The Sociology of Music

In Sweden, over a relatively short but intensive period of time, the sociology of music has travelled the entire spectrum, moving from dry, computerized statistical studies to extremely personal "sensitivity" studies.There is no comprehensive academic research field known as sociology of music in Sweden, so the question that arises is whether people working in this area have any generalizable common objectives.In Sweden, I think sociologists of music would probably be willing to sign a statement formulated as follows: "Our primary aim is to attain a culture in which music is an active, integrated part of society and in which there is understanding for many different forms of musical expression.We also aim to develop new forms through which people can make use of well-functioning established ones."In recent years the questions that have increasingly preoccupied sociologists of music have been: "What does music communicate?" and "What effects does music produce upon the listener?"These questions bring the work of the music sociologist close to that of the psychologist of music and other behavioral scientists.Music is an excellent object of research for cultural sociologists precisely because it is a carrier of meaning without being descriptive.All that has to be done is to decode the meaning conveyed by the musical message!This is one of the fundamental tasks of the sociologist of music.Music is often approached by the sociologist via its func-