Popular Music History

Editors

Beate Peter, University of Groningen, Netherlands
Patryk Galuszka, University of Lodz, Poland

Popular Music History, founded in 2004, publishes original historical and historiographical research that draws on the wide range of disciplines and intellectual trajectories that have contributed to the establishment of popular music studies as a recognized academic enterprise.

Articles that challenge established orthodoxies in popular music studies, examine the formation and dissolution of canons, interrogate histories of genres, focus on forms of popular music that have existed below the "historical radar," and engage in archaeologies of popular music history, are particularly welcome.

The philosophy of Popular Music History is to encourage research that is empirically grounded. However, the journal's historical orientation is not intended to be exclusive. Articles that concentrate on historical and historiographical issues that draw on music analysis, incorporate cultural theory, or engage in the ‘history of the present’, are also appropriate. Therefore, contributions exploring the history of technologies related to popular music production, distribution, and reception are especially welcome. Topics might include the role of digital media in shaping popular music narratives, innovative creative methods, and the impact of AI on songwriting practices.

In addition to the reviews section, a distinctive feature of the journal is its section on Resources. Resources re-publishes articles of historical importance that have become difficult to find or unjustifiably obscure, report on archives, museums and scholarly collections of particular importance to writing popular music history, and serve as a forum for the discussion of issues of special interest to popular music histories.

Popular Music History has already distinguished itself by publishing articles from diverse regions, including Eastern Europe and SouthEast Asia. We also acknowledge the significance of decolonization in popular music historiography and the importance of addressing representation in music history. To further enhance geographic diversity, we encourage submissions and special issue proposals from scholars in underrepresented regions.