Journal profile · MUSIC
Popular Music
ISSN 0261-1430 · eISSN 1474-0095 · Cambridge University Press
Popular Music: CAS Zone 2 · Arts (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 56 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Popular Music is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 2 of Arts in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Music History and Culture, Diverse Musicological Studies and Musicology and Musical Analysis, together about 54.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Music. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Popular Music is an international multi-disciplinary journal covering all aspects of the subject - from the formation of social group identities through popular music, to the workings of the global music industry, to how particular pieces of music are put together. The journal includes all kinds of popular music, whether rap or rai, jazz or rock, from any historical era and any geographical location. Popular Music carries articles by scholars from a variety of disciplines and theoretical perspectives. Each issue contains substantial, authoritative and influential articles, shorter topical pieces, and reviews of a wide range of books.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MUSIC
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 7, Finland 1 (8 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Music History and CultureArts and Humanities32.5%
- Diverse Musicological StudiesArts and Humanities11.6%
- Musicology and Musical AnalysisArts and Humanities10.3%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.1%
- Theater, Performance, and Music HistoryArts and Humanities4.7%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences4.1%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences3.5%
- Asian Culture and Media StudiesSocial Sciences3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Arts Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Music | Zone 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Arts Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Music | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Arts Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Music | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.25LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 71OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 493OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.22OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 55.17%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 31LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,599 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 11 | 0 |
| 2025 | 56 | 24 | 16 |
| 2024 | 56 | 18 | 15 |
| 2023 | 74 | 24 | 44 |
| 2022 | 63 | 26 | 161 |
| 2021 | 68 | 24 | 165 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted5
- articlePopular Music publishes: Article* Book Review Essay Review* Middle Eight* ReviewLength not stated
- book reviewPopular Music publishes: Article* Book Review Essay Review* Middle Eight* ReviewLength not stated
- essay reviewPopular Music publishes: Article* Book Review Essay Review* Middle Eight* ReviewLength not stated
- middle eightPopular Music publishes: Article* Book Review Essay Review* Middle Eight* ReviewLength not stated
- reviewPopular Music publishes: Article* Book Review Essay Review* Middle Eight* ReviewLength not stated
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0261-1430
- Electronic ISSN
- 1474-0095
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Popular Music
What CAS zone is Popular Music in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Popular Music is in Zone 2 of Arts, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Music; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Arts. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
Where are the editorial board members of Popular Music based?
Of the 8 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (7) and Finland (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Popular Music?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Popular Music is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is Popular Music open access, and what is the APC?
Popular Music is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .