Applications

Abstract While I and most other comparative musicologists have devoted most of our research energies to the “basic science” questions in Chapters 2–5, this chapter shows some existing evidence for the applied value of comparative musicological methods and proposes future directions to develop more evidence and impact. Existing limited scientific evidence suggesting causal effects of music in domains such as social bonding, medical therapy, and second language acquisition could be tested more rigorously across a broader range of cultures and lead to more resources and funding if results are promising. Musical similarity algorithms that have complemented traditional subjective evaluations in music copyright lawsuits can be expanded and enhanced to be applied more cross-culturally and carefully. Traditional ethnomusicological case studies of the benefits (and drawbacks) of musical education, cultural heritage, repatriation, revitalisation, and “world”/“fusion” musics can be strengthened and broadened through scientific comparison. Finally, comparative musicology may harness the emerging benefits of generative AI, or (perhaps more likely) play a role in trying to limit the damage such technologies do to traditional musicians and cultures. Rigorous scholarship demonstrating broader benefits to musicians and society with limited negative side-effects will be needed if (comparative) musicology is to transform from a niche subfield to a respected and valued part of higher education, using music to build a better and more harmonious world.