What happens when genres collide? A lot of confusion. This article discusses the unique challenges that young people face, around identity and music. It covers the concept of music worn as a 'badge', and the communicative role that music has historically played in shaping our perception of identity.
Meaning of the 'badge'
Prior to the internet, music was consumed on physical media. The means of production was an expensive proposition. Only artists with enough capital could afford studio time, the cost of distribution, and promotion. This meant that music labels were risk averse, and generally placed bets on popular genres such as pop, rock, and hip-hop.
With such few genres to choose from, fans fell into narrow music camps. In general, normative judgements could be made about people's identities based on their music preferences. For example, if a person listened to rock and roll, they may be seen by others as more likely to have rebellious tendencies. Pop listeners may be perceived as fashionable, and wanting to keep up with trends. Listeners of classical music might be viewed as intellectual due to the genres complexities.
People wore their music preferences as a badge of honor. A persons fondness for a particular band communicated a whole lot about who they were. This relational paradigm between music and identity, however, is shifting. A study by Juliette P. Gagne (2024), suggests that the 'omnipresence of an abundance of music', has fundamentally changed the normative expectations associated with music genres.
Music and normative expectations
In a world of peak music saturation, artists have been trying to stand out by creating new genres. These new genres typically draw inspiration from other genres, combining into unique sub-genres. Just how many unique sub-genres? According to an article on killthedj.com, Spotify features as many as 6,000 genres. That's a lot of music options!
Gagne cites a study in which young people reported that music was on 'all the time'. Not only were they listening to a lot of music, they were also listening to a wider variety of genres than previous generations (Pronovost et al. 2021). As a followup, Gagne's study inquired about the listening habits of a small group of 17-19 year olds. Many participants reported that music preferences did not fully represent their identities, nor did it influence how they identified others. The participants loosely spoke in terms of genres and their stereotypes. However, stereotypes are not normative expectations.
An updated model
What does all of this mean for the future of music, and the role that music plays in shaping the view of ourselves and others? The study suggests that we could expect more fragmented music communities. While fragmentation is not necessarily bad, it does create uncertainty around the definitions of genres.
Many young people still consider music a significant piece of the overall puzzle that makes up a persons identity. However, other aspects of identity such as the way a person dresses and speaks are given more weight. Young people take a nuanced and complex approach to the way that they understand others.
Closing Thoughts
Network technology has forever changed the way that people consume music. The expansion of music genres means that it will become continuously more difficult to understand people, based on their music preferences. The social drawbacks of fragmentation however, is also an opportunity for artists to meet the demand for new genres, and to influence these new music categories.
References
Gagne, J. P. (2024). What My Music Says About Me: Re-evaluating the ‘Badge’ Function of Music in the Context of Streaming. YOUNG, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/11033088231218854
Pronovost, G., Lapointe, M.-C., & Prévost, A.-S. (2021). Musique et cosmopolitisme culturel chez les jeunes. Information médias théories pratiques. Communication, 38(1). https:// doi.org/10.4000/communication.13680
