Anyone who is a regular listener to the show will occasionally hear me make a reference to Calabash Music. It is an online service whereby you can download mp3 music files though it's not for free. However having said that it is very reliable and cheap to use. Check out their website for more details.
Sydney's music stores seem to have abandoned any real reference to world music. Let's just say that there were a lot more titles and stock on the shelves of record shops a few years back from this genre.
It could be argued that the internet has changed the way we shop (no argument from me), however another cause for the possible decline is simply that there are not too many programs on the airwaves promoting the genre. Since Ms Jaslyn Hall departed from the JJJ network, there have been a few shows besides Powerspot who keep playing music from other ethnic parts of the globe. Doug Spencer & Lucky Oceans of course have their national program The Nightly Planet on ABC AM and are doing a fantastic job day after day promoting many varied styles. Seth Jordan now has Tikki Lounge over on 2SER on Mondays which I believe is syndicated, and I am often in awe when I hear what he comes up with. Pavane Olivero has an excellent program over at Eastside FM on Friday nights from 10pm till midnight called Media Luna, though the broadcasting range is limited and 2RES FM do not as yet webcast. Also Yaron Hallis from Monsieur Camembert amongst other styles deals in a lot of gypsy and kletzmer music on Wednesday nights at 7pm (again over at 2SER...hey I'm beginning to see a pattern here!)
Anyhow, I say the more the merrier when it comes to good music on the airwaves. If you wish to let me know of other programs then drop me a line and share the knowledge.
