On Friday 1 December, the rector magnificus of Erasmus University Rotterdam announced that Dr Pauwke Berkers has been appointed professor of Sociology of Popular Music, specifically in relation to inclusion, well-being and resilience at Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication. Pauwke publicly accepted his appointment with an inaugural lecture entitled: What Music Means: Industry, Society, Sociology.
The importance of research on pop music
In his lecture, Pauwke focuses on the importance of research on popular music. Music is ubiquitous in society, it gives meaning to people’s lives, brings people together, and also contributes to economy and innovation.
As a sociologist, Pauwke does not aim to provide ‘his’ definition of popular music. Instead, his work is more concerned with how people classify it – what is popular music and what is not. After all, that can have considerable consequences, for example for grant applications.
From a sociological perspective
Looking at popular music from a sociological perspective, Pauwke examines the value of music for social groups. He examines the reception of music, how the industry works and what impact music can have on a society. For instance, can music help solve social problems? Or perhaps it actually causes them?
In his oration, Pauwke talks about how popular music relates to three main themes in sociology:
- Inequality: how does the group one belongs to affect music preferences?
- Social cohesion: how can music bring people together?
- Re-enchantment: how can music provide people with enchantment in a highly rational society?
The relationship between music and society
The relationship between art and society is a topic (almost) as old as sociology itself. Pauwke shows how complicated that relationship is, and he explores how one affects the other. A common view is that music reflects societal values and zeitgeist. But what is really being reflected? Musicians, producers, record companies and music journalists often consciously play into social themes, sometimes even for commercial gain. For instance, research has shown that deviant behaviour benefits rap music sales. This is why labels are known to push artists to be more 'gangsta'.
On the other hand, it is argued that art actually (re)shapes society. Traditionally, a positive impact is often attributed to 'high' culture, while popular culture is said to have a negative effect on individuals - and thus society. Think from Elvis' hips to hidden satanic messages in playing records backwards, and from drug use in gabber culture to violence in the gangsta rap scene. While recent criminological research shows that there is hardly any link between drill-rap and stabbings. In short: the power of art to (re)shape society is difficult to measure empirically; audiences are not automatically prompted to take violent action and fear of the 'other' overestimates the effects.
Research agenda
During his oration, Pauwke outlines as the research agenda for the professorship which closely connects to the topics addressed by the Rotterdam Popular Music Studies (RPMS) team. RPMS is a research group within Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication. RPMS researches popular music from the perspective of social sciences and humanities. They focus on understanding the production, distribution and reception of live and recorded popular music, and how it is related to important societal challenges. With that agenda, they aim to make an impact by focusing on inclusion, wellbeing and resilience and bring about change within the industry.
A resilient music industry
The research aims to uncover the mechanisms behind inequality within pop music, thereby promoting effective, feasible and sustainable solutions for promoting inclusion. RPMS highlights the increasing importance and recent emergence of discussions on well-being and mental health in the music industry, particularly as a taboo topic, and proposes the development of a theoretical framework to understand the social mechanisms affecting well-being in popular music industries. In addition, music can play a positive role in people's self-efficacy, coping and emotional regulation.
Music can be a source of resilience, but the Covid-19 pandemic showed that the Dutch popular music industry is not crisis-proof. Therefore, Pauwke calls for critical analysis on the music industry's inner workings, business models and growth stories to increase its resilience. While transformation studies are a thriving, emerging field of research, few studies have examined music industries through this lens. RPMS offers such a lens. Pauwke's chair will focus on researching and developing future scenarios for a resilient music industry.
- Professor