Augmenting Function with Value: An Exploration of Reasons to Engage and Disengage from Music Listening

Abstract

Investigations of music in everyday life are dominated by a functional perspective, drawn from work using the theory of Uses and Gratifications. In so doing, we may have neglected to fully appreciate the value people place on music listening. Therefore, the present study considered if, and why, people value music listening and probed instances when they may not want to listen to music in everyday life. A sample of 319 university students residing in Australia (76.50% female, M age = 20.64) completed an online questionnaire, on which they were asked to provide short responses to open-ended questions directly addressing two research questions. Inductive thematic analysis yielded 13 themes synthesizing how participants valued listening to music, such as appreciation, emotion, time and engagement, cognitive factors, and mood regulation. Reasons for not listening to music were summarized by eight themes dominated by interference with activities that required focus or concentration, followed by environmental context, affective responses, music engagement and inversely, a preference for silence or other auditory stimuli. Fifteen percent of participants stated there was never a time they did not want to listen to music. The findings provide a novel perspective on the value of music listening beyond that considered by uses and gratifications with regard to the function of listening to music in everyday life.

Examining the Lyrical Content and Musical Features of a Crowd-Sourced, Australian Pandemic Playlist

“…Music can be used for numerous purposes, including arousal and mood regulation, social relatedness, and to achieve self-awareness (Schäfer et al, 2013). Relative to pre-COVID data, peri-COVID Australian data indicated that people emphasized value arising from music listening due to its ability to promote social connection, provide comfort and companionship, and counter loneliness (Krause, et al, 2023). Moreover, music choices can vary depending on social and environmental conditions (Pettijohn et al, 2012).…”