ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a variety of concerns which in all reflect two central dimensions of study which are relevant to sociological investigation: first, that which is based upon the accessible end-product, and second, that which is based upon the process of musical production. It reviews several authors' the social, historical and economic parameters of musical style. If one look back to the popular sociological studies of the late 1960s and the 1970s he/she find that the work is primarily based upon 'effects' or 'reflection' theory; an analysis of music's capacity to 'reflect' political and social undercurrents or an examination of music's potential effect upon a listener's subsequent social behaviour. Howard Becker's perspective starts with the community of jazz musicians: their attitudes towards work, their aesthetic objectives and their relationship with audiences. Through this network of concerns, Becker explores some of the general pressures upon individual jazz musicians who must confront conflicting commercial and artistic goals.
