As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are living in an opportune moment to contemplate relationships between music and the state. How, for example, has popular music reinforced or challenged state power? How has the state, a complex and multifaceted entity, interacted with popular music artists, audiences, and industries? How have government agencies and institutions promoted, preserved, or censored musical expression? How have communities and private citizens engaged with state structures, policies, and institutions through popular music?

With such questions in mind, the U.S. branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM-US) is pleased to announce that its 2026 annual conference will be held in Washington, D.C., at George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, February 26-March 1, 2026.

In addition to a full slate of presentations, the conference will feature special events including an opening reception, keynotes by the 2025 Woody Guthrie and Greg Tate Book Award winners, special panels with local musicians, and a Friday evening off-site event at the Go-Go Museum (additional ticket required). 

View the Preliminary Program

Register for the conference 

Early Bird Registration deadline: January 31, 2026

Information about Hotels

There is no official hotel for this conference, but GWU has negotiated discounted hotel lodging rates that guests can access through this site. 

Register for February 27 Go-Go Museum Event 

Photo Credit: Sam Johnson III/SamJohnson3 Photography.

Declared the official music of Washington, D.C. in 2020, go-go has long been the unofficial soundtrack of the Chocolate City. Beginning with Chuck Brown in the 1970s and gaining national exposure in the 1980s via bands like Trouble Funk (“Pump Me Up”) and Experience Unlimited (“Da Butt”), go-go’s potent blend of funk, Afro-Latin percussion, and call-and-response chants has kept generations of partygoers on the dance floor. Go-go’s durability reflects the resilience and resourcefulness of D.C.’s Black community, who have resisted the pressures of gentrification to keep this local tradition alive. The Go-Go Museum & Café (opened in February 2025) is the official site for the appreciation and study of go-go music, history and culture. Check out the museum's 16 interactive exhibits, two AI holograms of go-go artists, more than 230 digital artifacts, 60 physical artifacts, recording studio and live performance space in the heart of the historic Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

This is a ticketed event; tickets must be purchased in addition to conference registration. Ticket price includes:

- Shuttle Transportation to and from the museum

- Museum Tour

- Live go-go performance

- Happy hour bites by Chef Angie

- Cash bar

Ticket Prices:

$15 students

$40 regular

Donate: sponsor a graduate student ticket 

We look forward to welcoming you to Washington, D.C.! 

This year’s program committee consists of Andrés Amado (chair), Kevin Holt, Kim Kattari, Maureen Mahon, and David Suisman. You may direct questions about the program to Andrés Amado at iaspmus.conference@gmail.com.

This year's local arrangements committee consists of:  Loren Kajikawa, Lauren Onkey, and Gayle Wald.