It is the music record labels and music concert venues, since the earliest days of music and music recording, which created & promoted segregation into race records and black/white artists, and that segregation continues presently. That's simply facts. This is a made-up set of borders around music (and obviously harmful to humans and music fans) which can't be ignored, like separating artists into "Rock" from "R&B" or "Country" from "R&B" even when the artist's music has the same musical content, or entire fanbases which then avoid genres for no other reason than the genre label rather than the musical content ("I don't like Country music" or "I don't like R&B music"). That's the relevance. "Americana" as a term seems to be applied as both a way to get rid of old artificial genre labels, or as a way to create even more segregation to target a specific consumer demographic, depending on which industry list is being looked at.Kolstad wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:59 pmAmericana is inherently american (which very much is a «melting pot» culture), but has spread as a concept that inspires artists in many other countries also, to explore their roots in an introspective way, and reflect upon culture and current developments. Nordicana is an example of that from northern scandinavia, and other countries may name it differently but use similar influences and inspirations. I think Eno’s storytelling might be pushing it a bit for me, but we might call it africana. Its a big world, and we have been interconnected for centuries
I just don’t like to politicize americana music, americans seems to do that with everything now, but keep focus on the music and it can be viewed as an inspiring concept to explore local roots, big or small - where ever you are. Each country bring their own artists, genres, stories and instruments to the table.
It’s sort of an umbrella genre where you in the states can draw upon dixieland jazz, rock’n roll, blues, surf rock, classic rock, heartland rock, alt.country ect. In other countries, other influences could be added. But usa is central, maybe because of the influence of recorded music, now everyone can do it, and have a rich heritage in americana.
The Atlantic:
What is the relevance? Well... if a listing says "Seeking Americana Music" ... and it just so happens, that you're white, or black, irrespective of the musical content, ... then... 'suddenly it matters'.
Why Is a Music Genre Called 'Americana' So Overwhelmingly White and Male?
The genre seeks to represent and celebrate a national identity, but in the process, it erases the history and diversity of its influences.
By Giovanni Russonello
.... Case in point: The nonprofit Americana Music Association formed in 1999, and held its first festival and conference the following year in Nashville. The big coup came in 2009, when the Grammy Foundation established an independent category for Best Americana Album. In the four years since, no musician under 60 has won the award.
And despite the genre's roots in gospel and the blues, the 20 Americana nominees to date have included only one black artist: the singer Mavis Staples, who won the award in 2011 for You Are Not Alone. (The album was produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.)
... you'll notice that it didn't take long for Americana to earn industry acceptance, which can be explained in much the same way as the existence of the genre's other, less flattering nickname: "dad rock." The music business was happy to create a niche for the country's most fiscally dependable demographic -- white, male Baby Boomers. Along the way, a handful of artistic traditions founded in rebellion (blues, Appalachian folk, outlaw country) got elided into a relatively conservative format.
Here's how teh Americana Music web site defines it: 
