I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I believe that Music is probably the strongest art form(and communication form) on the planet and can create or shape a culture like nothing else can.
I’m not sure if this is universally true, but in america(and most of the western world) the subcultures that music has created are very obvious. Is this just what music does? or is it that we’ve chosen to empower this artform to such an extent?
I see this too in so many cases. When you compare music to applied art (for instance) it “seems” to have much more power culturally. What you forget though is that applied art comes in many forms such as advertising, interior design, and fashion - so don’t lump the applied arts into one big ole painting that no one is going to the museum to see. I am a musician so you are preaching to the choir, but I believe it may be a toss-up when you look at it from this cultural standpoint.
What if music is simply another positive feedback loop, like religion?
Trait is there, music reflects trait, trait gets enforced by music, music gets enforced by trait…
Is it? I’d say that cinema (which, if done right, can do everything that music can, and more) is the most powerful art form in the world.
This happens with most popular cultures (which are irreducibly plural). I don’t know why you are citing music in particular. Perhaps you could elaborate…
sorry, I’m still forming my thoughts around this. give me a bit to figure out what i’m thinking.
Music is very deep emotional symbolism, I guess…
But the movies and TV seem to be the “art” which controlls the nation…
strange, I’ve never really seen that before, but maybe that’s because I don’t watch too many movies and I’m much more of a music fanatic. but I can definately see how movies and tv can be as influential or moreso. they intertwine in a lot of ways. especially socially and culturally.
I don’t think that music or any other form can control or even shape a culture or nation. Art is a form of communication, and often communication is influential, but the music/art grows out of the culture that already exists, so how can it control it? I think it’s questionable whether mainstream music, films or commercial media that aim to shape cultures rather than inform or stimulate thought should be considered art. But that brings up the question of what qualifies as art…
News broadcast…
emo kids
preps
goths
punks
nerds/geeks who stereotypicly listen to techno and trance
gangstaaaahs
etc.
some of them had their own social group before the music, but the music is acting like a mold and molds help shape.
Once some things pick up momentum, they become a sort of fame, as culture begets more culture.
how does that work?
Encouragement.
That’s the best word about emotion that I could use, I guess.
When things get a little bit famous, they might just go and get more and more famous.
Once things become a sensation, many imitators and imitations fallow the leader.
Reality television and pokemon are examples of cultural phenomenon which were originally sensational, then became a genre which other imitators tried to feed off of. The imitators also fueled the flames, as they tried to use it all up.
Sadly, the same thing happened with people like Jesus Christ.
I’m really not getting this. maybe I’m looking at in the wrong context or something. I need to be able to trace the steps from what created what and what impacts what.
That’s a site I go to often, if you go there you’ll find an e-community separated into camps, the largest of which is probably rock and metal. From experience, peoples personalities as shown online match with the general perception I/we have of those groups. But what about the people who don’t stake claim to any camp and freely roam to different artforms? Not sure, but I would say that metal, for example, draws in the not-so-good-looking, maybe long haired, shy, white kids, and it is in the metal community that they are finally able to establish identity and be accepted.
Does anyone see the correlation between the harmony of the sound and the visual harmony of the sounds’ wave? The visual matches the aural, add to that the oscillations of light that matches the visual which becomes the structure that matches the function. Into physicality the propagation matches the dissipation, it is the perfect language. It’s all evident.
Music is merely a hint, or a part of the hint.
HUH??? 
I tend to agree. Music has a tendency to mold people into little social groups.
I also agree. I think that movies and television tend to have a greater impact on society as a whole than music, which tends to influence little subgroups of society.
There will never be another Elvis Presely because society is too fragmented for one musician to have near universal appeal to all the subgroups.
In the span of human history, music has been the most influential. And actually I would argue that music still has the most impact on society, it connects on a deeper level, and this is especially true for deeper forms of music.
music is an instant high. It is like cigarettes, it instantly makes you feel better, everyone wants one, but I would argue music is a bit more healthy.
No obvious side-effects to music that I see. Sometimes I see or feel colors and wave pattern stuff when I listen to music, kind of like halucinational stuff. I wonder which parts of the brain music seems to hit. I think it is more than just the auditorial area.
I have also heard that musicians (and homosexuals) tend to have a larger corpus callosums than their counter parts, though I am not sure if this is true.
(but I still do love a cigarette once in a while 
)
(I also am a musicician myspace.com/theswedishfish )
music can lead men to war, music can calm crying babies.