POPCON

Pop Conference is the premiere music writing and pop music studies conference. Held every spring, the conference features the world's leading scholars, journalists, writers, musicians, as they come together for a long weekend to present papers, roundtables, discussions, and performances about popular music. The Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California returns as host of this year’s 24th annual Pop Conference. All events, with the exception of a few remote ones, are scheduled to be held on USC’s Los Angeles University Park campus. 

This year’s streamlined gathering will feature a Thursday March 12 evening keynote followed by two focused days of engaging panels, roundtables, and presentations. There will be no official Sunday events. While this smaller format means fewer presentation spots than our previous three or four-day conferences, it creates opportunities for more concentrated, meaningful discussions.