The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Western Music’s Influence on Tehran’s Café Culture: A Study of Intellectualism, Identity, and Music Industry

https://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2025.539646.5871
Volume 22, Issue 149
November 2025
Pages 5-14
The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

MohammadAmin Vosoogh 1
Sepehr Seraji 2

1 Department of Art Research, Faculty of Music, College of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Art, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Music, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran

Abstract
Problem statement: This study examines the interplay between ascribed identity and resistant identity in relation to musical and para-musical elements, in the formation of a distinct cultural identity within Tehran’s café spaces. It also seeks to understand and explain the complexities of preserving an independent identity within a commercialized environment. The ascribed identity, rooted in intellectualism, independence, and alternative values, is evaluated in comparison with the resistant identity, which consists of opposition to popular musical elements and distancing from the dominant body of Iran’s mainstream music industry. 
Research objective: The central question of this research is to investigate the extent to which the independent music scene remains committed to the identity ascribed to it. 
Research method: This study employed qualitative, comparative, and content analysis methods. Data collection was conducted both in the field and through library research. The fieldwork took place in Tehran and, virtually, in Austria during the winter of 2022–2023. 
Conclusion: Drawing on the theories of Stuart Hall, Theodor Adorno, Timothy Rice, Antonio Gramsci, and Michel Foucault, this research highlights the interactions between cultural identity, commodification, and the influence of Western music on Iran’s urban music spaces. The findings reveal a substantive overlap between the independent music movement in recent years and the popular music scene, which must be considered a major contradiction in achieving the ultimate goal of independence within today’s Iranian music industry.

Keywords

Western music
Cultural identity
Intellectualism
Popular music
Alternative identity
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