In this article, we investigate patterns of musical taste using a large sample from the Dutch population. It isfound thatmembers from higher-status groups tendto bemore omnivorous (that is, theylike more different musical genres) than those from lowerstatus groups, which is in line with Peterson's (1992; Peterson & Simkus 1992) hypothesis. Theactual difference is, however, rather small and occurs onlywith regard to thenumber ofgenres thatrespondents like at least "more orless," notwith regard to their favorite genres. In order todiscover the combinatorial logic bywhich musical genres are clustered intospecific taste patterns, afactor model isestimated. The results indicate thatmusical genres can bestructured on thebasis of three basic "discourses" (highbrow, pop, folk). The so-called omnivores comprise a specificfraction ofthe higher-status groups known asthenewmiddle class, whose tastes combine a setofgenres related toallthese discourses. Review of the Literature CULTURAL BOUNDARIESCultural consumption is related to a person's social status. Bourdieu (1984) has shownthat people belonging to the higher-status groupshavemore culturalcapital at their disposal than peopleof lowerstatus. For Bourdieu, the term cultural capital refers to knowledge and appreciation of highbrow cultureand the arts,"good"taste, and appropriate manners. His conception assumes the existence of a homology

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