Simon Broughton, born in London in 1958, is a writer and film maker who has been involved in the world music scene for many years. He is editor of the world music magazine Songlines, the leader in its field, and co-editor of the Rough Guide to World Music. Recent TV documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4 include Breaking the Silence: Music in Afghanistan, Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam and Mariza and the Story of Fado.

Broughton studied Russian and Music at Durham University and then went to work first for BBC Radio and then Television. He made pioneering documentaries with Andy Kershaw, including Now That's What I Call Mali!, a musical journey along the Niger for Radio 1 and Radio 4 in 1989. Then he made documentaries for BBC2's Rhythms of the World series, many classical music films and directed multi-camera concerts. He has been working as a free-lance director since 1997.

Broughton was one of the editorial team that produced the first edition of the Rough Guide to World Music in 1994, a book which has become known as the 'world music Bible' and is now coming out in its third edition.