New Keys to the World of Sound

Sound is no longer produced only by humans and nature. New sources of sound such as the ipod and cell phones demonstrate that sounds have become personal and mobile. New sounds such as those of industrialization, automobile engine, and electronic sounds have entered the “soundscape”. Sounds can be captured in new ways, which are becoming a part of everyday life. The consequences of all of this are vast. Sound becomes more materially mediated in a whole host of novel ways, it becomes more “thinglike”, a means in itself to sell and market goods, the field of media studies has made a significant contribution to sound studies and fields of art studies, musicology, and ethnomusicology have recently widened their scope to include some sound studies resulting in the shift of interests of students from classical to popular music. All this offers a radical challenge for the future.