WORLD MUSIC PRODUCTIONS INC
EIN: 52-1490194
as of December 2022
as of December 12, 2022
Mission
World Music Productions d/b/a Afropop Worldwide promotes understanding and enjoyment of contemporary music and stories from Africa and its global diaspora. Through its Peabody Award-winning public radio program, Closeup podcast series and content-rich website, Afropop Worldwide showcases artists and their work in cultural and historic context, across the generational spectrum. In our productions, music becomes a vehicle for exploring contemporary and traditional perspectives on women’s rights, climate change, governance and other issues that define our shared future.
Notes from the nonprofit
World Music Productions (dba Afropop Worldwide) aims to continue it's mission to promote the understanding and enjoyment of music from Africa and the African diaspora. But more than that, the organization aims to build on the scope and breadth of it's current listernship worldwide by further diversifying staff, board membership and program producers to include more individuals from minority and/or marginalized groups. Leadership is actively pursuing this agenda, hopes to bring it to fruition in 2023 and to build and maintain on its momentum in the years to come.
Ruling year
1987
Founder and Executive Producer
Sean Barlow
Lead Researcher & Editor of Afropop.org
Banning Eyre
Main address
463 Lincoln Place # 246
Brooklyn, NY 11238 USA
EIN
52-1490194
Folk and indigenous music
Radio
Population served
Adults
People of African descent
People of Latin American descent
Immigrants and migrants
Artists and performers
NTEE code
(Radio) (A34)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
World Music Productions dba Afropop Worldwide endeavors to promote cultural exchange and understanding via its radio programs, podcasts and live events resulting in a more respectful, inclusive and peaceful world.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Afropop Worldwide!
A public radio program and podcast series showcasing the contemporary musical cultures of Africa and the African diaspora. Peabody Award-winning Afropop Worldwide presents artists heard nowhere else in American media, giving valuable insights into the beauty and relevance of African and diaspora creativity, under-recognized origins of world’s greatest pop music traditions. Hosted by the charismatic Georges Collinet, APWW is distributed by PRX to 100 stations in U.S. We’ll produce 20 original radio programs and 32 encores, plus 10-part podcast series, all drawing on our producers’ field work, live recordings, interviews and historical retrospectives. Aim: continue to serve the public radio audience and keep developing a younger, Web-oriented audience by publishing unique content daily on afropop.org and social media.
Closeup Podcast Series
Our Afropop Closeup podcasts are specifically aimed at supplementing and promoting content for a younger audience. Our focus on podcasts reflects our understanding that Americans under 35 (and older ones as well)
increasingly consume “radio” in downloaded or streamed, rather than broadcast form. Our main mix of programs are our trademark visits to dynamic music capitals in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the US; exclusive live concert recordings and interviews, historical retrospectives; and artist profiles. Our deep archive means we have the flexibility to honor artists who pass with unique depth, and much more. Many of the places and issues we visit receive little or no attention in our national media.
Hip Deep
Music reporters and researchers go in-country to bring music and stories from Africa and the African Diaspora. Stories have come from Ghana, Madagascar, Haiti, and Jamaica.
Where we work
Awards
Global Impact Award 2022
globalFest
Grants for Arts Project 2021
National Endowment for the Arts
Peabody Institutional Award 2014
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication University of Georgia
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of audience members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Afropop Worldwide!
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Metric figures are gleaned from all available sources including RSS feed and 3rd party outlets, our website, YouTube, etc.
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
Months of cash in 2020 info
Fringe rate in 2020 info
%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
WORLD MUSIC PRODUCTIONS INC
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
WORLD MUSIC PRODUCTIONS INC
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of WORLD MUSIC PRODUCTIONS INC’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $88,128 | $31,471 | -$4,003 | -$26,964 | -$67,547 |
| As % of expenses | 26.5% | 8.8% | -0.9% | -9.1% | -30.8% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $86,286 | $30,158 | -$5,036 | -$27,890 | -$68,473 |
| As % of expenses | 25.8% | 8.4% | -1.1% | -9.4% | -31.1% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $225,689 | $390,536 | $447,134 | $268,373 | $228,974 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -45.1% | 73.0% | 14.5% | -40.0% | -14.7% |
| Program services revenue | 20.8% | 9.2% | 13.0% | 11.2% | 18.6% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 17.7% | 48.7% | 45.0% | 14.9% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 61.4% | 42.2% | 42.1% | 73.9% | 81.4% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $332,561 | $359,065 | $451,137 | $295,337 | $219,462 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | -16.9% | 8.0% | 25.6% | -34.5% | -25.7% |
| Personnel | 26.3% | 23.1% | 23.3% | 30.7% | 26.2% |
| Professional fees | 2.4% | 2.1% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 9.0% |
| Occupancy | 6.9% | 6.8% | 6.1% | 9.1% | 7.9% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 64.4% | 68.0% | 68.8% | 60.2% | 56.9% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $334,403 | $360,378 | $452,170 | $296,263 | $220,388 |
| One month of savings | $27,713 | $29,922 | $37,595 | $24,611 | $18,289 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $2,118 | $4,393 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $362,116 | $390,300 | $491,883 | $325,267 | $238,677 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Months of cash and investments | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 0.7 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $60,823 | $39,962 | $49,147 | $18,544 | $17,499 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $96,950 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $136,000 | $0 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $75,440 | $75,440 | $77,467 | $81,769 | $81,768 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 97.4% | 99.0% | 97.6% | 93.5% | 94.6% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 46.0% | 39.1% | 44.6% | 47.6% | 33.4% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $89,039 | $119,197 | $114,161 | $86,271 | $17,798 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $89,039 | $119,197 | $114,161 | $86,271 | $17,798 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Founder and Executive Producer
Sean Barlow
Sean Barlow is creator and producer of Afropop Worldwide, the first nationally syndicated program in the U.S. devoted to African music. Barlow studied with a Ghanaian master drummer at Wesleyan in the '70s. He started his public radio career as a volunteer at KCAW in Sitka, Alaska, where he launched the station's first world music program. He began field work for Afropop in ‘85 and has since worked in over 25 countries. He produced the annual (1988-93) Afropop Worldwide Listener's Guide, opening doors for key gatekeepers in the arts and media. He co-authored Afropop: An Illustrated Guide to Contemporary African Music in 1995, and co-produced the documentary film Festival in the Desert: The Tent Sessions, set near Timbuktu in 2003. He has produced hundreds of Afropop radio programs and served as a mentor to many. He is the lead fundraiser for Afropop, having raised some 10-million dollars from CPB, Ford, Rockefeller, Rockefeller Brothers, NPR, Merck, major donors, others.
Lead Researcher & Editor of Afropop.org
Banning Eyre
Banning Eyre writes and broadcasts about international music, especially contemporary African music. He has traveled to Africa frequently doing research in over 18 countries and written three books on his research there, including the acclaimed In Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali(Temple Univ. Press/Serpent's Tail) and Lion Songs: Thomas Mapfumo and the Music that Made Zimbabwe(Duke Univ. Press 2015). Eyre reports on world music for NPR's All Things Considered and has produced over 100 one-hour programs for Afropop Worldwide. He is also Senior Editor at www.afropop.org. Eyre has contributed to a number of international publications, including the Boston Phoenix, Billboard, Guitar Player, Global Rhythm, Village Voice, The Walrusand FRoots. Eyre is also an accomplished guitarist, specializing in African styles, a great asset in his research and reporting for Afropop Worldwide.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
WORLD MUSIC PRODUCTIONS INC
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
WORLD MUSIC PRODUCTIONS INC
Board of directorsas of 12/28/2022
Board of directors data
David Greeley
American International Health Alliance
Timothy Bork
Skye, LLC
Kofi Debanka
LLTL Limited, Stragtegic Advisor
Angelique Kidjo
Artist
Youssou N'Dour
Artist
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/15/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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