Listening as Religious Practice (Part Two): Exploring Qualitative Data from an Empirical Study of the Cultural Habits of Music Fans

This article analyses qualitative data from responses to open questions addressed by 231 music users in a 2009-2010 survey. By coding and quantifying the data provided, the analysis enables the construction of four ‘acoustic axes' (uplift-relax, inspiration-memory, energy-calm, joy/happiness-sa...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Marsh, Clive (Author) ; Roberts, Vaughan (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Carfax Publ. [2015]
In: Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2015, Volume: 30, Issue: 2, Pages: 291-306
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Listening to music / Religious practice
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:This article analyses qualitative data from responses to open questions addressed by 231 music users in a 2009-2010 survey. By coding and quantifying the data provided, the analysis enables the construction of four ‘acoustic axes' (uplift-relax, inspiration-memory, energy-calm, joy/happiness-sad/sadness) which make direct use of respondent-initiated terminology and enable a means of mapping the activity which occurs for listeners in the affective space created in the listening process. Use of these axes in turn suggests, at a second level of analysis and interpretation, the construction of a musical-spiritual ‘social imaginary' (Taylor), to grasp how music is used and understood by the music users themselves with respect to their self-understanding and life-commitments. It is concluded that, while music use cannot be referred to as religious, a religion or a form of spirituality in any direct or simplistic sense, there is evidence of the seriousness and intensity with which listeners make use of their listening practices in the activity of meaning-making.
ISSN:1469-9419
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2015.1025558