Tablatures of musical tastes in contemporary France: distinction without intolerance

Abstract

In France, the social-stratification model based on Bourdieu's Distinction is still one of the main theoretical models used to analyse cultural tastes. The distinction model asserts a hierarchical classification of tastes and genre and an aesthetic judgment based on rejection. In the musical field, Richard A. Peterson challenged the model showing the eclectism and the mix of classical and popular genres among the tastes of elite. Changes in taste judgements in multicultural societies problematise the understanding and representation of the structuration of tastes. In reference to the 2008 statistical survey on French cultural practices and tastes, this article challenges conventional understandings of the taste patterns informing music consumption in contemporary France. In doing this, the article utilises a ‘tablature of tastes’ model which infers the incommensurability of musical genres and taste judgments no longer based on “rejections/dislikes” but rather on “openness/tolerance” or “indifference/ignorance”. Our analysis tests the “tablatures” of musical likes, dislikes and indifferences hypothesis within the French population through a factor and classification analysis method. Six classes of musical taste emerge with a limited share of dislikes and a strong age differentiation. It confirms a major transformation in judgments of taste in the musical field.