How God and King affect our musical tastes: shedding light on religiosity, political convictions and taste cultivation as drivers of eclectic vs. voracious music preferences

In this paper we examine how certain specific habitus (i.e. past cultural practices, individuals’ political interest and religious beliefs) affect the propensity to develop a taste for a huge number of music forms (voracious omnivorousness) vs. a preference for a diversified set of genres (eclectic omnivorousness). First, we argue that politically-interested individuals are more propense to develop voracious music preferences: voraciousness enables them to express their personal self-efficacy which becomes a new form of distinction based on the value of a multi-tasking and active lifestyle (Sullivan and Katz-Gerro, 2007). Second, we argue that by searching opportunities to nurture their spirituality through the contacts with both highbrow and “sacred” as well as lowbrow and “profane” music forms, individuals with strong religious convictions have a penchant for taste eclecticism. Finally, we posit that while the familiar music habit of attending concerts stimulates individuals’ appetite for a huge number of music genres, the practice of attending music classes facilitates the development of an eclectic music taste by fostering individuals’ effort to broaden the pool of knowledge required to appreciate a variety of genres. We develop and test hypotheses on the voracious vs. eclectic music preferences of an Italian opera audience. This study contributes to move the discussion on the determinants of cultural voraciousness and eclecticism ahead and has implications for the marketing management of opera houses.