The Rest Was Never Just Noise. Contributions to a Contemporary Revisitation of the Sociology of Music from Max Weber

Music has always been the subject of sociological concern, starting with the classics of sociology. Take the case of Max Weber. The German sociologist applies long-term analysis to Western music, especially the advance of rationalization. It is a paradoxical thesis since Weber explains that the growing access to instruments, especially the piano, as well as the technological advances that are verified in the superb quality and tuning of musical instruments, the emergence, and standardization of the twelve-note scale, etc., all this has led to a progressive narrowing of the listening capacity of Western culture. But Weber was never a simplistic sociologist: the process of cultural rationalization implied technical means and the impact on them of the phenomenon of rationalization and how this influenced the spheres of production, diffusion, and reception. Although some of his theory may be guided by a declared disenchantment with modernity and its consequences, it is undeniable that musical thought influenced all those who were affected by Weber's comprehensive sociology: Adorno and Howard S. Becker, when he spoke of the importance of collaboration in the art world. Weber continues to inspire us when he talks about the innovation and diffusion of modern pianos, which had their genesis in the collaborative and/or conflictual relationship of various sectors of the music world. Within the scope of this paper, we will revisit Weber, focusing our analysis on contemporary music production using artificial intelligence (AI) and the digital universe more broadly. This is decisive if analysed alongside themes such as economic precariousness, uncertainty about the future, and emerging artistic careers. We will analyse indicators related to the long phenomenon of informalisation, a sub-phenomenon of the civilisational process, which is the 'other name' for the long process of rationalisation of Western societies (Global North).