Dear IASPM-ites,

I am delighted to announce the launch of a new popular music book series from Bloomsbury. 

Alternate Takes: Critical Responses to Popular Music is a series that aims to examine popular music from critical perspectives that challenge the accepted ways of thinking about areas such as popular music history, popular music analysis, the music industry, and the popular music canon. The series ultimately aims to have readers listen to – and think about – popular music in new ways. 

The series is edited Matt Brennan and Simon Frith along with editorial board members Daphne Brooks, Susan Fast, Sarah Hill, Marcus O’Dair, Ann Powers, Tracey Thorn, Oliver Wang, and Eric Weisbard.

The editors of Alternate Takes are currently seeking proposals from prospective authors for forthcoming books in the series. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for the series, please visit the website:

Best wishes,

Matt Brennan