PhillyPOP
PhillyPOP is a meetup group for discussing popular music–it’s like a book club for playlists. Each month we all listen to a playlist, then we meet in person to talk about it. Each playlist has a theme, and attendees are encouraged to contribute songs that fit the theme. It's a great way to connect with local music superfans and hear stuff you wouldn't have otherwise. PhillyPOP is based in beautiful West Philadelphia, PA.
Tagline: Can't shut up about music? Tell us about it.
How does it work? Each meeting has four basic steps:
- The meeting is posted to our Eventbrite page. You can be notified when new events are posted by following us here: phillypop.net
- Each participant reads the event description and listens to the playlist, which is available on Spotify and YouTube.
- (Optional) You're encouraged to submit up to ten of your own song picks that fit the theme. This makes it more fun and helps folks feel invested in the conversation.
- Come to the meeting and conversate with us! We are a very friendly and chill bunch, I promise.
PhillyPOP is an intentionally diverse community of music appreciators–we welcome all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual identities and preferences, pronouns, religions, nationalities, personalities, neurodiversities, disabilities, and nearly every other kind of identity. Pretty much the only people we don't like are fascists and nazis, so y'all can stay tf out.
If you want to learn more about what PhillyPOP is all about, you've come to the right place. In theory, music can bring people together from different walks of life, but in my experience it rarely does that in a meaningful way. I mean sure, concerts are great, but when was the last time you met someone new at a concert and actually kept in touch afterward? You know how it is–everyone comes out and sticks with their preexisting friends, and even if you see someone wearing a particularly cool T-shirt or whatever, it can be hard to breach those social barriers and strike up a convo. Well, I know it's hard for me.
PhillyPOP is my attempt to "break on through to the other side," as Jim Morrison might say: to connect with people who, like me, think about music constantly but don't have enough opportunities to discuss it in person. If you're musically open-minded, have strong opinions, and spend lots of time on Wikipedia and Genius looking up artists, songs, and lyrics, you'll probably enjoy PhillyPOP quite a bit. On the other hand, if you love music but care about only one or two genres and/or aren't much of a talker/listener, it might not be for you. If you're on the fence, you could always just come to a meeting and see for yourself–it's free and in-person social interaction is good for you. We believe it's important to create space for joy and human connection what with all the hate and division running rampant in our society.
I suppose I should say a bit about myself… I'm a 40-something married Black father of two and a relatively new resident of West Philly, having moved here in the summer of 2024 to take a job in University City. My job has nothing to do with music, but it's been my #1 hobby since middle school. I've been in all kinds of bands over the years from hip-hop to punk rock to post-punk, and I went through a brief phase writing reviews and music journalism during and after college. I used to be something of a hipster (technically "blipster" I guess) throughout most of my 20s, but now I just like what I like. Amassing a comprehensive knowledge base about pop music has been a lifelong pursuit of mine–I consider it part of being a culturally educated person, and PhillyPOP is my attempt to find others who feel the same way.
PhillyPOP is the second music discussion group I've founded: the first ran for two years in the Triangle area of North Carolina, where I lived before moving here. So when I tell you it's fun, I'm speaking from experience. The way most meetings worked was, every month, someone took the “organizer” role (usually me) and came up with a theme for a playlist. Some of my favorite themes from my previous group were “Cover songs,” “Mothers and Fathers,” “Songs We Have Questions About,” “The Seven Deadly Sins,” “Diss Tracks,” and “Celebrating Pop Divas.” You can view and listen to some of these playlists here (the ones labeled “TPOP,” the name of my old group)–I’ll probably reuse some of these topics but the playlists will be different: https://www.youtube.com/@919winters/playlists . The organizer created a “starter” playlist with 15-25 songs to give everyone an idea of what kinds of songs fit the theme. Then, anyone who wanted to come could add up to ten songs that they thought fit the theme. This was completely optional, but it was always more fun when attendees contributed. Everyone listened to the playlist before the meeting, and then we all discussed it when we met. Meetings took place at a local bar and lasted about two hours.
One thing about the "pop" aspect: my former group mostly focused on songs that are widely known. Members submitted their own personal favorites from all genres, but the shared connections to big hits–love or hate them–made for great conversations. So that's the approach I'll be taking in my submissions since I know it works. But I'm not planning on policing other people's submissions, so the character of the group will evolve based on who ends up participating regularly. I'm less interested in duplicating my old group here, which would be impossible anyway, than in co-creating something interesting with local music lovers.
Let's see, what else… maybe you're curious about what we usually talk about? We use the acronym CHAMP to help us remember some of our most popular categories of music discussion. CHAMP stands for:
- CULTURAL/HISTORICAL CONTEXT: How the songs fit into non-musical culture, e.g. their use in movies, music, and TV; their meaning to specific cultural/political/racial groups; if they have had any broader non-musical cultural influence; historical significance; how well they have held up over time, etc.
- AESTHETICS: Whether or not you like the songs—the quality of the music, arrangements, lyrics, performances, production touches, etc.
- MUSICAL CONTEXT: Where the music fits within the broader context of pop music. Influences, ripoffs, allusions, references by other musicians, famous criticism, covers, etc. This also includes how the music fits into the band’s and genre’s broader catalog, as well as how it embraces or rejects major musical trends.
- PERSONAL CONTEXT: What the song means to you. Stories about how you first heard it and its importance to your life. Thoughts you had while listening to songs for the first time, how your opinions of certain songs have changed over the years, any personal lyrical or musical interpretations you may have.
So that’s pretty much it–if that sounds like fun (it is), I hope you’ll join us.