A qualitative study in the sociology of music, this dissertation explores people making music in previously impossible and currently understudied ways. Drawing on qualitative data collected over nearly four years, I present an interpretive account of a unique musical phenomenon: home music recording. I explore how particular music technologies have emerged to enable to the creation of recorded music in domestic spaces and how a particular set of home recordists revel in and benefit from making music for personal rather than commercial gains. One dimension of the research draws on historical data on the evolution of home recording technologies to connect this local practice to larger spheres of social influence. This approach not only situates local musical practices within a greater social context, but also exemplifies the value of technology studies that emphasize how people actually use technologies and the consequences of their uses. I also take a social psychological approach to explaining the processes and effects of participants' musical experiences. Specifically, participants discussed the mnemonic, creative, and cathartic benefits of home recording. These data chapters explore music's transformative role in shaping and constituting social structures, including the self. Thus, my research and analysis reveals that technologically enabled acts of artistic creation, occurring at the grassroots level, are rich with social psychological implications. More generally, this project is an exploration of creativity and everyday life in an era saturated by new technologies. This dissertation serves as an empirically grounded analysis of the changing role of music in society and, by extension, changes in music and society. My research counters prevalent academic and popular discourses that predict the demise of music at the hands of emerging media technologies. My research shows that while the music industry may be experiencing a period of death (and rebirth), music itself remains alive and well. It is the case, however, that its vitality lies in personal and social realms increasingly more than economic ones.