Why Music Matters

<div style=”text-align: center;”><b>Listen to David Hesmondhalgh discuss the arguments at the core of ‘Why Music Matters’ with Laurie Taylor on BBC Radio 4’s <i>Thinking Allowed</i> <a href=”http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03q9q2n/Thinking_Allowed_Why_Music_Matters_Bhangra_and_Belonging/”>here</a>.</b></div> <br />In what ways might music enrich the lives of people and of societies? What prevents it from doing so? <i>Why Music Matters</i> explores the role of music in our lives, and investigates the social and political significance of music in modern societies.<br /> <ul> <li>First book of its kind to explore music through a variety of theories and approaches and unite these theories using one authoritative voice</li> <li>Combines a broad yet theoretically sophisticated approach to music and society with real clarity and accessibility</li> <li>A historically and sociologically informed understanding of music in relation to questions of social power and inequality</li> <li>By drawing on both popular and academic talk about a range of musical forms and practices, readers will engage with a wide musical terrain and a wealth of case studies</li> </ul>