Field recordings were made commercially available and drew interest from a broader audience, but a lot of the attention focused on the instrument known as the didjeridu rather than the musical and cultural context in was in. The recordings often featured demonstrations of the sounds and rhythms of the didjeridu rather than its role as an accompaniment. The notion of the didjeridu as an instrument of self expression began forming in western minds. Some genres of music do not use didjeridu, but where used, only one is ever played at a time. If for some reason a didjeriduist is unavailable, the piece can still be performed.
Western music has an aspect to it which is commercial.
It is in recordings from these genres that most people first heard the instrument. On the streets of cities throughout the world are performers playing didjeridu with various levels of ability. But a few artists have also felt a need to identify their music with Australia and the indigenous population so strongly that they have put misleading statements in their liner notes or titles. The sampling of traditional music and using those samples without permission or compensation has been done shamelessly, and for the most part gone without penalties. The market for instruments which could re-produce the sound heard on CDs, television, radio commercials and movie soundtracks had been established.