How does music influence society? - sources

http://openingband.hubpages.com/hub/Music-Influences-Society -

Music Influences Us
“Singing and music have always played an important role in learning and the communication of culture” (Shermon). Throughout the years music has changed the way it influences people. In earlier years music was used more for celebration and now music is used to voice your opinion and try to influence your audience to believe what you stand for. In time of war musicians tend to lead the way in protests and like to call out their government. Religion has always had music of some form and the songs that they sing influence people to believe in their god. Music influences how people act, what people do and our religion.

http://itstheskittlee.hubpages.com/hub/Music-and-the-Influence-on-Society

  Music can have an intrinsic  meaning or can have an extrinsic meaning. The meaning of music may be interpreted from the viewpoint of the formalist or from the viewpoint of an expressionist. Some people may listen to music just because they are bored or they like the beat; others listen to it for the lyrics and the expression the artist is trying to send out. The media says that rap should be blamed for the gang violence, drugs, devaluing women and male control; rock and metal is blamed for satanic rituals, suicides as an “alternative” or “solution,” sadism, and masochism.
    Rappers are blamed constantly for crimes across America. In 1988, Ice-T who was a well-known rapper was all over the media because of his song “Cop Killa”. Once he song was released numerous police were murdered; the media said they did it because of Ice-T’s song. Was it Ice-T’s fault for these crimes or was it the fault of the people committing the crime? The answer is no, cops were getting shot before the song came out, policemen know they have a dangerous job and the know the consequences. Rap music is growing rapidly, it has gotten many people out of poverty and out of the ghetto. Rap musicians donate thousands and thousands of dollars to charities all over America, but they don’t get any credit for that. Media only looks for the worse in all cases. Rap musicians rap about their life, the only way to fix what they rap about is to fix the society around you; they rap about what they see and hear. Rap music does not influence bad actions, but reflects it.

http://uk.ask.com/question/influence-of-music-on-culture

Music can have a big influence on culture. Often times a musician and things they sing about can have an influence on how people who listen to their songs act. When the actions of many people change, the culture begins to change. For instance, during the 60s, the musicians sang about peace and love and that was the start of the hippie culture in America.

http://musicmagic.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/music-in-society/

Music is a very powerful medium and in some societies there have been attempts to control its use. It is powerful at the level of the social group because it facilitates communication which goes beyond words, enables meanings to be shared, and promotes the development and maintenance of individual, group, cultural and national identities. It is powerful at the individual level because it can induce multiple responses – physiological, movement, mood, emotional, cognitive and behavioural. Few other stimuli have effects on such a wide range of human functions. The brain’s multiple processing of music can make it difficult to predict the particular effects of any piece of music on any individual. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJbKwU3I3Kw&safe=active   - video answering my question