Introduction: technology and ownership amongst "world music" practitioners : ongoing debates in a globalizing world

The Introduction to the special issue identifies the overarching themes that frame the collection of articles within the volume. The actions and creations of musical practitioners not only demonstrate how technology is an integral part of the creative process, but also how different cultural circumstances create widely divergent attitudes towards musical ownership. In addition, the very nature of technology itself calls into question just what it is that is "owned". Different stories from different cultural contexts reveal ongoing anxieties associated with technology and ownership. These stories demonstrate how, in a globalizing world, conventional notions of creative practice and ownership are concepts that are increasingly destabilized by musical practice itself.