Music, Industry, Culture & Society

Music is one of the most popular and globalised cultural forms. Together with its associated fan cultures, music is inextricably intertwined with identity formation, community building and attachments to place. The economic importance of the music industries is considerable and these industries have an enormous cultural and global significance and scope. Music is a very powerful means of communication and symbolic identification, and ties together subcultures, communities, nations and regions. For many people, music is an indispensable element of their daily lives. Increasingly, music consumption, distribution and consumption are affected by digitization, which by many has been classified as a disruptive development in this sector, deconstructing traditional value chains and business models.

This research cluster consists of international researchers studying classical and popular music. They explore diverse questions concerned with the production, distribution and consumption of music. These researchers share an interest in the ways in which music processes interact with societal and technological developments.

The Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Culture and Communication hosts individual PhD projects focused on music as well as large-scale projects involving partners from different Dutch and international universities. The researchers in this cluster have published widely in national and international journals. Furthermore, they engage in public outreach through events (e.g. Music Talks), interviews in popular media, and collaborations with public partners such as MOJO concerts and the Dutch association of venues and festivals.