Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

This article explores and reflects upon the role that music consumption may be playing in the flexible field of cultural expression, identity formation, and meaning-making activity in the West, as overt commitment to organised religion continues to decline and prove fragile. Using quantitative data from a 2009–2010 study of 231 music users, the authors locate and analyse the respondents’ declarations about their listening practices in relation to their other socio-cultural habits and life commitments. The article explores the genres and themes of music listened to, the means by which the music is accessed, the frequency of listening, and the scale …

A review of 'The Lyre of Orpheus: Popular Music, the Sacred, and the Profane' (Oxford University Press, 2014) published in the Anglican Theological Review