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Abstract

This article discusses the impact of digitalization on music consumption based on interviews with Swedish music consumers about their music consumption. The findings indicate that digitalization allows music to be consumed in more and more situations and in combination with other activities rather than as a stand-alone activity. On the one hand, this development contributes to making music more ubiquitous in contemporary society; on the other hand, it transforms music listening into something that is done with less attention. Digitalization also changes music as a consumption object, e.g. from specific artists and albums to single tracks or new forms of compilations such as play lists adapted to specific moods or situations. Digitalization creates new coordination needs, e.g. when sharing accounts and play lists or determining in what order tracks will be played in social situations. Digitalization also gives rise to new forms of sociality where both individual and joint listening becomes digitally mediated. Taken together, these findings raise questions about the role of music in style formation and identity construction and the paper concludes with some thoughts on music’s changing role in contemporary consumer culture.