Deutschland-Austria-Confoederation Helvetica (IASPM D-A-CH) e.V.

IASPM D-A-CH — formally Deutschland-Austria-Confoederation Helvetica (IASPM D-A-CH) e.V. — is the German-speaking branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), the worldwide scholarly network for popular music studies founded in 1981. The branch was founded in 2013 and represents the three German-speaking countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as its name indicates. It is a registered association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) under German law and operates as an independent, non-commercial scholarly body. The organisation describes itself as a platform for the scholarly study of popular music worldwide and in all its facets, from its beginnings in the late eighteenth century to the present, in its local, regional and transnational specificities and its shaping by globalisation and mediatisation. It is explicitly interprofessional and interdisciplinary, and membership is open to all persons. IASPM D-A-CH states that it is an independent organisation subject to no commercial, state or party-political interests. Its activities centre on academic exchange in the German-speaking popular music studies community. It organises conferences every two years in coordination with the worldwide IASPM, runs workshops — particularly for early-career researchers — and issues calls for papers and other events. Its conference programme includes the biennial IASPM D-A-CH conference, the Collegium Musicum Populare, and joint workshops with partner societies such as the DVSM (Deutsche Vereinigung für Musikwissenschaft / German musicological association). The association emerged from the networking of researchers at different career stages and from different disciplines in the German-speaking region. Its website serves as the central communication hub, publishing news, calls for papers, conference programmes and workshop announcements, and linking to the international IASPM@Journal (open access) and other IASPM activities. Through this work it functions as the regional node of the global IASPM network for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

IASPM D-A-CH was founded in 2013 as the German-speaking branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), representing Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Its parent organisation, IASPM, was founded in 1981 to promote and network popular music studies and has since become the central worldwide network in the field. IASPM organises conferences, publishes the international open-access IASPM@Journal, supports research projects and fosters international exchange among scholars of popular music studies. The branch emerged from the networking of researchers at different career stages and from different disciplines in the German-speaking region. It was established as a registered association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) under German law, with its formal name — Deutschland-Austria-Confoederation Helvetica (IASPM D-A-CH) e.V. — spelling out the three countries it represents. Since its founding, IASPM D-A-CH has built a regular programme of scholarly events. It organises conferences every two years in coordination with the worldwide IASPM, and it runs workshops, particularly for early-career researchers. Its recurring formats include the biennial IASPM D-A-CH conference and the Collegium Musicum Populare. By the mid-2020s the association was staging its seventh biennial conference — "Tuning the Noise Gate", held at the University of Oldenburg from 28 to 30 May 2026 — and its eleventh Collegium Musicum Populare, scheduled for Salzburg on 10–11 July 2026. It also collaborates with other scholarly bodies, for example the joint workshop "DVSM meets IASPM D-A-CH — Karrierewege in den Popular Music Studies" held online on 7 November 2025. The association's website functions as its central communication hub, publishing news, calls for papers, conference programmes and workshop announcements. Through these activities IASPM D-A-CH acts as the regional node of the global IASPM network for the German-speaking countries, connecting local and regional research communities to international debates in popular music studies.

• 2026

  7th IASPM-DACH conference "Tuning the Noise Gate" held at the University of Oldenburg, 28–30 May 2026.

• 2026

  11th IASPM D-A-CH Collegium Musicum Populare scheduled for Salzburg, 10–11 July 2026.

• 2026

  Call for papers issued for the 24th Biennial IASPM-International Conference "Pop! Goes the World!!!", deadline 1 December 2026.

• 2025

  Joint workshop "DVSM meets IASPM D-A-CH — Career paths in Popular Music Studies" held online on 7 November 2025.

• 2013

  IASPM D-A-CH founded as the German-speaking branch of IASPM, representing Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

• 1981

  International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) founded.

Independent, non-commercial, interprofessional and interdisciplinary scholarly association for popular music studies in the German-speaking world.

• Biennial IASPM D-A-CH conference

  The association's main recurring academic conference, organised every two years in coordination with the worldwide IASPM.

• Collegium Musicum Populare

  A recurring IASPM D-A-CH event; the 11th edition was scheduled for Salzburg on 10–11 July 2026.

• Workshops for early-career researchers

  Workshops organised by the association, particularly for early-career scholars, including joint events with partner societies.

1. 1IASPM D-A-CHiaspm-dach.net
2. 2Mission Statement — IASPM D-A-CHiaspm-dach.net
3. 3CfP: Listening to Arctic Voices – Storytelling as a Method to Exchange, Develop and Decolonize Knowledge Production Practices (17.–18.02.2027, Bern, Switzerland) Deadline: 14.10.2026iaspm-dach.net
4. 4Deutschland-Austria-Confoederation Helvetica (IASPM D-A-CH) e.V.wikidata.org