⊕This is a part of my mostly complete, probably unnecessarily complex, system for classifying and filing music in my ever-growing collection.

Music Genre Categories

This is an interstitial sorting level that exists primarily to correct extreme Anglo-centrism in previous music classification streams that relegated non-American music to sub-genres of established American pop genres and lumped everything that wouldn’t fit into World Music. For instance, within Art Music, this is the level at which we split out Chinese Art Music from European Art Music, so that each can have the appropriate Genres and Sub-genres below them instead of being shoehorned into a single Classical Music genre. A not quite complete list of these genre categories looks something like this:

Art Music Categories

• Avant-garde Art Music
• Chinese Art Music
• European Art Music
• Indian Art Music
• Turkish Art Music

  Folk Music Categories

• Asian Folk
• Australian Folk
• European Folk
• Middle East & North African Folk
• North American Folk
• South American Folk
• Sub-Saharan Folk

  Pop Music Categories

• African Pop
• Asian Pop
• Avant-pop
• Caribbean Pop
• Comedy Music
• Country
• Easy Listening
• Electronic
• Euro Pop
• Hip Hop
• Jazz
• Latin Pop
• Middle East & North Africa Pop
• New Age
• Rock
• R&B / Soul

  Religious Music Categories

• Chants
• Devotional Song
• Hymn
• Liturgical Music
• Meditation Music
• Ritual Music

  Incidental Music Categories

• Background Music
• Soundtrack

  Occasional Music Categories

• Anthems
• Celebration Music
• Holiday Music
• Military Music
• Seasonal Music

African Pop: Afrobeat African Pop: Bongo Flava African Pop: Boomba African Pop: Chimurenga African Pop: Highlife African Pop: Hiplife African Pop: Rumba Lingana Anthems: National Anthem Asian Folk: Australian Folk Asian Pop: C-Pop Asian Pop: Enka Asian Pop: J-Pop Asian Pop: K-Pop Asian Pop: Onkyokei Asian Pop: Pinoy Pop Asian Pop: Trot Avant Garde: Improvised Music Avant Garde: Modern Composition Avant Garde: Sound Art Caribbean Pop: Calypso Caribbean Pop: Cha-cha-chá Caribbean Pop: Reggae Caribbean Pop: Rumba Caribbean Pop: Son Cubano Celebration: Birthday Celebration: Wedding Chants: Buddhist Chants Chants: Gregorian Chants Country Music: Alternative Country Country Music: Country Pop Country Music: Country Revival Country Music: Country Rock Country Music: Honky Tonk Country Music: Progressive Country Country Music: Traditional Country Country Music: Western Swing Dances: Ballroom Dances Dances: Folk Dances Devotional Songs: Spirituals Easy Listening: Background Music Easy Listening: Classical Pop Easy Listening: Easy Pop Easy Listening: Exotica Easy Listening: Instrumental Pop Easy Listening: Lounge Easy Listening: Mood Music Easy Listening: Piano Pop Easy Listening: Space-Age Pop Electronic: Downtempo Electronic: Drum & Bass Electronic: EDM Electronic: Electronica Electronic: Experimental Electronic Electronic: House Electronic: Industrial Electronic: Techno Electronic: Trance Euro Pop: Austropop Euro Pop: Canción Euro Pop: Canzone Euro Pop: Chalga Euro Pop: Dance Pop Euro Pop: Disco Polo Euro Pop: Electropop Euro Pop: Eurobeat Euro Pop: French Pop Euro Pop: Italo Dance Euro Pop: Italo Disco Euro Pop: Nederpop Euro Pop: Popera Euro Pop: Rebetiko Euro Pop: Russian Pop Euro Pop: Schlager European Art Music: Baroque European Art Music: Classical European Art Music: Medieval European Art Music: Modernist European Art Music: Opera European Art Music: Post-Modernist European Art Music: Renaissance European Art Music: Romantic European Folk: Balkan Folk European Folk: Celtic Folk European Folk: Fado European Folk: Flamenco European Folk: Klezmer European Folk: Laíkó European Folk: Levenslied European Folk: Nordic Folk European Folk: Pagan Folk European Folk: Polka European Folk: Romani Music European Folk: Volkslieder European Folk: Volksmusik Holiday: Carnival Holiday: Christmas Holiday: Easter Holiday: Halloween Holiday: Hanukah Holiday: Independence Day Holiday: May Day Holiday: New Year’s Day Holiday: New Year’s Eve Hymn: Gospel Indian Art Music: Indian Classical Jazz: Acid Jazz Jazz: Avant-Garde Jazz Jazz: Bebop Jazz: Chamber Jazz Jazz: Cool Jazz Jazz: Dixieland Jazz: Free Improvisation Jazz: Free Jazz Jazz: Gypsy Jazz Jazz: Hard Bop Jazz: Jazz Fusion Jazz: Latin Jazz Jazz: Modal Jazz Jazz: Nu Jazz Jazz: Smooth Jazz Jazz: Swing Music Jazz: Vocal Jazz Jazz: West Coast Jazz Latin Pop: Bachata Latin Pop: Baithak Gana Latin Pop: Bossa Nova Latin Pop: Chutney Latin Pop: Cumbia Latin Pop: Kompa Latin Pop: Mambo Latin Pop: Merengue Latin Pop: Musica Popular Brasileira Latin Pop: Salsa Latin Pop: Samba Latin Pop: Soca Latin Pop: Son Latin Pop: Tropicalismo Latin Pop: Zouk MENA Pop: Arabic Pop MENA Pop: Fann al-Tanbura MENA Pop: Iranian Pop MENA Pop: Khalji MENA Pop: Sawt MENA Pop: Sufi Rock MENA Pop: Turkish Pop North American Folk: Blues North American Folk: Contemporary Folk North American Folk: Traditional Folk Pop: Adult Contemporary Pop: Baroque Pop Pop: Bubblegum Pop Pop: Classical Crossover Pop: Indie Pop Pop: Jangle Pop Pop: New Romantic Pop: Noise Pop Pop: Pop Rock Pop: Pop Soul Pop: Progressive Pop Pop: Psychedelic Pop Pop: Sophisti-Pop Pop: Space Pop Pop: Swamp Pop Pop: Synthpop R&B: Contemporary R&B R&B: Early R&B R&B: Soul Rap: Alternative Rap Rap: East Coast Rap Rap: Hardcore Rap Rap: Latin Rap Rap: Midwest Rap Rap: Old School Rap Rap: Pop Rap Rap: West Coast Rap Rock: Alternative Rock Rock: Beat Rock: Experimental Rock Rock: Folk Rock Rock: Garage Rock Rock: Hard Rock Rock: Jazz Rock Rock: Metal Rock: New Wave Rock: Progressive Rock Rock: Psychedelic Rock Rock: Punk Rock Rock: Rock and Roll Rock: Rock en Español Soundtrack: Film Soundtrack: Television Soundtrack: Video Game South American Folk: Nueva canción Sub-Saharan Folk: Boeremusiek