Whether culture is an expression of social integration, is implicated in social disorganization, or is a collective response to deep-seated economic and social problems is a perennial topic of scholarly debate both in the social sciences and in the humanities. Examined here are the empirical consequences implied by three contending positions in a study of metropolitan conditions related to the supply of various types of music. Indicators of social dislocation include population change and the rates of violent crime, suicide, and divorce; alienation is measured by an indicator of status inconsistency, specifically by the extent to which peoples' education and occupational attainments are incongruent. The findings indicate that traditional, elite music is largely independent of deleterious social conditions and accompanied by a low level of alienation. Whereas popular music is related to forms of social dislocation, these relations can largely be explained by prevailing economic inequalities and a high level of alienation.