How do people make music? What is the relationship between live music and the music we hear in music videos? How has the digital revolution affected music-making in industrialized and developing nations?

Media Policy and Music Activity explores the relationships between policies governing the output of the music media and music activity in society. Investigating musical activity in six smaller nations -- Jamaica, Trinidad, Kenya, Tanzania, Sweden, and Wales -- Wallis and Malm include interviews with a wide range of musicians, policy-makers, and media and music industry employees. They discover that, all too often, media policies designed to encourage local industries fail due to non-implementation.

Combining case study material with a broad theoretical framework, Media Policy and Music Activity provides a unique introduction to media policy and its relation to cultural production. It will be of interest not only to students and researchers, but to policymakers, media practitioners, and anyone interested in the role music plays in our everyday lives.