Listen to David Hesmondhalgh discuss the arguments at the core of 'Why Music Matters' with Laurie Taylor on BBC Radio 4's Thinking Allowed here: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03q9q2n/Thinking_Allowed_Why_Music_Matters_Bhangra_and_Belonging/

In what ways might music enrich the lives of people and of societies? What prevents it from doing so? Why Music Matters explores the role of music in our lives, and investigates the social and political significance of music in modern societies.

• First book of its kind to explore music through a variety of theories and approaches and unite these theories using one authoritative voice
• Combines a broad yet theoretically sophisticated approach to music and society with real clarity and accessibility
• A historically and sociologically informed understanding of music in relation to questions of social power and inequality
• 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

About the Author
David Hesmondhalgh is Professor of Media and Music Industries at the University of Leeds. He is the author of The Cultural Industries, now in its third edition (2013) and co-author (with Sarah Baker) of a study of working life in three cultural industries, including music, Creative Labour (2011). He is also the editor or co-editor of various collections, including Western Music and its Others (with Georgina Born, 2000) and Popular Music Studies (with Keith Negus, 2002).

Reviews

"Most notably the book is ambivalent about much of the promises claimed by the advocates of music's transformative potential, but is never bleak, retaining a refreshing realism about the capacity of music to matter to people, publics and nations across the world." (New Books In Critical Theory, 19 June 2014)

Book Information
ISBN 9781405192415
Author David Hesmondhalgh
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 295g
Dimensions(mm) 226mm * 150mm * 13mm