Editorial for TISMIR Special Collection: Cultural Diversity in MIR Research

Abstract

Music is often considered a universal language, yet different cultures have created diverse music traditions. There is a growing awareness within the music information retrieval (MIR) community that both the music as a signal, and the user as an enculturated listener, cannot be fully understood without taking this diversity into account. This special collection continues the effort in promoting cultural diversity in MIR research initiated in ISMIR 2021. The five articles in this collection explore multiple aspects of this effort, ranging from data collection to technical solutions and philosophical considerations. While a lot of work remains to be done to thoroughly address cultural diversity issues in MIR research, we believe that this special collection is a good start.