A Theory of Social Exchanges and Access to Recorded Music Grounded on Data

Abstract

This study contributes to the understanding of how individuals access recorded music, and how they attach meanings to the social exchanges they use to access music. Theoretically we frame the analysis in social exchange theories in order to develop a contextual theory of exchanging music, a theory grounded on data. With that aim, we conducted 23 in-depth interviews with individuals that regularly access music through different ways, and used secondary sources during the process of interpreting data. The theory that emerged from our data explains how individuals attach meanings to the different way of accessing music through social exchanges depending on their personal and contextual cultural capital.

Keywords: Social Exchanges, Music, Access, Socio-Cultural Context, Symbolic Meanings