarding it matters.