, / IA$Pm The International Association for the Study of Popular Music Review of Popular Music 1 Editorial

Popular music is about communicat ion, and even for those like ourselves who study the subject, communication is impor tant. This is the first issue of RPM (which may remind you of revs. per minute, but which also means Revi ew of Popular Music) , the official bulletin of IASPM. It is planned to appear twice a year, and will include news of the Associati on's activities, incl uding its Conferences, but will also be a vehicle for the exchange of information between member s. We hope to cover reports on research projects, courses, conferences attended, the activities of Branch Committees, book and concert reviews and other features, including a letters column. Letters for publication should be as brief as possible, and reports or articles should not exceed 1000 words. This will enable us to give a greater coverage and be more truly represent-ative of our membership. Return postage will be appreciated- which brings us to the important issue of the establishment of IASPM. We urge every reader to seek new members, both individuals and institutions, as vigorously as possible. We cannot emphasise too strongly how i mportant this is for the survival and growth of our new Association. Like all the work of the Temporary Executive Committee this first issue of RPM has been put together voluntarily. Help with thi s, and all other activities of IASPM is urgently required, so if you can assist, or have any ideas that may help, write to the Secretary, Philip Tagg