Cultural logics and modes of consumption : unravelling the multiplicity of symbolic boundaries in the musical field

In this study we examine the ways individuals structure and understand the musical field (i.e., cultural logics) and how this is related to modes of consumption. We use large-scale audience data collected at 73 concerts in Flanders (n=1,594). Using a Correlational Class Analysis, we inductively uncover four different cultural logics: U+2018omnivore vs. univoreU+2019, U+2018highbrow vs. lowbrowU+2019, U+2018traditional vs. subcultureU+2019, and U+2018anything (but) rock/metalU+2019 which are located in different segments/scenes of the musical field. Accordingly, besides the well-documented opposition between highbrow and lowbrow, and between omnivorousness and univorousness, there are two other cultural logics viable in the musical field. In subsequent analyses, we find that these cultural logics are associated with modes of consumption. Consequently, we demonstrate that there is a relationship between the way individuals organize and understand the cultural field, their location in it and the way they consume culture.