Symbolic boundaries and musical tastes in Spanish consumers: Beyond cultural omnivorousness

This article examines the existence of symbolic boundaries in musical consumption by analysing patterns of musical tastes among consumers in Spain. To assess the validity of the cultural omnivorousness thesis and its implications for cultural hierarchies, we apply Correlational Class Analysis to identify relational structures of musical tastes and explore how symbolic-cultural boundaries emerge through oppositions between musical genres. Using data from the Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain (n = 14,524), four distinct musical taste structures are identified. The results reveal heterogeneous configurations of musical preferences characterized by different degrees of breadth, specialization and exclusion. Rather than supporting the idea of a dominant omnivorous pattern, the findings show the persistence of symbolic boundaries expressed through the rejection of specific genres and the coexistence of weak omnivorous and univorous taste structures. Finally, the article discusses the social characteristics associated with these taste configurations and their implications for understanding cultural boundaries in contemporary musical consumption.