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and by businesses, and musicians have limited access to it; the second involves a lower level of control, and therefore musicians and audience members can morę easily utilize it. Certain musical styles, such as estrada and ethno-music (a combination of popular and traditional styles) are favored in the first, while other styles, such as heavy metal, circulate almost exclusively in the second. After describing the musical genres found in Georgian popular musie and the various channels through which musie circulates, the dissertation analyzes how musicians gain access to the morę controlled sphere of circulation through the patronage of media professionals and of political figures. Using a framework developed from actor-network theory, the dissertation then analyzes the kinds of technological configurations in play as musie circulates by tracing the movement of digital files on radio and television, the Internet, and on mobile phones. The finał section explores the role that musie circulation plays in building social Capital. Displaying a familiarity and fondness for certain genres and styles can convey a high social status, while others are associated with lower status. Modified theories of the circulation of materiał culture are used to examine how musie can function as a gift, thereby building communities based on shared tastes.