About Popoptica
Yes, we are another music website. But soon we will also be in print.
Across online and print we explore what it means to be a musician and how the music industry is changing.
- we support unsigned as a choice, and recognise independents as the new Majors
- genres can be helpful but we place no boundaries on what we cover
- we prefer to support under-represented artists and give space which isn’t being held elsewhere already.
- we don’t think the only time artists are interesting to talk to is when they have a new release due, and understand discovery can be divorced from release dates
Above all the Popoptica way is respect for reader and artist, putting critique before clicks or disposable content.
Popoptica.com
Online we focus on sharing new music and as we build a print publication our online content will increasingly be about covering single releases from DIY and independent artists.
Popoptica zine
In print, we’re all about long form writing, and encouraging a slower approach to creating and reading about music and artists. These are pieces you can sink into and explore. We want to give as much cultural context as we do opinion, and use pieces as the start or as part of a conversation.
Submissions for coverage
We don’t currently take submissions. We won’t reply to requests for coverage from artists, labels, promoters, or PRs. If you’re paying for PR and we’re on their list of publications contacted, or coverage placed – please do question this.
We can also say:
- we don’t carry music news
- we don’t publish exclusives or premieres
- we do not charge artists to be featured on the site – and encourage them not to work with publications which do
If you’re an artist or independent record label, follow and interact with Sarah or Popoptica as a publication online. We’re about genuine community and connection, not fleeting transactional contact.
If you’ve been featured…
If you’ve been featured on Popoptica we’d like you to think about doing some or all of the following. You’re not compelled or expected to but we believe in community and not individualism so these make sense to us:
- Share: the piece on your social media, your mailing lists, and on your website. Ask anyone in your team (labels, PRs, pluggers, booking agents) to do the same. It benefits us both if your piece gets read. There are share buttons on every piece so you don’t even have to copy and paste the URL if you don’t feel like it.
- Follow: hit the Like or Follow button on the Popoptica social media account (currently just Facebook as we have left Twitter/X). Don’t just stop by for your own coverage but join us to discover and support other artists too.
- Support: we’ll never ask you to pay for coverage on this site, and we’re unlikely to sign up to submission platforms that disguise the act of paying for coverage by sitting inbetween us. Everything we do at Popoptica is self-funded and will continue to be so as far as we know. If you’ve liked something here and are able, buy us a Ko-Fi – it helps us keep the lights on at the site, recognises music and music journalism have value, and quite honestly absolutely makes our day to know we connected.
Contribute, write or photograph for us
Popoptica is founded by music journalist and record label co-owner Sarah Lay. She has previously written for nearly every music blog out there.
The Popoptica team
Sarah Lay // Ellis Darrington // … come and join us…?
If you’re interested in contributing to Popoptica get in touch with Sarah or Popoptica as a publication via social media. If you have a portfolio, great, but we are open to contributions from first time or infrequent writers too.
Cover image attribution
“Fireworx Horizon”by DeckerEgo is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
