PhillyPOP #6 | 2025 Discoveries + In Memoriam + AI Music + other big news!

WHAT IS PHILLYPOP? PhillyPOP is a meetup group for discussing popular music–it’s like a book club for playlists. We meet roughly once a month and every meeting has a playlist of songs on a given theme (see below). Participants listen to the playlist in advance and discuss it at the meeting. It's a great way to connect with local music superfans and hear stuff you wouldn't have otherwise. You can find more info about us here. If you'd like to be notified about future PhillyPOP events, make sure to check the box marked "Keep me updated on more events and news from this event organizer" when you RSVP, or follow us on our profile page.

NEXT EVENT: December is beloved for many reasons--Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the winter solstice, Boxing Day--but music fans know it as the time of year when critics put out their annual best-of lists. We also have a ton of music news to catch up on and, sadly, a few departed musical icons to pay tribute to. So, for our last event of 2025, we're going to try to do all three of these things:

• First, we'd love to hear some of your favorite musical discoveries from 2025! The songs don't actually have to be from this year as long as you heard them for the first time this year. The first ten songs on the starter playlist are my personal top ten of the year.
• Next, we'll remember some of the artists we lost this year, including D'Angelo, Ace Frehley of KISS, Roberta Flack, and Ozzy Osbourne. I've compiled some of my favorite cuts by these artists, but we could definitely use some more. Billboard maintains a running list of major artists who have died this year, but feel free to add songs by lesser-known folks who deserve recognition. Songs 11-25 on the playlist fit this category.
• The biggest news stories of the year include the lack of an undisputed "song of the summer" and the general weakness of the Top 40, the decline of rap music as a pop-culture force, and the ubiquity of K-Pop Demon Hunters. But the one I can't wait to talk about is AI-generated music--this stuff has been invading my Spotify recs and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it. I've been getting lots of covers of rock and rap hits in a 60s-70s R&B style, and while some of it kinda slaps, I'm deeply concerned about cultural appropriation and environmental impact. For better or worse, it's probably here to stay, so we may as well hash it out. Have you heard any AI tracks worth discussing? If so, please add them. (Playlist tracks 26-33)

You can submit up to ten tracks in total--they can be any combination of your 2025 favorites, cuts by departed artists, and/or AI tracks of note. Please send your picks to me via the "Contact" link below (under the "Organized by" header) or email them to [email protected] and I'll add them to the playlist. Also note that we will be returning to Renata's Kitchen at 40th & Baltimore since we had such a great time at PhillyPOP #5.

FUTURE EVENTS:

• Late Jan 2026 -> PhillyPOP Goes to the Grammys: Record x Song of the Year
• Feb 2026 -> Unconventional Love Songs

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