Abstract

AMO, Ion Andoni del; LETAMENDIA, Arkaitz  and  DIAUX, Jason. The Decline in the Social Significance of Music?. Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais [online]. 2016, n.109, pp.11-32. ISSN 2182-7435.  https://doi.org/10.4000/rccs.6189.

Are we witnessing a decline in the social significance of music? On one hand, technological innovations, especially digitalization, have changed social forms of accessing music, with the increasing importance of individual modes that do not require the face to face personal networks that had previously enabled social groups to construct their identities around music. On the other hand, the global cultural market logic of pick and mix and use and discard has had an impact on music, making it difficult to provide social meaning and identity. Based on these observations, this article proposes that the ‘decline' is, in fact, a change in the social meaning of music, from an element involved in the construction of identity to an element of communicative sociality. Its main function today is that of sharing, providing a common language for sociality where neo tribes are dissolving.

Keywords : Globalization; music and identity; music consumption; sociology of music; technological evolution.

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