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Cited by 663Neuroscience and Music PerceptionMusic History and CultureMusicology and Musical Analysis

Uses of music in everyday life.

Open access
North, Adrian C., Hargreaves, David J., Hargreaves, Jon J.·2004·Music Perception
DOI 10.1525/mp.2004.22.1.41
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Abstract

The value of music in people's everyday lives depends on the uses they make of it and the degree to which they engage with it, which are in turn dependent on the contexts in which they hear it. Very few studies have investigated people's experiences of music in naturalistic, everyday circumstances, and this exploratory study provides some initial normative data on who people listen with, what they listen to (and what their emotional responses to this music are), when they listen, where they listen, and why they listen. A total of 346 people who owned a mobile phone were sent one text message per day for 14 days. On receiving this message, participants were required to complete a questionnaire about any music they could hear, or had heard since their previous message. Responses indicated a high compliance rate; a high incidence of exposure to music; that the greatest number of musical episodes occurred while participants were on their own; that pop music was heard most frequently; that liking for the music varied depending on who the participant was with, where they were, and whether they had chosen to be able to hear music; that music was usually experienced during the course of some activity other than deliberate music listening; that exposure to music occurred most frequently in the evening, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm, and on weekends; that music was heard most frequently at home, with only a small number of incidences occurring in public places; that the importance of several functions of music varied according to temporal factors, the place where the music was heard, and the person or people the participant was with. Further research should include participants from a greater range of sociodemographic backgrounds and should develop context-specific theoretical explanations of the different ways in which people use music as a resource.

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  • Those whose situation forced them to spend more time at home consumed more music, while those whose working practices remained the same did not change their cultural consumption behaviors to the same extent.

    “those whose situation forced them to spend more time at home were consuming more music, while people whose day-to-day working practices remained the same did not change their cultural consumption behaviors to the same extent.”

    From Uses and Perceptions of Music in Times of COVID-19: A Spanish Population Survey (2021) · cites this paper as North et al., 2004

    The Conclusions report more music listening during evenings and weekends than during the working day, which supports a link between leisure time and listening. The paper does not compare people forced to spend more time at home with people whose working practices stayed the same, or measure changes in their cultural consumption. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Respondents' interpretations of their uses and perceptions of music may lead to inaccurate responses.

    “the respondents’ interpretations of their uses and perceptions of music may lead to inaccurate responses.”

    From Uses and Perceptions of Music in Times of COVID-19: A Spanish Population Survey (2021) · cites this paper as North et al., 2004

    The Conclusions say that asking participants to complete questionnaires about music might bias their responses and that memory deficiencies might make responses inaccurate. They do not identify respondents’ interpretations of their uses or perceptions of music as the cause of inaccuracy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 20

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  14. North, A. C., & Hargreaves, D. J. (2000). Musical preferences during and after relaxation and exercise. American Journal of Psychology, 113, 43-67.
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Authors
North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J., & Hargreaves, J. J.
Affiliations
University of Leicester (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Music Perception
Publisher
University of California Press
Published
2004
Volume
22
Issue
1
Pages
41-77
ISSN
  • 0730-7829 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-8312
DOI
10.1525/mp.2004.22.1.41
OpenAlex
W2003255646
Cited by
663
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 78 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 41
FWCI
2.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Music Perception An Interdisciplinary Journal (publishedVersion)
  • eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Music History and Culture
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Musicology and Musical Analysis
Keywords
everyday music listening, music use, functions of music, emotional response to music, pop music

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