Methodology
An atlas is only as good as its sources. This page explains where our data comes from, how we decide what to include, how we grade confidence, and — just as importantly — where the map is still incomplete.
Data Sources
Editorial research
Composer biographies, tradition histories, raga/tala descriptors, Native American and underrepresented traditions
Written or reviewed by human editors; subject to ongoing correction
Data Quality Tiers
Not all records are equally reliable. We use a three-tier system to be transparent about confidence levels.
Entries marked ✦ have been cross-referenced against at least two independent sources. Biographical dates, works, and claims have been checked. These are the most reliable records in the atlas.
Editorial entries written or reviewed by a human editor from a single reliable source. Accurate to the best of our knowledge but not independently cross-referenced.
Records imported from open databases (MusicBrainz, Wikidata) and not yet human-reviewed. May contain errors, gaps, or outdated information. We flag these and work through them over time.
Coverage by Region
The atlas does not cover all traditions equally — and we would rather be honest about that than pretend otherwise. Here is where we stand today.
Curation Standards
We do not speculate
If a date, nationality, or biographical detail is uncertain, we omit it rather than guess. Partial information is clearly marked. We prefer honest gaps to confident errors.
We do not rank or rank-order traditions
The atlas treats a Carnatic kriti and a West African griot song as equally significant objects of study. No tradition is presented as more sophisticated, more evolved, or more worthy of attention than another.
We use the tradition's own terminology
Where a tradition has its own vocabulary — raga, tala, maqam, thaat, melakarta, anga — we use it. We provide explanations but do not replace native terms with approximations.
Living traditions get special care
For traditions that are still actively practiced and evolving, we are especially careful not to present descriptions as fixed or complete. Music is not a museum.
We link to primary sources
Where Wikipedia, Archive.org, Smithsonian, or another authoritative source has covered something well, we link out rather than reproduce it. The atlas is a map, not a destination.
Known Gaps
We would rather show you the gaps than hide them. These are areas we know need work.
Native & Indigenous American music
Sparse — expandingAn initial seed of seven traditions is now live — Plains, Haudenosaunee, Pacific Northwest, Diné, Anishinaabe, Inuit, and Contemporary Powwow — with key artists and instruments documented. Coverage remains sparse compared to the richness of these traditions; we are continuing to expand with careful attention to cultural sensitivity and publicly shared (not sacred or restricted) knowledge.
East and Southeast Asian classical traditions
Planned v2Chinese classical (qin, pipa), Gagaku, and Gamelan traditions are present but thin. We have the data model; we need more editorial work to fill them out accurately.
Oral and non-notated traditions
OngoingMany of the world's richest musical traditions have no written notation and are transmitted entirely through apprenticeship. Documenting these accurately without reducing them to Western frameworks is an ongoing methodological challenge.
Living artists vs. historical figures
OngoingWe currently skew toward well-documented historical figures. Living artists — especially from underrepresented regions — are harder to verify accurately. We add them carefully.
Audio and recordings
In progressWe link to YouTube, Spotify, and public-domain Archive.org recordings where we have them. For many traditions and older recordings this data is missing or incomplete.
Help Us Improve
The atlas is a living document. If you notice a factual error, a missing tradition, a misattributed recording, or a gap that matters to you — please tell us. Every submission is read, and many have directly improved the data.
Data model v1 · Last updated May 2026 · More regions and traditions added continuously