Music sociology occupies a special position in the social and cultural sciences. The
terminology alone - in German it is 'Musiksoziologie' and not 'Soziologie der Musik' -
indicates many possible approaches: Is 'music sociology' a subdiscipline within sociology or
musicology? Or is it a discipline on its own espousing significant differences from sociology
and musicology alike? On the occasion of its 50th anniversary the Department of Music
Sociology at the mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna - probably the only one
in the world to bear the name as a separate department - decided to clarify the state of music
sociology. Some of the world's most prominent representatives of the discipline were invited to
participate in this project and present their own viewpoints on the various approaches to music
sociology. Their contributions address the particular research objects of music sociology
(institutions of musical life production distribution and consumption of music music-making
'works' genres and repertoires etc.) as well as the different methods of research
(stock-taking surveys interviews music analysis biographical research etc.).
