Steven Brown is a researcher in cognitive neuroscience in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He received his doctorate at Columbia University in New York, and has done research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. His research deals with the neural basis of human communication, including the arts.

“This valuable and timely book provides an overview of various theoretical approaches to the uses and meaning of music, particularly in view of its capacity to influence people…In all, several important issues are raised in chapters of this book, and are also addressed, either in the same chapter or in one by another author.”  ·  Musicae Scientiae“…a valuable addition/complement to the musicological literature thanks to the critically examined current debates about the uses and consequences of music. [In addition, the book offers] many concise overviews of present research on music and manipulation. As such it is suitable for graduate students but also more generally for people working in the media and music industry.”  ·  Swedish Journal of Musicology“…a timely book that…sets a standard for a new field of study and therefore deserves to be read widely…[the volume’s] contributions contain fascinating material for further study.”  ·  International Institute for Asian Studies Newsletter“Steven Brown and Ulrik Volgsten haveput together a valuable collection of essays on a consistently interesting theme. The book constitutes an important resource for the future development of this theme.”  ·  Music Perception“…fascinating and challenging…this book, illustrates the diversity, the depth and the potential of the field of the sociology of music. As much as these texts enlighten, they also highlight the vastness of the research yet to be conducted. However, this book is far more than just a compilation of papers presented at a conference, they are relevant discussions to anybody who turns on the radio, purchases or downloads a record or even sings a lullaby.”  ·  Leonardo Digital Reviews

• AcknowledgementsChapter 1. Ritual and RitualizationEllen DissanayakeChapter 2. Music, Identity, and Social ControlPeter J. MartinChapter 3. Between Ideology and IdentityUlrik VolgstenChapter 4. Music in Business EnvironmentsAdrian C. North and David J. HargreavesChapter 5. The Social Uses of Background Music for Personal EnhancementSteven Brown and Töres TheorellChapter 6. Music, Moving Images, Semiotics, and the Democratic Right to KnowPhilip TaggChapter 7. Music Video and GenreRob StrachanChapter 8. The Effectiveness of Music in Television CommercialsClaudia BullerjahnChapter 9. Music Censorship from Plato to the PresentMarie Korpe, Ole Reitov and Martin CloonanChapter 10. Orpheus in HellJoseph J. Moreno Chapter 11. The Changing Structure of the Music IndustryRoger WallisChapter 12. Music and ReuseOla StockfeltChapter 13. Copyright, Music, and MoralsUlrik Volgsten and Yngve AkerbergNotes on ContributorsBibliographyIndex