MARCH 13-16, 2025
USC THORNTON
LOS ANGELES, CA
25TH ANNIVERSARY
POPCON
SPRING 2027
THAT'S A WRAP
POPCON 2026 | MARCH 12 - 14
Across more than 30 panels, roundtables, and conversations, including special keynote presentations, Mayhem: Pop Music and Writing in Perilous Times asked what pop music and music writing can do in times of instability, examining the shifting and often unstable cultural terrain artists and music writers are navigating today.
We express our gratitude for all our speakers, participants, and supporters who made this dynamic experience possible. Stay tuned for our 25th anniversary theme to be announced in fall 2026, with our spring 2027 celebration to be held in Los Angeles at USC Thornton School of Music.
Conference Partners
CRITICAL MINDED
PopCon is supported by Critical Minded, co-founded by the Nathan Cummings and Ford foundations to support cultural critics of color in the United States.
POPCON
PopCon is the premier music writing and popular music studies conference, bringing together the world’s leading scholars, journalists, writers and musicians for nearly a quarter century.
USC THORNTON
The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music is proud to host the PopCon 2027 conference at its campus in the heart of Los Angeles.
PopCon Keynotes
Watch the keynote conversations from previous PopCon events.
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