In recent times, material cultural studies have shown a growing interest in normativity, yet this topic often competes with more prominent themes such as diversity, singularity, and situativity. These themes currently dominate discussions in contemporary scholarship. Aesthetics, in this context, exhibits an ambivalent and sometimes paradoxical relationship with the normative, prompting cultural studies to engage with this issue across various fields. This volume addresses the challenge by exploring the problem of aesthetic normativity in music. It offers a fundamental and exemplary reflection through contributions from diverse disciplines, including music history, pop music research, music theory, ethnomusicology, music sociology, and sound studies. By bringing together these different perspectives, the work aims to deepen the understanding of how aesthetic norms operate within the realm of music, highlighting the complexities and nuances involved in the interplay between aesthetics and normativity. This exploration is crucial for advancing the discourse within cultural studies and for recognizing the multifaceted nature of music as a cultural phenomenon.
