Music, Power and Global Inequality

This research project explores the relationship between music, power, and inequality in the contemporary world.

While music is often understood as a form of entertainment or cultural expression, it also functions as a powerful lens through which broader social and political dynamics can be observed. Across different historical and geographical contexts, musical production reflects asymmetries of power, processes of marginalization, and forms of resistance that emerge within and against dominant structures.

Bringing together case studies from Southern Italy, China, and the global music industry, this project investigates how music participates in the construction of cultural hierarchies and how artists negotiate visibility, censorship, and identity. From the symbolic resistance of Cui Jian to the reimagining of the “Global South” in the songs of Eugenio Bennato, and to the structural inequalities revealed by global streaming data, the articles collected here highlight the complex interplay between culture and power.

Rather than offering a single theoretical framework, the project adopts a comparative perspective, emphasizing connections between local experiences and global patterns. In doing so, it aims to contribute to a broader understanding of music not only as an artistic practice, but as a space where historical tensions, political conflicts, and social transformations become audible.

Case Studies

The following articles present selected case studies that explore the relationship between music, power, and inequality across different historical and geographical contexts.

From the Rock Canon to Spotify Listeners: How Musical Relevance Changed between 1989 and 2026

The Moon over the Ruined Castle: The Global Journeys of Kōjō no Tsuki

When Melodies Travel: John Brown’s Body and the Global Circulation of Ideas

Waltzing Matilda: How a Colonial Ballad Became a Global Metaphor

Rock Music as Monument or Instrument of Freedom? David Gilmour and Roger Waters as a Case Study

From Comfortable Numbness to Historical Memory: Roger Waters, Palestine, and the Politics of Visibility

Reggae, Colonialism, and Inequality: From Bob Marley to Top Boy and Bandi

Italian Beat Music Between Protest and Everyday Life: Youth Culture, Social Change, and Cultural Asymmetries in the 1960s

When Power Becomes Destiny: Parsifal and the Representation of Cultural Hierarchies in Italian Progressive Rock

From Partition to Soundtrack: UN Resolution 181 and the Palestinian Voice in Contemporary Music

Europe After Maastricht: Noir Désir and the Crisis of the European Myth

Billy the Kid and the American Imagination: From Aaron Copland to Bob Dylan