PEMAKNAAN AUDIENS TERHADAP ISI PESAN DALAM LAGU ‘PERADABAN’ (Studi Pada Peserta Unjuk Rasa Tolak RUU PILKADA dan Kawal Putusan MK di Kantor DPRD Kota Malang)

This study aims to explore the audience’s interpretation of the anti-discrimination message in the song “Peradaban” by .Feast, from the perspective of protest participants involved in the demonstration against the Regional Election Bill (RUU PILKADA) and in support of the Constitutional Court’s decision at the Malang City Regional House of Representatives (DPRD). The song addresses social issues, particularly racial and cultural discrimination within the context of power struggles. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method with a reception study approach based on Stuart Hall’s theory, which categorizes audience readings into three positions: dominant-hegemonic, negotiated, and oppositional. Data were collected through interviews and documentation. The findings reveal that participants in the dominant-hegemonic position fully accept the song’s message as a form of social critique against discrimination. Those in the negotiated position partially accept the message while incorporating additional meanings, such as historical awareness. Meanwhile, participants in the oppositional position reject or reinterpret the message, for instance, by disagreeing with the notion that the song criticizes the government. This study recommends utilizing music as an educational and reflective medium to voice complex social issues such as discrimination.