The teal deer for the link-phobic: not really, it seems. Scientists theorize that for humans, music began out of socialization processes. Humans start to synchronize themselves with a rhythm at about age 4, as they learn to mimic and interact with others. Music as socialization (different from the birdcalls and whale songs on "sounds of nature" CDs) appears to be something uniquely human, though sea lions and bonobos seem to have the hang of it:
A really interesting book on the topic (which warrants a re-reading on my behalf; it's been quite a few years) is Daniel Levitin's This Is Your Brain on Music. Long story short: music (of all genres) is an activity that engages multiple parts of our wrinkly, complicated brains simultaneously and in many fascinating ways.
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