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instead of making tabloid media firestorms taylor swift should instead pour all her focus and effort into making music that is good to listen to. just a thought. i mean she’s never bothered to do it before so now seems a good place to start
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constructive criticism ≠ hate
The Rise (or Fall) of A-Pop Series
Hello! Some of you might be interested in my now-completed series called The Rise (or Fall) of A-pop, which argues that we've entered an era of post-hegemonic American music culture where regional scenes from all over the world are not only influences on, but directly competing with American (and other western and English-language) pop music.
Part 1 lays out the concept of "A-pop."
Part 2 describes the new global attentional landscape, a "monsterverse" where music competes ruthlessly from different regional scenes (or "no" scenes, seemingly at random)
Part 3 goes into the decline of mainstream music sales in the '00s and associated rise of indie music changing from a "sidestream" to something more like a "middlestream," a blended semi-mainstream format. Coins the term "windowpane" to describe the glut of this music.
Part 4 is a diversion into Eurovision as an alternative to American centrality -- could a federation of nations take on the global project of broadcasting pop's cutting edge(s) to the world?
Part 5 goes deep on the '10s as a transitional period in which the last gasp of American blockbuster pop superstars (especially Taylor Swift and Drake) get locked in as incumbents while their competition struggles.
Part 6 is an epilogue about the slow realization of the "celestial jukebox," and how the utopic (or dystopian) visions of connected global music came true just in time for everyone to fret about the concerns of a previous era.
You can also read the full series in one place (and off of Substack) at a Wordpress site.
I think these are much more important lines of inquiry into contemporary pop than most of the arguments centered on American pop, including the annoying return of "poptimism" discourse.
If you enjoy, please share!
About ten years ago, I was standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier with Kelefa Sanneh. From where we were standing, we could see downtown San Diego, where Comic-Con was happening. Every street was visibly choked with undulating masses of gooning, sunburnt redditors. As the plastic lanyards they all wore around their necks caught sunlight, they glittered, in aggregate, almost as much as the ocean.
"The Story of Rockism" by Jaime Brooks (2025)
When the music wars start and I’m forced to kill all the early 2010’s white boy musicians after being drafted for the rocktivist side
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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the modern era of poptimist pedagogy is based upon teaching people not to critique, not to analyze, not to understand truthfully the content that they consume and enjoy, and to interpret valid media critiques as personal attacks and valid analysis as "pretentious" intellectualism
Heart Beat Rock: Dance-Pop Divas of the 2000's
Listen
Track listing
caught in the middle + ace reject - SUGABABES / get over you - SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR / nic o mnie nie wiecie + leniviec - RENI JUSIS / maybe - EMMA BUNTON / betcha neva - CHERIE / can't speak french + it's magic - GIRLS ALOUD / good boys - BLONDIE / wild - NAMIE AMURO / ride a white horse - GOLDFRAPP / look on the floor (hypnotic tango) - BANANARAMA / heart beat rock - KYLIE / romeo - BASEMENT JAXX / cry for you - SEPTEMBER / experimenting with rugs + left too late - FLORRIE / off and on + let me know - ROISIN MURPHY / funny how - RACHEL STEVENS / do you believe me now? + come and get it - DANNII MINOGUE / will you remember me tomorrow? - MARGARET BERGER / serious - GWEN STEFANI / girl like you - BERTINE ZETLITZ / say it right - NELLY FURTADO / love don't live here - LADYHAWKE
Can’t get enough of this stuff? I have an entire RYM list about it too..
More mixes and pop/electronic music at my Wordpress
Rosenberg understands himself to be on the side of pleasure or at least enjoyment. He’s making an essentially poptimist argument that when the critics’ consensus is not congruent with the audience consensus, something is wrong with the critics. I hate poptimism because I hate being like everybody else and I think most extremely popular stuff is bad (Taylor Swift, superhero movies, almost all TV shows), so I am not sympathetic to Rosenberg’s argument.
Christian Lorentzen, Authorial Fragility and the Enemies of Poptimism
